The Cider House Rules

More about the book

In the midst of the apple orchards in the fertile land of Maine lies a peculiar world, where the odyssey of Homer Wells begins. After several traumatic experiences with his adoptive parents, he becomes a permanent part of the St. Cloud's orphanage. As the oldest orphan, he learns to help young and older women with their concerns. His mentor is Wilbur Larch, the founder of the orphanage, a doctor who fights his own crusade against evil, often at odds with the law. Throughout the story, we follow Homer’s journey, his desire to be useful, his apprenticeship at the orphanage, his adult life in a cider house, his strange bond with his best friend's wife, and his constant departures and returns. The novel explores themes of love, loss, and the search for identity in an environment filled with challenges and contradictions.