Books about people returning to their communities and families after being gone for a long time while going through something traumatic or life-changing that they now feel a stranger in their home.
Feel free to recommend books that you think fit this list. One of my favorite tropes is 'a stranger in a familiar land' but I have trouble finding books where it's prominent. So I'm mainly looking for SFF books where it's a main plot point that drives the story.
created by lunarly
last updated July, 2026
ooooh i love this, reminds me of the hobbits returning to the shire at the end of rotk š„ŗ

Yeah, it has a similar feel. I really enjoy when that's the main focus of the book, but I haven't found a ton.
a river enchanted has some shades of this iirc! daughter of the forest too but not until the end⦠i will be giving this more thought hehe