Book Club for Women

Book of the Month

Meeting August 10th, 2026

19:00 GMT / 14:00 EST

The TABB Book Club brings women together through monthly online discussions of fiction, memoirs and recovery-inspired books. It's a welcoming space for connection, reflection and conversation within our alcohol-free community.
The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce (2025)

The Homemade God is a beautifully crafted and deeply moving novel that explores the complexities of family, grief and the stories we tell ourselves about the people we love. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of an Italian lakeside villa, the novel brings together a family whose relationships have been shaped by distance, old wounds and long-held assumptions.

With Rachel Joyce's signature warmth, emotional insight and gentle humour, the story examines how memory, perception and expectation can distort our understanding of those closest to us. As family members confront uncomfortable truths and unexpected revelations, they are forced to reconsider not only each other, but also themselves.

Blending moments of quiet reflection with emotional depth, The Homemade God explores themes of identity, forgiveness, belonging and the search for connection. It asks whether we can ever truly know another person, and whether it is possible to let go of the versions of people we have created in our own minds.

Thought-provoking, compassionate and rich in beautifully observed characters, The Homemade God offers plenty to reflect on and discuss, making it an excellent choice for book club readers.
Rachel Joyce is a British novelist, playwright and former actress, best known for her emotionally resonant fiction that explores the quiet complexities of ordinary lives. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked extensively in theatre and radio, writing and adapting plays for BBC Radio 4.

She achieved international acclaim with her debut novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and went on to become a worldwide bestseller. Her other novels include Perfect, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North, and Miss Benson's Beetle, all of which have been praised for their compassion, wit and beautifully observed characters.

In The Homemade God, Joyce once again demonstrates her remarkable ability to blend humour with heartbreak, exploring themes of family, identity, grief and forgiveness with warmth, insight and emotional depth.

Born in London, Rachel Joyce lives in Gloucestershire with her husband, the actor Paul Venables. The Homemade God is her sixth novel.
Book Club Questions

  1. At the heart of the novel is a family brought together by loss. How did your understanding of each family member change as the story unfolded?

  2. The title, The Homemade God, is intriguing. What do you think it represents? How does it relate to the characters and the choices they make?

  3. Family relationships are often shaped by assumptions and misunderstandings. Which relationship did you find the most complex or compelling, and why?

  4. The novel explores the gap between who people really are and who we imagine them to be. Which character surprised you the most?

  5. Grief affects every character differently. Which portrayal of grief felt the most authentic or relatable to you?

  6. The setting of the Italian villa becomes almost a character in its own right. How did the location influence the mood of the story and the relationships between the characters?

  7. Secrets, silence and unspoken emotions run throughout the novel. Do you think honesty would have changed the outcome for this family, or are some truths better left undiscovered?

  8. Which character did you sympathise with the most? Did your loyalties shift as the novel progressed?

  9. Rachel Joyce often writes about ordinary people facing extraordinary emotional challenges. What did this novel suggest about the resilience of ordinary families?

  10. Forgiveness is an important theme throughout the story. Which characters struggle most with forgiveness, and do you think they ultimately find it?

  11. The novel asks us to consider whether we ever truly know the people closest to us. Do you think it is possible to fully understand another person?

  12. Were there any characters whose decisions frustrated or disappointed you? Looking back, do you think their actions were understandable?

  13. Identity and belonging are central themes in the novel. Which character seemed most comfortable with who they were, and which was still searching for a sense of self?

  14. Rachel Joyce balances humour with moments of heartbreak. How did this combination affect your reading experience? Did any particular scene stay with you?

  15. If you could ask one of the characters a question after finishing the novel, who would you choose and what would you ask?
TABB for Women Ltd
145A Ashley Road,
Hale, Cheshire, WA14 2UW
 info@tabbforwomen.com
© 2025 - 2025 All rights reserved

Stay Connected

Crisis Support

Terms & Conditions
 | Privacy Policy

Created with