Returning

by Francesca Suters

Rita is 29, married to her soul mate and a mother to two adorable young daughters. She has always thought of a new year as a clean slate, but one New Year’s Day is a clean slate like no other, when Rita wakes up as her 16-year-old self, living her 16-year-old life. Piero is a loner. The only recent exception to his solitude had been his close friendship with Rita’s sister until her sudden death. Now he finds himself instrumental in helping Rita make sense of the new direction her life has taken.A thought-provoking story, Returning seamlessly invites the reader into both adult and teenage mindsets and tackles the what-ifs. What if you were able to live your teenage years with the wisdom of your adult mind? What if you met your partner at a different time? What if your regrets could be re-written?

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 28, 2014

Reviews

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote it and I think it's great! Overall, I'm so pleased with how the story flowed and how it read "as a book". I am a little annoyed with myself, as there are some typos (my oversight in hasty editing in my excitement to have it published), but this is the self-published, raw me. I choose to embrace it!

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost every human being at some point has pondered the question what would they change about their adult life if they had the chance to go back and re-live a portion of their younger years again. This is the situation in which Rita finds herself at the age of 29. Going to bed as usual on New Years Eve in 2009 she awakes to find herself back in her teenage bedroom on the dawn of New Years Day 1997. Rather than being a happily married mother of two, she is sixteen once again with all the trials and tribulations that brings.

Without revealing too much of the storyline, Rita's time travel is not just a random event. Francesca Suters explores many quite complex topics of time and space, spirituality and religion as well as fate and destiny. This can be a little bit "out of the box" sometimes, but is ultimately well expressed and realistically woven into the storyline.

Amidst all that there is the reality of a 29 year old woman having to revisit her teenage self with the wisdom her "real" age brings. Having to negotiate school days and the drama of teenage friendships as well as the practicalities of pretending not being able to drive or mistakenly blurting out that Patrick Swayze has died. Understandably Rita finds this both amusing and frustrating, while all the while she aches for the husband and daughters she knows await her in the future.

While there are some elements of the movie "Back To The Future" in Returning, it is, overall a deeper and more thought provoking exploration of time travel and how past events impact future and how choices made at one age can create a myriad of possible realities. What I did find a little unbelievable was some of the things that Rita had supposedly forgotten. I know I certainly remember my parents' attitude to drinking and things that happened at school at that age (even after two decades). But that is just a minor quibble.

Returning is a very well written debut novel for Francesca Suters. It has an easygoing style that is very engaging and kept me engrossed from start to finish. It also prompted me to wonder how I might live my teen years again, which was thought provoking in itself. I look forward to the sequel, as this story is by no means finished yet.

[Bernadette O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story, with just enough not knowing and twists to keep you turning the page and wanting more! Looking forward to the sequel.

[Lara Cain Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful debut from this talented author, who's already made a name for herself as an engaging blogger and avid contributor to social media. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was left with that feeling that you've said goodbye to a friend or two when you finally close it. I know I'll find myself wondering what the protagonists are up to beyond the end of Suters' story.

This is a tricky one to review without spoilers, but, in short, 29 year old Rita (married, two kids, sensible life) finds herself propelled back in time one New Year's Day and must learn to live (again) as her 16 year old self. The premise sounds a bit like a 1980s body-swap comedy - and there are elements of that, such as how one negotiates family relationships, or pretends not to know how to drive a car - but the comedy relief is overlaid with a far deeper spiritual message. What WOULD you change if you had your time over again?

And, just while we're asking the lightweight questions, how exactly do dreams, and God, and genealogy, and astral travelling, and souls, and soul mates, and deja vu, fit together? Suters tackles the big issues of the human experience using Rita's world as a microcosm. It is a little confusing in some places, but only in the same way that a good episode of Dr Who makes you bend your mind to the possibility of non-linear time.

This is a self-published book, but quite honestly it's one of the most polished I've seen in awhile. The writing is good and the editing tidy. Most importantly, the story is really fresh and the characters beautifully drawn. I can't wait to see what Francesca does next.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5

Australian author Francesca Suters' debut novel not only offers an interesting premise, but the story itself goes a lot deeper than the back cover suggests. A story of a 29 year old woman who finds herself returning to her life as a 16 year old asks a number of deeper questions about spirituality and second chances.

Although I found the prose a little slow in places, this one was an enjoyable read and the narrative voice has a quiet wisdom about it. My only regret was that it stayed on my to-read pile for so long before I picked it up.

Finally, a big shout out to the author and the goodreads first reads programme for my complimentary copy.

[Mary O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!