Home is where the heart is—usually, anyway. It's a little more complicated in Inkheart, though. If the characters in this book had to update their Facebook information about their homes, they would probably write something like, "It's complicated."
Dustfinger, Basta, and Capricorn are no longer living in the novel that was their home, while Mo and Meggie move around so much that they don't really have a stable home. And Meggie's mom was read into Inkheart, so we're not really sure what counts as her home anymore. Unsurprisingly then, everyone has a different relationship with the idea of home: Dustfinger longs for his home, while Basta and Capricorn are glad to be free of theirs. Meggie's home is wherever Mo is, and Elinor's home is where her books are.
In other words, in this book home is all over the place.
Questions About The Home
- Why do you think Dustfinger is so homesick for his story?
- If you had as much money as Elinor, what would your house be like?
- What does Capricorn seem to need from his home? What about Basta?
- How does Meggie's idea of home change throughout the story?
Chew on This
Home is only a fiction; there's no such thing as the perfect place that can make you feel truly at home.
Mo is more of a home to Meggie than any physical place.