The Return by Anita Franks - #BookReview

 

It is Tom who hears them first.

She has been watching him run up and down the grassy margins at the edge of the field, his arms flung wide, the tops of his wellies flapping against his skinny calves. Although she cannot hear over the deafening putter of the tractor, she can easily imagine the nasal drone he is making as he swoops and dives, mimicking the Spitfires that sometimes fly over the farm.

***

Jack Ellison’s war is over, but the battle for his family has just begun.

When Jack left for the war, he made a parting pledge to his pregnant bride, Gwen, that he would never return. It was, after all, best for everyone that he didn’t.

Now, as celebrations erupt for Victory in Europe, Gwen is terrified that Jack will renege on his promise, threatening the life she has built for herself and their son on the family farm.

But war has changed Jack, and he is coming home, determined to claim a place in Gwen’s life – and her heart.

As events of the past come back to haunt them, Jack and Gwen find themselves facing their greatest battle – and it is a fight neither of them can afford to lose.

In this sweeping historical story with huge heart, Anita Frank weaves a glorious tale of love and loss, secrets and promises.

***

So many novels on the market are set during the Second World War, making it difficult to choose from amongst them. I have read across the range of these books. Some have been brilliant and some I could take or leave.

In The Return, the author gives us a story which is a little different to many others and, as such, kept me captivated as the story slowly unfurled.

The two main characters, Gwen and Jack, are complex and, their relationship even more so. The thing I particularly liked about this book is that the details are gradually drip fed throughout the novel at an appropriate pace. With every chapter I learned more of their back story which made reading this novel a joy.

Additionally, the surrounding cast of characters was thoroughly well drawn. Each played a significant part in this story, and the author carefully choreographed their parts around the stories of Gwen and Jack.

Ms Franks ability to portray characters and place are exceptional. The farm in which the story is based felt tangibly real and, therefore, it was easy to feel transported to another time and place.

At it's core it is historical fiction with a huge dollop of mystery, intrigue and romance. It tackles love in all it's forms and it made for an emotive and heart felt reading experience.

This is the first time I have stumbled upon this author, and I am delighted to discover that she has written a previous novel, The Lost Ones, which is going straight onto my Christmas list.

ISBN: 978 0008341251

Publisher: HQ

Pages: 480 (hardback)

About the Author:

A farmer’s daughter from Shropshire, Anita studied English and American History at the University of East Anglia before moving to London to work in media analysis and communications.

 

She left paid employment to become a stay-at-home mum when she had the first of her three children. Sadly, Anita‘s youngest child developed a rare form of epilepsy in infancy which has left him severely mentally disabled and she is now his full-time-carer, but she has begun snatching what time she can to pursue her lifelong ambition of writing historical fiction.

 

Anita now lives in Berkshire with her husband, her two lovely girls and her gorgeous boy, a fluffy cat with an attitude, and a bonkers Welsh Springer Spaniel.

Her debut novel, The Lost Ones, was published by HQ in October 2019.

(book courtesy of Net Galley)

(photo and bio information from agents website)