The Returned by Jason Mott

Title: The Returned
Author: Jason Mott
Release Date: August 27th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Buy: Amazon | Bookdepository

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 tempered 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 Hargrave family finds itself 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, 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.

“Something has happened”, he belted out, startling the church. “Something-the cause of which we have not yet been made privy-has happened.” He spread his arms. “And what are we to do? How are we to react? Should we be afraid? …”

I, like Cory, am giving this book a 3 star rating even though I DNFed it. Honestly I wasn’t the intended audience for this book so I really cannot blame the book for the fact that I could not get into it.

This book is for an audience who isn’t looking for action but rather for a powerful and emotional message.

The main characters of this book are an old couple (in their 70’s ) who have their son returned. Now when they were originally discussing the possibility it was Lucille who was vary but when their son returned it was Harold who became vary. He doesn't really think that this 'thing' could be his son.

There are also small chapters that focus on other Returned characters and how they are treated. Some of them are treated horribly and some of them are well received. Some of them are rejected by their own families.

Humans have always been scared of the unknown and the fact that no one has any answers to the phenomenon makes it worse. They blame the government for not having any answers.

It all boils down to the question of who The Returned are.

From the small amount I’ve read, there seems to be a religious aspect to this book. The book isn’t necessarily shoving religion down our throats but I think it’s trying to give a different perspective.

In the end this story, I believe, is about second chances, for this family, maybe for humanity.