The Returners

by Gemma Malley

Hardcover, 2010

Status

Available

Call number

823.92

Genres

Young Adult

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

Your library

Publication

Bloomsbury USA Childrens (2010), Hardcover, 256 pages

Description

Will Hodges wonders why "freaks" began following him after his mother drowned, but when he finally discovers what they want, he can begin to make sense of the nightmares he has always had and try to do something about the anti-immigrant hatred that his father so vehemently espouses.

User reviews

LibraryThing member galleysmith

The Returners, as well written as it is, was far more muted and understated in tone than I was imagining it would be. While there were clear strengths to the story I found them to be mired by a few larger weaknesses which in turn left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed by the story as a whole.

Where I

struggled quite a bit was with the extended focus on racial and political undertones. The point of their inclusion was made early on so lengthening the attention paid made the element monotonous and repetitive. Moreover, this ended up taking away time from learning more about the Returners and Will’s relationship to them. I got the point that was being made, the elements were a mechanism to exemplify the evil side of being a Returner as well as a tool for Will’s desire and ability to change. But, despite both being admirable aspects of the story to explore for me the amount of time ultimately focused on each individually was unnecessary. I would much rather have spent those pages delving into the history of the Returners and delving into the relationships between Will and those who have known him in his past lives.

Another opportunity lost was the potential for Will to explore his own sanity as part of the journey to recognition. What readers ended up seeing was the same scene (Will being followed, Will worrying he’s losing his mind) over and over again. It wasn’t just repetitive it was off putting. I ultimately ended up skimming some passages as I already read what was said and done in scenes prior.

When we finally did get to the meat of the story, the struggle between good and evil, it was an interesting addition and frankly the biggest strength of the story. Will’s determination to not be the person he’d been so many times in so many lives before was palpable. It made him emotional and vulnerable, it made him accessible to the reader, it humanized him. In my estimation this is extremely important in a dystopian novel as the reader is already displaced by time and place. Having something or someone they can relate to in the story keeps them invested so kudos to Malley for making that connection with Will so strong.

In being fair and honest I have to say that this review is likely more a reflection of my expectations of dystopian literature than it is of the book being “bad”. Because, when all is said and done, The Returners isn’t a bad book, it was just a bad book for me. In an effort to provide a more well rounded perspective of this book I’ve included links to reviews that may have a different viewpoint than mine. I encourage you to read these as well before determining whether this book is for you.

Show Less

9 more

LibraryThing member soliloquies

There seems to be a trend for dystopian young adult fiction at the moment and this also falls into that category. Will's Mum is dead and he lives with his father, yet there are huge chunks of his life that he simply cannot remember. It takes a long time to get to the crux of the matter - that Will

is a Returner forever destined to be evil. Following his last incarnation he cannot face the horrors of another life of evil so chooses not to return. When he does eventually find a new life his mind is blank. Will has to choose what his destiny will be.
Whilst I enjoyed the book it was slow to start and it didn't fully explore the concept of free will, which would have made for a more interesting book. Definitely worth a read, though as it is thought provoking.

Show Less

LibraryThing member sanddancer

Will is a troubled teenager, whose mother committed suicide. He sees strange people watching him and following him everywhere. It could just be paranoia until one day they approach him and explain they are 'returners', people have lived over and over again at various points in history.

As this is a

Young Adult book, the story was pretty straightforward and a quick read, but it still managed to be thought-provoking and surprising in places.

Show Less

LibraryThing member ShellyPYA

Will is being followed by people he doesn't know and has dreams he can't explain. When he does finally confront one of the followers, she tells him he's a Returner, someone who comes back to absorb all of humanity's suffering. He finds it hard to believe until he starts to vividly remember

horrendous events like the Holocaust. Meanwhile, his friend Yan is sent to jail for a murder that Will knows he didn't commit, but his father convinces him to testify against him. Will he decide to accept his fate or fight back?

Show Less

LibraryThing member Squishy133

’The Returner’s', the second book of Gemma Malley’s that I have read, was an interesting idea that I have never before heard of. Though the pace of the book was slow-moving (even for a book of only 257 pages), it was still an enjoyable read.

This is again one of those books that I simply

cannot tell you about in detail, because it would completely ruin the plot. So, I guess I’ll just have to edge around that as best as I can.
At times, the idea of the ‘returners’ (you’ll have to read the book to find out who they are) was a bit confusing at times, however this cleared up towards the end of a novel and things became a bit easier to understand. The itself was easy to follow, with only a few main story lines being presented.

‘The Returners’ is set in the near future, in the year 2016 – which, in my opinion, lent to the reality of the story because it was so close to home. Similarly, the morals of the book felt quite relevant to todays society.
The story involves Will Hodge, the protagonist, being followed by people that he cannot remember. He calls these people the ‘Freaks’. A local member of the community, who is an immigrant, is also seen at the scene of a murder and is taken away by the police and thrown in gaol as a suspect.

I really like the cover for this book, by the way. The person walking in the door adds a creepy aspect to the cover (that and the blood) which was one of the reasons I chose the book in the first place. I also was really intrigued by the tag line on the front; ‘A past life doesn’t mean a good one‘.

Will, as a narrator, reminded me a little of the protagonist from ‘The Catcher in the Rye’, Holden Caulfield. Though I didn’t really like Holden’s voice (it got really annoying after a while), I did tend to agree with his views on society – that people were ‘phony’, and that we only do the things we do because we must conform. That wasn’t what Will was trying to convey in ‘The Returners’, but I still felt that the style in which his opinions were written was very similar to that of Holden’s.

Throughout the book, I often found myself empathizing for the characters in their different predicaments. I pitied Will, as he struggle to accept who he was and tried to cope with the loss of his mother. I felt for his feelings of alienation (yes, it’s very year 12 belonging related) and rejection and how he tried to use a facade to cover how he was really feeling about all this. And I understood his disgust and brazen, forced acceptance of who he really was. That was one aspect of the book that I really enjoyed. It is a wonderful book indeed that allows for such empathy with its characters.

I did, however, guess the ending and one ‘plot twist’ that appeared in the story. If you’ve read it, I’m talking about the truth behind the death of Will’s mother – if I say anything else, I’ll give it away. And I wouldn’t want that.
Despite the fact that I often guess the ending of books, I felt that this one was especially predictable, which in this case was annoying, as the book wasn’t really marketed as a light-hearted read. So that was a real underlying factor for why the book received the rating from me that it did.

Just a quite intermission, Bindi has just joined my while I was writing this, and I think she wanted me to mention that ‘The Returners’ smells nice.
OK, back to the review…

All in all, the book was interesting, it was new and different, and the writing style was similar to that of Gemma Malley’s previous books ‘The Declaration’ and ‘The Resistance’. However, I felt that the book was a little slow to unfold, even for a book this small, and it was quite predictable and also a little confusing.
I don’t mind Gemma Malley’s style of writing, and I think it’s quite different from many other writers of dystopian fiction that I have read (which aren’t many, though hopefully I’ll get the chance to read more in the future). I’ll be looking out for any more of her books in the future.

Show Less

LibraryThing member edspicer

(Yes I would recommend this book) because it was a really good and interesting book. Also it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Q4P4 AHS/Amanda B.

LibraryThing member littleton_pace

Not really ghosts or sci-fi, but its not really NOT either of them either.

Good book! I read it in a day or so, quick but hearty read. It's definitely not a happy story, it kept a miserable tone throughout the whole thing which is the point, so I applaud it for that. I thought it was a unique take

on nightmares/ghosts haunting teens in fiction these days. And I praise the author for a believable friendship between Will and Claire.

The realizations come at the right time, it's not one of those books where you've figured it out in the first few chapters and it takes the lead character the rest of the novel to realize the obvious. Will learns as he goes along, and we learn with him, gaining clarity on some things and hints about what's to come.

If you come across it, definitely pick it up and give it a read! :)

Show Less

LibraryThing member SilverThistle

Four stars because the writing is great and I couldn't stop until I got to the end...but if I was rating just the 'story' then I'd only give it 3 stars. The story only gets 3 stars.

LibraryThing member HeatherLINC

Gemma Malley has written another thought provoking novel set a few years into the future. A number of important issues are covered throughout this deceptively small book including racism, anti-immigration, human suffering, destiny vs free will and the failure of humankind to learn from the past. I

loved the concept of the returners, it was an original idea, and the only reason I gave this book 3 stars instead of 4, is because I felt that the returners could have been developed further giving the novel more depth. However, still a great read.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Dairyqueen84

Will Hodges is a loner type in school with a bit of an anger management problem like his dad. He witnesses the aftermath of a murder for which a former immigrant friend is charged. Will tells this story and about the nightmares that have plagued him in recent months where horrible things are

happening to people and he wakes up in a sweat. He is also being followed by people who act like they know him and stare at him with hollow, sad eyes. When they finally get close to him, they tell him that he is a “Returner” like them. He doesn’t know what this means and he doesn’t want to know, until his nightmares begin intruding on his waking life. Told in Will’s anguished and angry voice the story winds from the present to the near past to the more distant past and back as what being a “Returner” means for Will is revealed. Returners come back again and again to absorb the pain and suffering of humanity. But Will finds out he is something more, something darker and he has to decide if he accepts his role as destiny or if he can change the course of his life. The Returners say he cannot escape his destiny but Will has to decide for himself. The narrative unfolds in a slow, mysterious way which may not suit all readers, but the twists in the book make this a worthwhile read.

Show Less

Fewer