The Returned
Ratings5
Average rating2.6
15
Ratings5
Average rating2.6
"Jacob was time out of sync, time more perfect than it had been. He was life the way it was supposed to be all those years ago. That's what all the Returned were." Harold and Lucille Hargrave's lives have been both joyful and sorrowful in the decades since their only son, Jacob, died tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. In their old age they've settled comfortably into life without him, their wounds healed through the grace of time…. Until one day Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep—flesh and blood, their sweet, precocious child, still eight years old. All over the world people's loved ones are returning from beyond. No one knows how or why this is happening, whether it's a miracle or a sign of the end. Not even Harold and Lucille can agree on whether the boy is real or a wondrous imitation, but one thing they know for sure: he's their son. As chaos erupts around the globe, the newly reunited Hargraves find themselves at the center of a community on the brink of collapse, forced to navigate a mysterious new reality and a conflict that threatens to unravel the very meaning of what it is to be human. With spare, elegant prose and searing emotional depth, Jason Mott explores timeless questions of faith and morality, love and responsibility. A spellbinding and stunning debut, The Returned is an unforgettable story that marks the arrival of an important new voice in contemporary fiction.
Series
1 primary book3 released booksThe Returned is a 3-book series with 1 primary work first released in 2013 with contributions by Jason Mott.
Reviews with the most likes.
Avec une idée de départ que je trouvais géniale et un début très prometteur, ce roman sombre ensuite dans une lenteur ennuyante, sans passion, avant finalement de s'achever sur une note émouvante qui m'a sauvé d'un mauvais souvenir de cette lecture.
I received this ARC through First Reads from the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
I was really excited about this book. The premise just sounded so amazing! And after having read the book, I can definitely see why some people are raving about it. All of the elements of a good literary novel are there. It's beautifully written, themes of human existentialism, an examination of human nature, etc.
Unfortunately, I found it to be incredibly boring. I was about 3/4 of the way through this book and had to force myself to finish. I doubt I would have finished it if it were not an ARC copy. As it was, I did do a bit of skimming in the middle because OMG NOTHING WAS HAPPENING. I mean, sure, the writing was really beautiful and subtle and all that, but who gives a crap about the writing when FREAKING NOTHING HAPPENS.
I suppose what I said above isn't 100% accurate. Something does happen very very late in the book. I do have to say that the last few chapters are the reason I did not give this one star. The ending was quite good. Rather powerfully, it brought together the underlying themes in the novel. I also liked the extra little excerpts in bold/italics from the points of view of various Returned people. They were probably the most interesting sections in the novel.
Personally, I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting from the novel, but I at the very least wanted to discover WHY the Returned were there. Or, barring that, HOW they got there. I mean, was it everybody that ever died? Cuz holy hell that's a lot of people.
In the end, I would say that this book is not a bad book. It's just not the book for me.
