The Return

An evocative debut about one Australian family dealing with prejudice and change in the turbulent 1960s.

War ends and the world changes, as it always does. The enemy are no longer the enemy – just people living their lives. But hate is hard to extinguish. The scars of war are not always visible, and they don't always fade. They haven't for Merna Gibson and they definitely haven't for her husband, Frank. He won't ever forget what was done to him and his mates. The nightmares, the aches, the pain of seeing things a person should never see stay with him, always. The long-ago war colours their family life.

For Merna, at home on the farm, Japan is very far away. For Frank, it isn’t far enough. But their son, Paul, doesn’t carry the same beliefs. For him, Japan is a place of possibility, a country to embrace. Father and son live worlds apart even when at the same table. Hate and prejudice has created a gulf between the two.

When a woman comes into their son's life, it is left to Merna to try to bridge the gap. Caught between the two men she loves she is determined to keep her family together, while still everything keeps changing.

THE RETURN is a powerful story about love, hate and forgiveness that will stir your heart.