We meet shrewd people and honest people, cheats and greedy ones, happy companions and ruthless crooks, in a word, the whole range of people one can possibly put into one little 250-page book.
We read about complex relationships between father and son, mother and son, father and mother, grandfather and granddaughter, master and servant, couples having grown old together, authorities of various degrees with those under and over them, concerned watchers and by-passers and also those who delight in making things even more difficult for their fellow creatures than they already are. Then there are selfish people and selfless ones to encounter, cruel people, kind people and blustery people, and we hear about their actions and thoughts in a variety of ways that is astonishing for a story of this kind. We also meet those who deeply love their home, the hills and the moors, whose characters are shaped by the demands and beauties thereof, and those of the city who cherish the country folks’ opinions and attitudes. The setting is Yorkshire and the Scottish Highlands, and the human characters we meet speak the dialects of the regions, including the inevitable outsider nobody trusts because he sticks out like a sore thumb the moment he opens his mouth.
It touches on many topics that are great for pondering and discussion alike and yet elaborates on none of them to the point where nothing is left unsaid. The main reason is, it is a rich book, rich like a good meal with many courses that you come away from satisfied but not over-stuffed. So, why would I go out of my way to recommend this book? First published in 1938 as a short story, “Lassie Come-Home” is a classic for good reason.
A similar story line is followed in another novel I strongly recommend for people who do not shy away from children’s books, namely “The Incredible Journey” by Sheila Burnford, but it is not the story line as such that makes the novels good novels, as can be seen by the way in which the plot can be commercialized or turned into nothing much more than comedy or a tearjerker.
The actual story line is quickly summed up: Loyal dog is sold but seeks to return home through 400 miles of rugged terrain and crowded cities alike. I guess everyone has heard of the story, more likely because of movies and TV series than because they read the book, but it truly is a novel worth your time. “Lassie Come-Home” by Eric Knight is a classic, and on our oldest daughter’s reading list this year.
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