Return, The
by Dany Laferrière
translated by David Homel
- Long-listed, International Impac Dublin Literary Award
- Long-listed, Scotiabank Giller Prize
From the Prix Medicis winner comes a haunting meditation on the nature of identity.
Dany Laferriere's most celebrated book since How to Make Love to a Negro, The Return is a bestseller in France and Quebec and the winner of many awards, including the prestigious Prix Medicis and the Grand Prix du livre de Montreal.
At age 23, the narrator, Dany, hurriedly left behind the stifling heat of Port-au-Prince for the unending winter of Montreal. It was 1976, and Baby Doc Duvalier's regime had just killed one of his journalist colleagues. Thirty-three years later, a telephone call informs Dany of his father's death in New York. Windsor Laferriere had fled Haiti in the 1960s, fearing persecution for his political activities. After the funeral, Dany plans to return his father to Baraderes, the village in Haiti where he was born. It is not the body he will take, but the spirit.
How does one return from exile? In acutely observed details, Dany reveals his affection for his father and for the land of his birth. Translated by two-time Governor General's Award-winner David Homel, The Return blends the gritty reality of daily life with the lush sensuality and ecstatic mystery that underlie Haitian culture. It is the novel of a great writer.
Longlisted for the 2012 International Impac Dublin Literary Award
close this panel"The Return is like a whole life that suddenly explodes as a Big Bang, libertaing the past and the present, dreams and reality, North and South, hot and cold, life and death, exile and return, those who stay and those who go...It is a book to savor, a long poem that demans more than one reading."
"Someone once told me there are only two real stories: someone leaves home, and a stranger comes to town. This tale considers both of these real stories and offers insights into the father-son relationship and the question of home and exile. Laferriere's keen eye and bared heart stayed with me long after I finished his beautiful elegy."
"A stunning and breathtaking book. By far among the best by this extraordinarily talented writer, who so deeply and miraculously touches our hearts, minds, and funny bone all at the same time."
"...Half prose, half poetry, The Return is a finely crafted autobiographical account of the authorís voyage back to his place of birth...The Return is replete with thought-provoking observations about the human condition, from the dynamics and cyclical nature of power in Haiti to the preoccupation with hunger and finding one's next meal. Laferriere's writing is poetic, profound and beautiful...A single reading of this novel will yield its beauty and thoughtfulness, but to fully appreciate it warrants a second reading. For anyone who has lost a parent, this is a must-read."
"Laferriere's book is a purposeful contemplation on the concept of exile and father/son relations, and of course the search for identity...What makes The Return so captivating is the use of language when he describes Montreal and Haiti, the differences and the similarities. His feelings of alienation for each geography changes with what he sees. How could it not?"
"It's a richly haunting novel, with prose melting into poetry."
"The Return is, as its French title explicitly states, enigmatic, a powerful, wrenching book that is not easily explained or understood...The Return is, as [Chantal Guy] concludes, 'a book to savour...that demands more than one reading.'"
"The Return masterfully reconnects the past and present with the harsh realities of life and death...It is a book that will touch your heart and demand to be read more than once."
"[Laferriere's] prose has always had the ability to wrap itself around the reader's organs and take hold, slowly at first, before becoming a part of the body. This novel is no different, digging deep through a minefield of emotional and physical detail with compassionate honesty...a stunning and breathtaking book, and is easily one of his best."
