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The Return
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.
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.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
304 pages, Paperback
First published March 25, 2014
2 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Silvia Kwon
3 books5 followersSilvia Kwon was born in Seoul, South Korea. She came to Australia at the age of nine with her family and grew up in Perth. After studying art history at the University of Western Australia, she worked in community arts before deciding to move to Melbourne to pursue a career in publishing. She has worked at Oxford University Press, Black Inc and Coulomb Communications, a small non-fiction publishing outfit, which she founded with a friend. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and son. THE RETURN is Silvia's first novel. She is currently working on her next book.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 30, 2016
It’s only a day or two since I was moaning about how I wanted to read stories of rural Australia that tackled the big issues of farm inheritance and the depopulation of the bush, and it turns out that I had one on my shelves anyway!
There is more to The Return, however, than those two issues. It is a stylishly constructed novel which draws together themes of redemption and reconciliation. Merna, married to Frank who is still nurturing post-Burma Railway feelings of hatred towards the Japanese, performs the role of woman-as-mediator when, in the 1960s, their only son brings his Japanese bride into their home.
The prologue, set on ‘the line’ in Burma in 1944 when Frank loses another mate to the brutality of the Japanese, sets the scene for the reader to understand his enduring hatred. The writing suffers by comparison with Richard Flanagan’s powerful evocation of this same situation in his Booker-prize winning The Narrow Road to the Deep North (see my review and a Sensational Snippet) but I suspect that will be true for most writers who tackle the representation of that horror. Flanagan, writing at the peak of his powers with his father’s experience on ‘the line’ to inspire him, has achieved a singular greatness in his novel, impossible to emulate. Still, leaving aside the choice of second-person narration in The Return’s prologue which was IMO a mistake that risks banality, Kwon offers her own insight:
You catch the eye of a young Japanese soldier and the intensity of his gaze chills you in the fetid air. The young man’s contempt is a silent weapon and you are unprepared for this otherness. You signed up to fight the enemy but spend all of the war observing him, getting to know the darkness of his soul. What you see and learn – you realise – is no good to anyone. (p. xiv)
The man who comes back to Merna is a ruin.
To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2015/04/05/th...
There is more to The Return, however, than those two issues. It is a stylishly constructed novel which draws together themes of redemption and reconciliation. Merna, married to Frank who is still nurturing post-Burma Railway feelings of hatred towards the Japanese, performs the role of woman-as-mediator when, in the 1960s, their only son brings his Japanese bride into their home.
The prologue, set on ‘the line’ in Burma in 1944 when Frank loses another mate to the brutality of the Japanese, sets the scene for the reader to understand his enduring hatred. The writing suffers by comparison with Richard Flanagan’s powerful evocation of this same situation in his Booker-prize winning The Narrow Road to the Deep North (see my review and a Sensational Snippet) but I suspect that will be true for most writers who tackle the representation of that horror. Flanagan, writing at the peak of his powers with his father’s experience on ‘the line’ to inspire him, has achieved a singular greatness in his novel, impossible to emulate. Still, leaving aside the choice of second-person narration in The Return’s prologue which was IMO a mistake that risks banality, Kwon offers her own insight:
You catch the eye of a young Japanese soldier and the intensity of his gaze chills you in the fetid air. The young man’s contempt is a silent weapon and you are unprepared for this otherness. You signed up to fight the enemy but spend all of the war observing him, getting to know the darkness of his soul. What you see and learn – you realise – is no good to anyone. (p. xiv)
The man who comes back to Merna is a ruin.
To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2015/04/05/th...
January 11, 2018
#amreading Summer for me is about time with my family, long walks in the bush, road trips, and of course, reading.
I found this reading copy by Aussie author, Silvia Kwon. It's a story of the wounds of war, the power of love, and life in a small rural farming community.
Most of all, its about healing through forgiveness.
We cannot change the past, nor can we control how others behave towards us, but we can choose to forgive, to love, and to move forward.
I loved the premise of the book. The opening scene is especially powerful. My only reservation is that it drags its feet, especially in the middle of the book. Still, it makes for a nice read on a slow summer's day.
I found this reading copy by Aussie author, Silvia Kwon. It's a story of the wounds of war, the power of love, and life in a small rural farming community.
Most of all, its about healing through forgiveness.
We cannot change the past, nor can we control how others behave towards us, but we can choose to forgive, to love, and to move forward.
I loved the premise of the book. The opening scene is especially powerful. My only reservation is that it drags its feet, especially in the middle of the book. Still, it makes for a nice read on a slow summer's day.
May 27, 2022
The Australian countryside in the sixties: cosy in the English way, but also desert-hot and dry, inhabited by rather coarse and narrow-minded people, families that still grieve over their losses in the war. Silvia Kwon tells the story of one such family. The taciturn and stubborn father has worked on the Birma railroad and is traumatised. The son escapes as soon as possible, to university, and after that, to his parents’ horror, to Japan. From there he returns to his parents’ house with a young bride.
The story is told from the mother’s perspective. All her life Merna is trying to be patient and understanding, smoothing differences and rows and making excuses for her husband. And being loyal to him, sometimes to the point that I got annoyed. Can’t she tell him, just once, to behave and be nice? But it’s what happens all the time. The world is full of forgiving wives and mothers.
The first three quarters of the story I liked best. The last, more optimistic part did not convince me entirely. Merna is someone who changes the subject when a conversation gets tense. And then she thinks “That’s it. Keep it light”. Towards the end of the story she has become as wise as the author: “She understood just what it took to make a family (...) It wasn’t nice photos framed and hung on walls, or happy family get-togethers (...) it was the clashing and grinding of differences, letting the prickly edges grate against each other ...”
Still, a good read, about a world I did not know.
The story is told from the mother’s perspective. All her life Merna is trying to be patient and understanding, smoothing differences and rows and making excuses for her husband. And being loyal to him, sometimes to the point that I got annoyed. Can’t she tell him, just once, to behave and be nice? But it’s what happens all the time. The world is full of forgiving wives and mothers.
The first three quarters of the story I liked best. The last, more optimistic part did not convince me entirely. Merna is someone who changes the subject when a conversation gets tense. And then she thinks “That’s it. Keep it light”. Towards the end of the story she has become as wise as the author: “She understood just what it took to make a family (...) It wasn’t nice photos framed and hung on walls, or happy family get-togethers (...) it was the clashing and grinding of differences, letting the prickly edges grate against each other ...”
Still, a good read, about a world I did not know.
March 9, 2022
An evocative debut about one Australian family dealing with prejudice and change in the turbulent 1960s. A powerful story of love,hate and forgiveness.
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.
Japanese soldiers are widely remembered as being cruel and indifferent to the fate of Allied POWs and the Asian rǒmusha. Many men in the railway workforce bore the brunt of pitiless or uncaring guards. Cruelty could take different forms, from extreme violence and torture to minor acts of physical punishment, humiliation and neglect.
Postwar,over 650 Japanese women migrated to Australia as the wives and fiancees of Australian servicemen. Their story is one of
courage and strength.Japanese war brides gave up the familiarity of home and family to journey across the sea and begin a new life in Australia where they were met with anti Japanese sentiment as the past isn't dead.
After the atomic bombings in 1945, post-war Japan was stricken by poverty and devastation.They were occupied by Allies for 10 years.
The 1960s were a reactionary period between the traditional and contemporary,but what will always remain the same, is our need for family and belonging.A place to call home.
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.
Japanese soldiers are widely remembered as being cruel and indifferent to the fate of Allied POWs and the Asian rǒmusha. Many men in the railway workforce bore the brunt of pitiless or uncaring guards. Cruelty could take different forms, from extreme violence and torture to minor acts of physical punishment, humiliation and neglect.
Postwar,over 650 Japanese women migrated to Australia as the wives and fiancees of Australian servicemen. Their story is one of
courage and strength.Japanese war brides gave up the familiarity of home and family to journey across the sea and begin a new life in Australia where they were met with anti Japanese sentiment as the past isn't dead.
After the atomic bombings in 1945, post-war Japan was stricken by poverty and devastation.They were occupied by Allies for 10 years.
The 1960s were a reactionary period between the traditional and contemporary,but what will always remain the same, is our need for family and belonging.A place to call home.
July 9, 2018
Once the war is over, the real battle begins......
War ends and the world changes, as it always does. 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. 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 share 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 have created agulf between them.
When a woman comes into their son's life, it is left to Merna to try and bridge the gap. Caught between the two men she loves she is determined to keep their family together, while everything around them keeps changing.
War ends and the world changes, as it always does. 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. 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 share 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 have created agulf between them.
When a woman comes into their son's life, it is left to Merna to try and bridge the gap. Caught between the two men she loves she is determined to keep their family together, while everything around them keeps changing.
February 23, 2024
I could empathise with this book, knowing returned servicemen from WW2 and their feelings about the Japanese. And yet I could also empathise with Milo, who had suffered from the war and the policies of her country over which she had no control. And indeed, not much has changed if you look at the world today. The evocation of the bush and farm life was realistic, and the dynamics of a small country town also. I liked the way that gently Merna managed to steer things in the right direction.
July 2, 2020
Prejudice can be very deep seated and understandable. The father in this novel lived through atrocities committed by the Japanese in WW2. When his son brings home to the farm a Japanese bride, I had some sympathy for the dads anger towards her. The dad is suffering from PTSD and never reenters the world he returns to.
January 5, 2023
Loved this book about relationships following WWII
May 2, 2014
The return is the debut novel by Australian writer Silvia Kwon. Set in a rural town in Victoria; Merna and Frank Gibson are about to have their life turned upside-down.
Never the same since he fought to protect Australia from the Japanese during the war, Frank is a man who is content with making a life on the land. He’s temperamental and at times unpredictable, but Merna has accepted their relationship for what it is and has made a life for herself alongside her husband.
However, Frank’s patience is tested when his son not only starts working for Toyota but goes off to work in Japan for three years. From a different generation, Paul doesn’t completely understand Frank’s reticence, but then again they’ve never been close enough to share their feelings and Frank’s antagonism only encourages Paul’s rebellious streak. Merna mourns the absence of her son and she’s desperate for her family to be close and in contact. But it’s the icing on the cake when Paul returns to Australia, pulls up in his Toyota and presents his beautiful Japanese wife.
While the war is in the past, the trauma of his days fighting the Japanese is still very real for Frank. There’s a sense of betrayal and anger toward Paul for his decision. Paul on the other hand simply fell in love with a foreign woman in a foreign place and was brave enough to not only face his parents but their local community with choice he makes.
This story really surprised me. To be completely honest, when I first started reading this story I thought to myself “here we go, this story is going to be really slow and I’m going to find it boring because I can’t relate to the age group of the main characters Frank and Merna.” Interestingly, the author skilfully presents the perspective of each of the characters through the eyes of Merna and I could empathise with Frank’s hurt, Paul’s open-mindedness, Merna’s protectiveness and Miko’s curiosity. The intergenerational relationship issues, traumatic memories, and present-day family dynamics are wholeheartedly explored in a respectful and honest way. The divide of the father-son generation was profound and I must admit I felt myself siding with Paul’s openness to new experiences and his non-judgemental attitudes- though not at the expense of seeing the importance of Frank’s experience and the war that stole his youth.
A though provoking and fascinating exploration of family, identity and change. A brave debut novel by a talented Australian author.
Never the same since he fought to protect Australia from the Japanese during the war, Frank is a man who is content with making a life on the land. He’s temperamental and at times unpredictable, but Merna has accepted their relationship for what it is and has made a life for herself alongside her husband.
However, Frank’s patience is tested when his son not only starts working for Toyota but goes off to work in Japan for three years. From a different generation, Paul doesn’t completely understand Frank’s reticence, but then again they’ve never been close enough to share their feelings and Frank’s antagonism only encourages Paul’s rebellious streak. Merna mourns the absence of her son and she’s desperate for her family to be close and in contact. But it’s the icing on the cake when Paul returns to Australia, pulls up in his Toyota and presents his beautiful Japanese wife.
While the war is in the past, the trauma of his days fighting the Japanese is still very real for Frank. There’s a sense of betrayal and anger toward Paul for his decision. Paul on the other hand simply fell in love with a foreign woman in a foreign place and was brave enough to not only face his parents but their local community with choice he makes.
This story really surprised me. To be completely honest, when I first started reading this story I thought to myself “here we go, this story is going to be really slow and I’m going to find it boring because I can’t relate to the age group of the main characters Frank and Merna.” Interestingly, the author skilfully presents the perspective of each of the characters through the eyes of Merna and I could empathise with Frank’s hurt, Paul’s open-mindedness, Merna’s protectiveness and Miko’s curiosity. The intergenerational relationship issues, traumatic memories, and present-day family dynamics are wholeheartedly explored in a respectful and honest way. The divide of the father-son generation was profound and I must admit I felt myself siding with Paul’s openness to new experiences and his non-judgemental attitudes- though not at the expense of seeing the importance of Frank’s experience and the war that stole his youth.
A though provoking and fascinating exploration of family, identity and change. A brave debut novel by a talented Australian author.
July 2, 2014
I loved this book. It's a beautifully written exploration of the effects of war on everyday life.
The author did a great job of maintaining tension throughout the book. The plot gently unfolds through Merna's everyday domestic life but a simmering undercurrent is never far from the surface.
The themes of family, loyalty, love, rejection and forgiveness are all explored in a meaningful and satisfying manner.
The Return moved me deeply, possibly because I was reminded of my family's relationship with our neighbour, a WW2 veteran. I grew up living across the road from this man and he was like a grandfather to me. As a teen, he and I clashed over racial issues. I couldn't understand his inability to accept Asian migrants into our country. I was too young to really understand his point of view and it wasn't until I was much older that I began to comprehend the influences behind his prejudices. Frank brought this man to mind and I couldn't help but feel regret that I had not made more of an effort to understand him.
Merna is a wonderful character. I loved her growth throughout the story. A middle-aged 1950s housewife may not be an obvious choice as the main POV character in a novel about the effects of war, but Merna was definitely the hero of this story.
This is a beautiful, sensitive book. I can't stop thinking about it.
The author did a great job of maintaining tension throughout the book. The plot gently unfolds through Merna's everyday domestic life but a simmering undercurrent is never far from the surface.
The themes of family, loyalty, love, rejection and forgiveness are all explored in a meaningful and satisfying manner.
The Return moved me deeply, possibly because I was reminded of my family's relationship with our neighbour, a WW2 veteran. I grew up living across the road from this man and he was like a grandfather to me. As a teen, he and I clashed over racial issues. I couldn't understand his inability to accept Asian migrants into our country. I was too young to really understand his point of view and it wasn't until I was much older that I began to comprehend the influences behind his prejudices. Frank brought this man to mind and I couldn't help but feel regret that I had not made more of an effort to understand him.
Merna is a wonderful character. I loved her growth throughout the story. A middle-aged 1950s housewife may not be an obvious choice as the main POV character in a novel about the effects of war, but Merna was definitely the hero of this story.
This is a beautiful, sensitive book. I can't stop thinking about it.
February 18, 2016
This story of a family adjusting to cross-cultural love in the 1960s resonated so deeply it had me in tears several times.
So much to relate to from my own childhood - emotionally wounded returned soldiers who wouldn't speak of the war, hatred and suspicion of the Japanese by survivors of Changi and the Burma railroad and their families, the challenges and pleasures of farm life - even the introduction to a small rural community of a 'self-serve' supermarket where you picked your own things off the shelves instead of waiting at a counter for the staff to fill your order!
Also, of course, the theme that young people choose their own lives and won't be limited by the traumas and resulting prejudices of their parents. I remember how wary I felt of telling my parents, in the late 70s, that I was dating a German man (my Dad was a veteran). It may seem odd to younger people now, but at the time the second world war was still quite fresh in people's minds.
The Return is a delightful novel, full of hope. I also thought it very relevant to the difficult times we live in now, where wars and terrorism make it seem like humans can never get on - it brings the message that times, and people, change, and are capable of forgiveness.
Only reason it's not 5 stars from me is because very now and again I was irritated by her writing style.
So much to relate to from my own childhood - emotionally wounded returned soldiers who wouldn't speak of the war, hatred and suspicion of the Japanese by survivors of Changi and the Burma railroad and their families, the challenges and pleasures of farm life - even the introduction to a small rural community of a 'self-serve' supermarket where you picked your own things off the shelves instead of waiting at a counter for the staff to fill your order!
Also, of course, the theme that young people choose their own lives and won't be limited by the traumas and resulting prejudices of their parents. I remember how wary I felt of telling my parents, in the late 70s, that I was dating a German man (my Dad was a veteran). It may seem odd to younger people now, but at the time the second world war was still quite fresh in people's minds.
The Return is a delightful novel, full of hope. I also thought it very relevant to the difficult times we live in now, where wars and terrorism make it seem like humans can never get on - it brings the message that times, and people, change, and are capable of forgiveness.
Only reason it's not 5 stars from me is because very now and again I was irritated by her writing style.
August 13, 2016
The author does a great job of drawing out the tension in this novel, and her descriptions of the Australian farming land is just beautiful.
I was excited when I first picked the book up, as the premise of this novel would (should) have made for a very interesting exploration of the East / West views of the war. However, due to the author's decision to write from Merna's viewpoint and to paint Frank as a more passive shell of a man (which of itself, was not a bad thing as shows the legacy of war), I think the author lost the chance to really take some themes (returned POW, idealistic second generation and the views of a woman from a country absolutely crippled by the war) into the spotlight. For example, there could have been more confrontations between Frank and Paul re Paul's decision to work in / for a Japanese company, let alone bringing home a Japanese wife. Paul and Frank dance around each other plenty of times and do have confrontations about other matters, but rarely the topic on hand.
Nevertheless, I was still enthralled enough to finish the book; looking forward to more from this author.
I was excited when I first picked the book up, as the premise of this novel would (should) have made for a very interesting exploration of the East / West views of the war. However, due to the author's decision to write from Merna's viewpoint and to paint Frank as a more passive shell of a man (which of itself, was not a bad thing as shows the legacy of war), I think the author lost the chance to really take some themes (returned POW, idealistic second generation and the views of a woman from a country absolutely crippled by the war) into the spotlight. For example, there could have been more confrontations between Frank and Paul re Paul's decision to work in / for a Japanese company, let alone bringing home a Japanese wife. Paul and Frank dance around each other plenty of times and do have confrontations about other matters, but rarely the topic on hand.
Nevertheless, I was still enthralled enough to finish the book; looking forward to more from this author.
May 17, 2014
A sensitive book set in the 1960's in country Victoria, deals with the prejudices of war heroes faced with foreigners settling in their territory. In particular this story is about a family whose son marries a Japanese girl after living in Japan (working for Toyota). Trouble is his father suffered the war in Burma and has strong connections to the "enemy". This was a slow but sensitive book and the landscape in it was stunning.
December 5, 2014
Bit disappointed in this one. Too dragged out. Very annoyed with Merna's character. She was almost a doormat in the way she took rubbish from her husband and met his every need. The era I guess.
It it however some insight into the deep hatred that Aussies felt for the Japanese after WW11. Time has modified some of this but the reaction of the towns folk to Paul marrying a Japanese woman was dramatic and understandable I am sure. The same thing still happens today. Humanity.
It it however some insight into the deep hatred that Aussies felt for the Japanese after WW11. Time has modified some of this but the reaction of the towns folk to Paul marrying a Japanese woman was dramatic and understandable I am sure. The same thing still happens today. Humanity.
July 15, 2014
*3.5 Stars
A family suffering the damaging effects of war is the focus of this novel by debut author Silvia Kwon. It explores the themes of love, prejudice, rejection and forgiveness. Set in 1960’s post war Australia, I really enjoyed the small rural town setting of this book. Although I found this book slow in pace, the journey the main characters take made this book a satisfying read.
A family suffering the damaging effects of war is the focus of this novel by debut author Silvia Kwon. It explores the themes of love, prejudice, rejection and forgiveness. Set in 1960’s post war Australia, I really enjoyed the small rural town setting of this book. Although I found this book slow in pace, the journey the main characters take made this book a satisfying read.
August 19, 2016
The manner in which the characters are revealed amidst a backdrop of an authentic small rural towns following the conclusion of World War II makes this book a useful tool in understanding the long term effects of war on families and communities.
April 26, 2014
It's a good read... It gives a sense of how war affected families are but I was expecting more towards the end. A simple story!
May 20, 2014
2.5/5
May 3, 2014
A nice enough story but not a lot happens.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews