Hope House

Bond’s gut-punch of a debut centers on Hope House, a Kentucky group home for a motley crew of boys who, in the 1980s, don’t have much of a future ahead of them—most likely prison, living on the streets, or worse. Narrated by a group home member nicknamed AWOL because he runs away so much, the story covers various residents and their trajectory over a period of four years. Among them are Karvel, a former drug dealer; Smoove, who was shot after he was caught selling fake crack; Bobby Church, who ran his dad over in a car; and Chollie Ocampo, who set his mother’s empty trailer home on fire. The unshakable head of household, Mr. Watts, has the daunting task of teaching his charges to lean on each other, gain self-confidence, and find self-worth. Over the course of the novel, Hope House takes in boys from similar homes that have closed, and might itself have to close before the boys graduate. These pressures add to Bond’s authentic and often heartbreaking picture of the boys’ challenging circumstances and determination to overcome them. When they turn 18, they will graduate from the program and find out whether they can function in society. As AWOL poignantly notes: “We are kids still, on the cusp of something, and that feeling inside us is hope.” It’s a clarion call for the value of compassion and the possibility of rehabilitation. Agent: Sarah Fuentes, UTA. (May)