“The Returned transforms a brilliant premise into an extraordinary and beautifully realized novel. My spine is still shivering from the memory of this haunting story. Wow.” -Douglas Preston, #1 bestselling author of The Monster of FlorenceThe sensational New York Times bestselling novel about an impossible miracle and a family given a second chance at life…Harold and Lucille Hargrave’s … Lucille Hargrave’s eight-year-old son, Jacob, died tragically in 1966. In their old age they’ve settled comfortably into life without him…. Until one day Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep–flesh and blood, still eight years old.All over the world people’s loved ones are returning from beyond. No one knows how or why, whether it’s a miracle or a sign of the end. But as chaos erupts around the globe, the newly reunited family finds itself at the center of a community on the brink of collapse, forced to navigate a mysterious new reality.With spare, elegant prose and searing emotional depth, award-winning poet 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.
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Starts out very interesting but then becomes predictable.
I think that I was let down by this book. But this may be my fault, I think I wanted to book to be about something that it wasn’t. For some reason, I read the blurb, and thought that the returned were like abducted by aliens or something. This is what I was looking forward to! Unfortunately for me, it was about what the blurb said. Dead people coming back to life.
After I started reading it, I realized that this is the book that the television show Resurrection is based on. Yay, because I’ve been watching it, and love it! Sadly, other than the original concept and some of the names, there aren’t many similarities between the show and this book. Which is actually kind of a good thing, because it means that the show might continue to be great.
It’s just that I kept waiting to find out why, what was it all about. What was the purpose of these people coming back? Why only certain people? Is there something special about where they land? None of these questions were ever answered. Yes, a let down.
The Returned truly portrays some of man’s baser fears and emotions–some of which are inspiring, some normal, and others that are detestable. It is the ultimate “what if?” Senario.
Gripping. Really enjoyed this and as I read realized there was a short lived network series about this book.
Strange…
Intriguing idea for plot but wa-a-ay too long — would’ve benefited from some editing and tightening.
Interesting subject matter. Will not be to everyone’s liking.
As good as the American television series based on the book, very different from the French television series. How would I react if the brother who was born in 1960, sadly passed in 1961 only to be handed to me as closest living relative? I was born in ’63, named after this little boy & would be expected to raise him? It would be awesome on one hand, especially since I have “Grandma Fever”, but what a head trip. Then, imagine thousands of these cases worldwide. Are the “Returned” really our loved ones? Or is there some supernatural chicanery afoot? This book kept me awake so I could finish it, then as I tried to sleep the next night, all the thoughts l mentioned above began rolling around in my over imaginative brain sleep was elusive again.That didn’t happen with the TV series, only while “inside” a well written book. I would recommend this book to anyone with an open mind. It would be better than a rainy afternoon bingeing a TV show.
I got this because I had watched the tv series and wondered about the book it was based on and how the plot varied – and what the original author had in mind. I was disappointed in that many of the questions raised were in no way answered by the book – any more than they were in the tv series. The story was interesting the characters were fairly interesting also but I was hoping for more from the book to be honest. The idea was certainly intriguing though.
Book & story line is nothing new. has been other books, shows and movies about “the returned”.
Sorry I wasted my time on this one. If you saw the TV show, it gave you more I formation than this book did.