A review by philyra91
The Returners by Gemma Malley
2.0
I have to say, The Returners was a real disappointment for me. I've enjoyed Gemma Malley's other books, such as The Declaration immensely but this one just seemed to lack the magic of the other books. Honestly, I didn't see the point of this novel at all. It didn't make much sense to me. It seems more like a fictional look at societal ills.
Will Hodge is being followed by people who insist they know him, though he does not remember them, and his terrifying dreams have begun spilling over from night-time into day. Slowly, Will discovers that his past is not all that he thought it was, and the people following him aren't really strangers. They are Returners, and they have an important message about some truths Will has forgotten - terrible truths he may wish he had never known...
The main criticism I have of this book is that one, it's far too depressing. I didn't feel that the silver lining at the end of the book really justified me going through the entire novel. Two, a Returner's role is to, apparently, "absorbs humanity's suffering and evil; being humanity's conscience". Basically, they do nothing. I have a problem with that. Even Will is upset at this. They absorb sufferings and evils and yet, they just absorb. They do nothing else. What is the point then? What is the meaning of their existence? If you're supposed to be humanity's conscience, why aren't you fighting back at humanity to stop all these evils?
Another main theme of the novel is bigotry. I have to say, major characters in the novel are severely bigoted and there were several times I felt like throwing the book against the wall because I was just so mad. The bigotry comes in at a time when Great Britain, in 2016, is going through a recession and hate against the foreigners is on the rise. I suppose, reading this now, at a time where there is a great inflow and outflow of foreigners in various countries in the world makes the novel pretty relevant but apart from that, there wasn't much of anything else.
Will Hodge is being followed by people who insist they know him, though he does not remember them, and his terrifying dreams have begun spilling over from night-time into day. Slowly, Will discovers that his past is not all that he thought it was, and the people following him aren't really strangers. They are Returners, and they have an important message about some truths Will has forgotten - terrible truths he may wish he had never known...
The main criticism I have of this book is that one, it's far too depressing. I didn't feel that the silver lining at the end of the book really justified me going through the entire novel. Two, a Returner's role is to, apparently, "absorbs humanity's suffering and evil; being humanity's conscience". Basically, they do nothing. I have a problem with that. Even Will is upset at this. They absorb sufferings and evils and yet, they just absorb. They do nothing else. What is the point then? What is the meaning of their existence? If you're supposed to be humanity's conscience, why aren't you fighting back at humanity to stop all these evils?
Another main theme of the novel is bigotry. I have to say, major characters in the novel are severely bigoted and there were several times I felt like throwing the book against the wall because I was just so mad. The bigotry comes in at a time when Great Britain, in 2016, is going through a recession and hate against the foreigners is on the rise. I suppose, reading this now, at a time where there is a great inflow and outflow of foreigners in various countries in the world makes the novel pretty relevant but apart from that, there wasn't much of anything else.