The Returners [Hardcover]

Gemma Malley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2010

London teenager Will Hodge is miserable. His mother is dead, his father's political leanings have grown radical, and his friends barely talk to him. To top it off, he's having nightmares about things like concentration camps. Then Will notices he's being followed by a group of people who claim to know him from another time in history. It turns out they are Returners, reincarnated people who carry with them the memory of atrocities they have witnessed in the past. Will realizes that he, too, is a Returner. But something about his memories is different, and with dawning horror, Will suspects that he wasn't just a witness to the events, he was instrumental in making them happen. Set in the near future, with the world on the verge of a new wave of ethnic cleansing, Will must choose to confront the cruelty he's known in his past lives, or be doomed to repeat it…

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Returners: 'A challenging, compelling and flawless stand-alone novel from an emerging talent ... Metaphysical teenage fiction at its best' Bookseller 'Chilling and thought-provoking' Rosemary Good, School Librarian 'Both compelling and challenging - another powerful novel from a critically acclaimed author' Bookfest --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Gemma Malley studied philosophy at Reading University before working as a journalist. She is the author of The Declaration and The Resistance, and lives in London with her husband and two young children.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599904438
• ISBN-13: 978-1599904436
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #608,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, March 3, 2010

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Returners (Hardcover)

Will Hodge doesn't have many happy days, especially since his mother died and his father's political involvement has grown more and more radical. In addition to stress at home, Will's friends don't really talk to him anymore, he starts losing short blocks of time, and strange people start following him around claiming to know him.

Then, the dreams begin and he starts to think he is going crazy. He dreams of concentration camps during World War II and several other atrocious events from history. At first, Will thinks he is losing his mind, but soon explains away the strange thoughts on the history he is learning in school. Deep down, he knows the dreams are serious.

Eventually, he can't avoid the strange people anymore. They explain to him that they are Returners, just like him. Returners are "people who have been reincarnated and whose destiny is to recall the atrocities they have witnessed in the past." When Will learns about the part he plays in this complicated situation he is forced to decide what his role will be.

Are we born with a predetermined destiny or can we change who we were meant to be?

As a fan of dystopian literature I enjoyed reading THE RETURNERS. The only reason I gave it 4 out of 5 stars is because I felt it took too long to get to the specific Returners storyline, as most of the book deals with Will's denial of his connection to the strange people following him.

Reviewed by: Karin Librarian

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars SO SLOW. We get the idea, already!, March 30, 2010

By 

Enna Isilee "www.squeakybooks.com" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Returners (Hardcover)

It took me exactly one month to get through the first 150 pages of this book. It was just... so... slow... Nothing happened! Oh sure, there was a lot of talk about things that might happen, but nothing actually happened.

After the first 150 pages, the story definitely picked up again and really made you think. However, there was still something that really bothered me.

It was pretty clear that this author had an agenda. Throughout the book, the author is CONSTANTLY talking about being prejudiced, racist, and discriminatory. And eventually, the book doesn't end up being about a boy who's lived through history, but rather about overcoming racist thoughts and feelings.

Usually, I'd be fine with that, but it really just felt like the author was just beating your over the head with it. Eventually I just started to go "Ugh. I get it!" I don't mind if an author has an agenda, I just mind if they let the plot suffer to get that agenda across. Does that make sense?

I've liked Gemma Malley's past books, but this one falls a bit short.

4.0 out of 5 stars Unique Read., September 12, 2010

By 

Erica - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Returners (Hardcover)

The Returners was very different from what I was expecting. When I read the description, I had this idea of what The Returners would be, and it was not the same at all. Though, this doesn't mean I wasn't happy with how The Returners ended up, as I did enjoy it.

The plot of The Returners was fairly simple and rather intriguing. The first part of the book was slower and focused more around building story. This was interesting, but I do wish the plot had picked up a bit faster. The whle concept of these "Returners" was completely original and caught my attention. I almost wish Gemma Malley had played up the idea of Returners a bit more. They were this fantastic idea, and what she did with them was great, but I feel it could've been that much more.

Malley does a wonderful job with the characters in The Returners. Will was an artfully crafted character. You did sympathize with him, but I did find myself confused sometimes at his actions. I could not stand Will's father. He was just so... ugh! I think that was Gemma Malley's intention though. Patrick just gave me the creeps.

I wasn't fully satisfied with the ending. I would have liked to hear just a bit more of the story, and then it would have seemed a bit more complete. But overall, I would definately suggest this one! It's an enjoyable read set in a alternate future in the year 2016.