The Returns

by Philip Salom

Elizabeth posts a 'room for rent' notice in Trevor's bookshop and is caught off-guard when Trevor answers the ad himself. She expected a young student not a middle-aged bookseller whose marriage has fallen apart. But Trevor is attracted to Elizabeth's house because of the empty shed in her backyard, the perfect space for him to revive the artistic career he abandoned years earlier. The face-blind, EH Holden-driving Elizabeth is a solitary and feisty book editor, and she accepts him, on probation...

Miles Franklin finalist Philip Salom has a gift for depicting the inner states of his characters with empathy and insight. In this poignant yet upbeat novel the past keeps returning in the most unexpected ways. Elizabeth is at the beck and call of her ageing mother, and the associated memories of her childhood in a Rajneesh community. Trevor's Polish father disappeared when Trevor was fifteen, and his mother died not knowing whether he was dead or alive. The authorities have declared him dead, but is he?

The Returns is a story about the eccentricities, failings and small triumphs that humans are capable of, a novel that pokes fun at literary and artistic pretensions, while celebrating the expansiveness of art, kindness and friendship.

'Philip Salom... dissects the vulnerabilities of the human condition (loneliness, fear of intimacy, powerlessness, guilt), the power of the past to haunt us, the fear of the future to mire us, and the redemptive effects of love and acceptance.' — Miles Franklin Award Judges on Waiting

'A tour de force of sustained affection and wit.' — Australian Book Review on Waiting

Genres: Fiction, Australia, Novels, 21st Century, Contemporary

379 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2019

Reviews

[Neale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Longlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin Award.

Buddy Read 11 with the wonderful Nat K.

The two protagonists of this novel meet in unusual circumstances. Elizabeth has, I suppose you would call it a fainting spell, and Trevor catches her and invites her into his shop to recuperate. Elizabeth is a book editor, in fact she was inspecting Trevor’s window display, as she often does, when she felt faint.

Inside the shop their conversation is anything but flowing. Assumptions are made and the two seem to rub each other the wrong way. Elisabeth seems to find herself contradicting everything Trevor says regardless of topic. She leaves quickly saying she will come back that afternoon, and Trevor, strangely considering the way she has spoken to him, finds himself looking forward to it, but she does not return.

Elizabeth used to be a full-time publishing editor but now in later life has cut back to part-time and works from home. She travels weekly to see her Mum and is surprised when her Mum asks her to help “arrange a dignified end” with Dr Nitschke, when the time comes. Working part-time now gives Elizabeth time to think, to dwell, to ponder, and she finds she cannot get her mother’s euthanasia request out of her head.

Elizabeth feeling a change in her life is needed decides to do two things, join the local choir and take in a lodger.

Trevor also felt he needed a change in his life, so he left his government job and with the money he inherited from his father’s estate, a father who disappeared and was declared dead after thirty years, set up a little bookshop. Trevor loves books, always has. He is an introvert, and happy in his own company. When his accountant asks him why he quit his job as a public servant with a firm salary, Trevor answers, “It was change or die.”

Trevor is still in a failed marriage with Diana, estranged, yet still living under the same roof. Diana wants him to move out and when one day Elizabeth returns to his shop and asks if she can place an advertisement in his window about a room to rent, it feels like fate has stepped in and played the serendipity card.

This novel, in a nutshell is about these two characters. Both Trevor and Elizabeth just living their lives. It takes their meeting and eventual living arrangements to perhaps bring realisation to them both that they may be existing rather than living. Going through the paces, but not stopping to smell the roses. Both do not feel fulfilled, but it takes their friendship to blossom for them to see this, and perhaps just how much they may need each other even platonically.

Both characters grew up missing a vital parent figure. Trevor physically lost his father who disappeared, while Elizabeth spiritually lost her mother to the Rajneesh orange sex cult. The loss of these figures in an integral part of their lives cannot be discounted.

Trevor’s true passion is painting, and he has a talent for it, so he decides to return to painting and give it another try. Another try? Yes, Salom gives the reader very little to go on initially, giving the reader information on their backgrounds piecemeal. What was Trevor’s job? What happened to his father? How did he get the limp? Limp? Yes he has a limp. All these questions assail the reader right from the start, but Salom holds the answers back. The book is divided into three parts and the reader is still missing vital information in this third and final part. However, it all comes together beautifully.

There is a definite dark comic edge to the narrative and some wicked characters that will leave a smile on your face. Characters like the creepy madman who wants Trevor to order a copy of Sin City, the DVD. He manages to make you laugh, while still maintaining this creepy persona.

Or Elizabeth’s lovely neighbour who tears down her fence, throws all the pickets and rubbish on her side of the fence and simply expects a happy resolution between the two of them in working out the cost of a new fence. Charming!

This is an extremely well written novel whose narrative and strength lies with the two main characters and their lives, problems, and the healing power of a growing friendship.

This was Buddy Read 11 with Nat K, please read her review when she posts it. It is due out some time this year, but there are no confirmed dates. ;-)

4.5 Stars.

[Nat K · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Shortlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin Award***

”Time is a trickster; being nothing, it promises everything.”

This book is mellow. It took me ages to pinpoint that this is how I felt while reading it. A dear friend mentioned to me that it seemed to be taking me an inordinate amount of time to finish reading this. I pondered on that. But I couldn’t seem to read it any faster, as to me it’s not that kind of story. It simply cannot be rushed. It moves along at a sedate pace. Yep, the word “mellow” describes the style of writing and tempo of this book perfectly.

We meet Trevor and Elizabeth. Both are middle-aged, and life has perhaps not turned out quite as they’d envisaged. Both bear scars from unusual childhoods, with absent parents. And not so satisfying personal relationships. Circumstances lead their paths to each other. Is it serendipity that they should meet?

Nothing much happens in their daily lives. But hey, that’s life most of the time, for most of us, isn’t it. Trevor runs his own little bookshop. Elizabeth is a book editor who works from home. Trevor’s marriage to his (awful, snobbish) wife, Diana, is on the rocks. Diana wants Trevor to leave. Now. Elizabeth places an advert in Trevor’s shop window for a lodger, as she needs some extra funds (and truth be told, some company). Trev takes the plunge and makes the move to Elizabeth’s place, renting the room from her. Were the book gods planning this from above? Is this a match made in heaven?

Elizabeth suffers from prosopagnosia* and Trevor has quite a - how shall I say this - imposing physique. So she recognizes his “outline” even while she can’t recognize his face. This amused me no end. Elizabeth is a picky eater (a “food moralist”), whereas Trev cooks these amazing, slow cooked meals, drenched in spice and flavour. I just loved the play on the differences between them, the yin and the yang. Strangely, they complemented each other. It just works. The emotional power in the story is so delightfully strong, it takes you unawares.

Trev decides to try to rekindle his painting career, which he’d not pursued after leaving Art School twenty years earlier. With Elizabeth (and likewise Trevor), we don’t get too much of an inkling of what led them to their current career paths. Again, like life for so many of us. You just “fall into” something, for no particular reason.

The Melbourne setting is fabulous, utterly realistic. I felt like I could have walked down the very street that Trev walked each way on his way to and from his bookshop. And the descriptions of hail storms! Spot on. Just like the ones we get in Sydney. A gorgeous sunny day, then BOOM, your car has been ravaged by giant iceballs melting, the windscreen of your car shattered to a gazillion pieces.

I love how Philip Salom picks up on the intricacies and nuances of life in a big city. There’s a particularly poignant scene where he describes a hip, nouveau art gallery existing on one end of Flinders Street. Where people are made to feel inadequate for not “understanding” the art that is displayed there, let alone be able to afford it. Or - heaven forbid - ask to display their art work there (such as Trevor did) if they’re not one of the young crowd, utterly fabulous and newly graduated from Art School. As Trevor walks further along Flinders Street, there are poor, homeless people sitting outside of the train station, who cannot afford a cup of coffee. This dichotomy hit my heart just so. It is so well written.

”Art along Flinders Lane, poverty along Flinders St. For the homeless the irony is that they have nothing as free in this world as time, and time offers them nothing.”

The characters in this story are quirky. Both Trev and Liz are so beautifully flawed, especially Trev. I love him! I think I have a bit of a crush. There is a subtle, dark comedic edge to this story. So many of the situations I found to be very humorous, in an un-obvious way. The dinner party scene where Trev attends his ex-wife’s birthday party is particularly witty. Look out for it.

This book tells me that it’s never too late to dream. To reinvent yourself. Or to make new, wonderful friends.

I’m thrilled this has made it to the Miles Franklin shortlist, as it’s a quiet, under-rated gem. I hope it wins. I adored this. 4.5 🌟

*** Another fab read with the wonderful, talented Mr.Neale-ski. We always pick the best books. Well, he does anyway (yes, this was his pick). Buddy read No.11! We’ve had some interesting discussion about this one, with the wonderful Kevvy A. as umpire. Make sure you check out Collins’s fab review at
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...***

As an aside, the cover of this book displays the flow and ideas of the story so beautifully. It’s quite amazing how it captures the tone so well. Trevor is an artist, and Elizabeth suffers from prosopagnosia*. They are both artistic souls; he works in a book shop, she is a book editor. To me, the cover is a gorgeous Rorschach** test, where we can see both of their faces, both individually, and together, merging into one…

Yes,yes, I have been gushing about this book quite a bit. But it’s just that good. It’s really hit a soft spot with me.

*prosopagnosia is a neurological condition where someone is unable to recognize (even familiar) people via their facial features.

** The Rorschach test is a psychological technique where the participants' perceptions of pictures made out of “inkblots” are then analyzed. It can apparently be used to examine a person’s personality characteristics and emotional functioning. It is named after its creator, Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach. Fascinating!

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Returns is the fourth novel by award-winning Australian poet and author, Philip Salom. While she has been in the shop before, their first real encounter is a little strange: Elizabeth almost faints outside his shop, but doesn't stick around long enough even for the tea Trevor has made. Their second encounter, when she asks to put up a notice for her room for rent, also has some peculiar aspects. When Trevor goes to her house hoping to rent the room himself (and the backyard shed, ideal for resurrecting his art), some of that becomes clear.

“‘Trevor, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I have this ridiculous condition that I've spent my whole life apologising for. Prosopagnosia, weird as that sounds.’
‘Face-blindness...?’
‘You know it then? Yes, I'm sorry. Oh, there I go again. Most people make horrible expressions when I say it. I'm incapable of remembering and recognising people by their faces.’
....
‘Most people,’ she adds, ‘think prosopagnosia is some kind of brain rot. Or a twisted spine, like scoliosis, or worse - something to do with the uterus.’
‘Did you know,’ he says, ‘that magpies have facial recognition? Of humans.’
She sags slightly.
‘Is that meant to make me feel better?’”

Some common ground is established early: Elizabeth a freelance book editor; Trevor runs a bookshop (although this is more by default than through any overwhelming love of literature. He worked in his grandparents’ bookshop and it was a natural choice when looking for a business to support his art). Both have failed marriages.

Once they settle into sharing the house, they find there are advantages: in the area of company, they can debrief on the day’s events and discuss issues like an attempted burglary, a fencing dispute with a bothersome neighbour, an elderly mother with a hoarding problem, the latest book edit, or bizarre customers; in the culinary field, Trevor’s love of, and skill with, cooking meshes well with the fact Elizabeth really should eat more.

Bit by bit, though, the childhood and adolescent backgrounds that form their emotional and psychological baggage are revealed to have some uncanny parallels. Both were raised in virtually single parent families where the other parent displayed a staggering selfishness above all else. Elizabeth’s mother immersed herself in the Rajneeshee movement at the expense of her teenaged daughter’s care and now survives into encroaching dementia to burden that daughter.

Trevor’s father, an erratic Polish geologist, disappeared from his life when Trevor was just fifteen, to be declared dead some thirty years later. But is he? Some strange emails and phone calls are casting doubt on this.

Salom populates his novel with some quirky characters, but for all their foibles and failures, it’s hard not to wish the best for Trevor and Elizabeth. Their inner monologues can be quite astute: “Every dutiful daughter knows the bind her mother places her in, that society places her in, and how tightly it seizes you by the conscience, that part of the anatomy even more sensitive than the throat. Struggle is pointless. Escape is temporary.”

Salom’s protagonists are often blackly comic, in thought and word. Trevor’s chalkboard text, his protest mural, his occasional foot-in-mouth utterances and his private, darkly-worded book reviews all contribute to the understated humour, as does Elizabeth’s dialogue with her mother. Readers familiar with Salom’s work may enjoy other layers and subtle references. His setting, inner-city Melbourne, is well depicted.

This is not a novel that will have the reader feverishly turning the pages; it’s more of a slow burn in which several significant events cause the protagonists to analyse their reactions and re-examine memories. The final scene is superbly satisfying. Thought-provoking, funny and insightful, this is an utterly brilliant read.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Transit Lounge Publishing.

[Lesley Moseley · Rating 5 out of 5]

WINNNNER ! Miles Franklin Literary Award

What an absolute treat! Maybe it's the Oz way of writing, or my personal knowledge of all the areas, but I never wanted this book to end. I will probably re-read it soon. I was lost in their world for hours at a time. To me, every element: rhythm, pace, authenticity and my favourite, so NOW. LOVED EVERY WORD.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Philip Salom's fiction is like an enchantment. His characters are distinctive and yet familiar; they are every person you've ever met who doesn't quite 'fit in', but you don't care because you like them anyway.

If you loved the setting of the Miles Franklin shortlisted Waiting (and I certainly did) The Returns is set once again in inner-Melbourne. There are shops and pubs within walking distance, and dogs share Royal Park with the joggers every morning. The beggars know where the best stakeouts are, and the supermarket is one of the small independent ones. Trams clatter along the street, and there's always the hum of the city in the background. Best of all, because the houses have corrugated iron roofs, you can hear the rain falling. Urban redevelopment does not seem to have strayed into Salom's vividly depicted world; it is so resolutely single-storeyed that the room that's a catalyst for the plot, has been built underneath the existing house.

The central characters are again misfits: Trevor is a bookseller with an aborted career as an artist, has a failing marriage and seems old before his time. Apart from his disagreeable wife, he has no family, except possibly for the reappearance of a scoundrel father thought to be long since dead. Elizabeth is a freelance editor with a needy mother in Ballarat and an adult daughter who flits in and out of her life. She has a condition called prosopagnosia, (difficulty recognising faces), which impacts on her social relationships. Both Trevor and the reader have to learn what this might mean:

Not for the first time he wonders what it feels like to see a current lover and not recognise them immediately. It had always seemed to him a stranger's face made the first exciting impression, which then became deeply familiar, admired, and that love with its profound fondness grew from this familiar. She would have to adjust anew each time. The proverbial gamut: she would rush through exciting, familiar, loved in fast forward every day. (P.251)

(Alzheimer's disease is an entirely different, degenerative condition, but it also takes the familiar into the unknown and is distressing for everyone. Imagine the anguish of not being able to recognise the faces that come into your room. If someone you love has this cruel condition, long before memory goes, begin wearing the same clothes and scent every time you visit, and announce your name in a cheery greeting as soon as you enter the room. A time will come when this strategy fails too, but it's a kindness while it lasts.)

Elizabeth also has an eating disorder, and almost passes out the first time she encounters Trevor.

The second time they meet is when Elizabeth places an ad for a room to let in his shop window. Trevor, who has been living with his estranged wife for some years, decides to take the room himself. He moves into the underground bedroom (with ensuite) and sets up the backyard shed as a studio to resurrect his art. But they share a compact kitchen and it turns out that Trevor is the kind of home cook that his ex-wife is going to sorely miss!

Just as the reader is lured into predicting that the stage is set for a romance, Salom introduces the parents, and my word, what proverbial 'spanners in the works' they are!

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/07/27/t...

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Returns is the fourth novel by award-winning Australian poet and author, Philip Salom. The audio version is narrated by David Tredinnick. While she has been in the shop before, their first real encounter is a little strange: Elizabeth almost faints outside his shop, but doesn't stick around long enough even for the tea Trevor has made. Their second encounter, when she asks to put up a notice for her room for rent, also has some peculiar aspects. When Trevor goes to her house hoping to rent the room himself (and the backyard shed, ideal for resurrecting his art), some of that becomes clear.

“‘Trevor, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I have this ridiculous condition that I've spent my whole life apologising for. Prosopagnosia, weird as that sounds.’
‘Face-blindness...?’
‘You know it then? Yes, I'm sorry. Oh, there I go again. Most people make horrible expressions when I say it. I'm incapable of remembering and recognising people by their faces.’
....
‘Most people,’ she adds, ‘think prosopagnosia is some kind of brain rot. Or a twisted spine, like scoliosis, or worse - something to do with the uterus.’
‘Did you know,’ he says, ‘that magpies have facial recognition? Of humans.’
She sags slightly.
‘Is that meant to make me feel better?’”

Some common ground is established early: Elizabeth a freelance book editor; Trevor runs a bookshop (although this is more by default than through any overwhelming love of literature. He worked in his grandparents’ bookshop and it was a natural choice when looking for a business to support his art). Both have failed marriages.

Once they settle into sharing the house, they find there are advantages: in the area of company, they can debrief on the day’s events and discuss issues like an attempted burglary, a fencing dispute with a bothersome neighbour, an elderly mother with a hoarding problem, the latest book edit, or bizarre customers; in the culinary field, Trevor’s love of, and skill with, cooking meshes well with the fact Elizabeth really should eat more.

Bit by bit, though, the childhood and adolescent backgrounds that form their emotional and psychological baggage are revealed to have some uncanny parallels. Both were raised in virtually single parent families where the other parent displayed a staggering selfishness above all else. Elizabeth’s mother immersed herself in the Rajneeshee movement at the expense of her teenaged daughter’s care and now survives into encroaching dementia to burden that daughter.

Trevor’s father, an erratic Polish geologist, disappeared from his life when Trevor was just fifteen, to be declared dead some thirty years later. But is he? Some strange emails and phone calls are casting doubt on this.

Salom populates his novel with some quirky characters, but for all their foibles and failures, it’s hard not to wish the best for Trevor and Elizabeth. Their inner monologues can be quite astute: “Every dutiful daughter knows the bind her mother places her in, that society places her in, and how tightly it seizes you by the conscience, that part of the anatomy even more sensitive than the throat. Struggle is pointless. Escape is temporary.”

Salom’s protagonists are often blackly comic, in thought and word. Trevor’s chalkboard text, his protest mural, his occasional foot-in-mouth utterances and his private, darkly-worded book reviews all contribute to the understated humour, as does Elizabeth’s dialogue with her mother. Readers familiar with Salom’s work may enjoy other layers and subtle references. His setting, inner-city Melbourne, is well depicted.

This is not a novel that will have the reader feverishly turning the pages; it’s more of a slow burn in which several significant events cause the protagonists to analyse their reactions and re-examine memories. The final scene is superbly satisfying. Thought-provoking, funny and insightful, this is an utterly brilliant read.

[Magrat · Rating 4 out of 5]

When his marriage falls apart, bookshop proprietor Trevor rents a basement granny-flat and adjacent shed (in which he pursues his long suppressed desire to be a painter) from book editor Elizabeth. They are both oddballs, but so are all the other characters. Elizabeth's mother was a Rajneeshi; still alive, getting confused and a hoarder, she shamelessly manipulates her daughter. When Trevor was 13 his father disappeared and eventually was declared dead; now the old bastard returns, demanding money. As for the bookshop customers, not to mention a very well observed EH Holden!

There are some good laughs at the expense of the worlds of art and literature. Worth noting that it was short-listed for the 2020 Miles Franklin.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me longer to read than I expected it would. It's a slower book to savour. I did enjoy spending time with these characters, they felt a little familiar. Not that I was ever brought up in a cult, had a conman for a father nor do I have a lodger :D
It was certainly fun reading about the bookseller's crazy time in his bookshop and the Editor's experiences with an elusive author.
Great Aussie contemporary fiction set in urban Melbourne.
Suspect this will make it onto a number of prize lists.

[Caren · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5) The novel "grew" on me as I came to care more about Salom's two vulnerable main characters: 50 year old Trevor, a newly separated bookshop owner who rents a room from Elizabeth, a 40+ year old work-at-home editor. Both of them wear the emotional scars of having been "abandoned" by a parent in their childhoods. In fact, until the last section of the novel, I found the stories and their memories of the two narcissistic parents more interesting than the adult-children themselves. Elizabeth's mother, now aged and needing her daughter's care, had searched for meaning through religious/spiritual connections, ultimately joining the Rajneesh community with Elizabeth in tow. Trevor's Polish father had disappeared under suspicious circumstances and was presumed dead for the next 30 years.

The novel explores the emotional roller coaster of each of the main characters with the parent and the impact of the damage on the character's self-image, aspirations, and self-belief as a result of that insecurity. Thus, the friendship that was built between the two adults represented the rebuilding of an identity and trust in themselves and in each other that became the focus of the novel.

As well as being sentimental, the novel had a welcomed dose of humour. Salom explored the eccentricities of his characters and the quirkiness of life itself in a very human story.

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me the actual story (which I’d describe as an exploration of relationships) is secondary to the brilliant writing - clearly written by a poet with a masterful command of words and language. I often race through novels, but this book invites to slow down and savour each morsel. Very thought-provoking and insightful ideas and observations as well - puts me in a state of contemplation. I’ll definitely be putting this one on my (tiny!) list of books to read again.

[Jaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could somebody please tell me what I thought of this. I honestly have no idea. At times I loved it (the writing! the characters! the setting!), at times it drove me mad (the writing! the characters! the setting!). Also, similies. Also also, it’s very hard for a bookseller to read a bookseller character. That’s all I got.

[Jo | Booklover Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. I found The Returns such a delightful read. Not delightful in a light and fluffy, sugar candy kind of way. It was delightful in its capacity to beguile with the commonplace.

The best writers are keen observers of the human condition, and Salom is clearly that. But it is the way he translates what he and his characters observe onto the page that I found so engrossing. It was hard not to be charmed by these characters brought to life by Salom’s insightful narrative peppered with dry wit. Continue reading review >> http://bookloverbookreviews.com/2019/...

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a gentle slow moving story about the relationship between two make people.

[Alan Bevan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written despite falling in to the trap of spending just a little too long reflecting on the art of writing. I understand it is a character study, and a compelling one at that, but I would still have like something more to happen - a plot!
Having said that, I found the characters to be believable and well drawn.

[Lisa Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very slow, shifting around forward and back as Trevor and Elizabeth reveal themselves to each other, and to themselves.
It's a touch sad and reflective.
I didn't feel I wanted that just at the moment but the story kept me moving through it, although one wouldn't think it in the least a page turner, but it had a gentleness, a kindness, it made you feel that.

[Judy Wollin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A curious read about ordinary people.

[Karen Downes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars only because it made the Miles Franklin shortlist.
Dreadful editing (character's name, words mis-spelled) and just felt really, really clunky. Not engaging at all, except in all to brief flashes of a page or two.

Extensive description of Elizabeth's car (EH Holden?) - TOTALLY out of character for Elizabeth, this felt like a massive indulgence by the writer.

Trevor's relationship with (can't even remember the wife's name) seems shallow and unrealistic, as does their break-up.

130 odd pages in, just couldn't keep going - i read books for enjoyment and just wasn't enjoying it, shortlisted or not.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining, sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous, character based novel set in Melbourne, Australia. Trevor is in his late 40s and is a bookseller. His marriage to Diana, a book producer, is falling apart. They live separately together for a while, then Trevor moves out, finding accommodation at the house of Elizabeth, a book editor. Elizabeth is in her early 60s. We learn about Trevor and Elizabeth’s backstories.

I enjoyed this novel for the way the author insightfully and sympathetically describes the inner characters. Issues covered include loneliness, fear of intimacy, powerlessness, guilt, love and acceptance.

Shortlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin award.

[Tundra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. An enjoyable read but I was actually more interested in Trevor’s dad and Elizabeth’s mother than either Trevor or Elizabeth. I knew Trevor and Elizabeth would find some resolution to their circumstances but they were a bit stuck in the mud compared to their weird parents. I remember the Bhagwan and his followers from the 80’s in Perth so I was enjoying reminiscing about watching them tambourine their way down the Hay Street Mall.

[Katharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story looking at everyday relationships and the bits and pieces in people's lives that you don't see at first glance.
I did find it quite slow and not as absorbing as I hoped. I mostly enjoyed it in the end.

[Win · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fractured families & relationships come full circle.

[Thunderhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

The exquisitely layered character development at the heart of this novel completely trapped me in the story.

[Peter Langston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tedious. Read nearly 40% but found the development of the characters slow and laborious. Gave up.

[Ann Strautins · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Miles Franklin Award shortlist novel which I'm sure has literary merit but didn't engage me, I struggled to finish this.

[Cass Moriarty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Returns (Transit Lounge 2019) is the latest novel by author Philip Salom, an award-winning Australian poet whose novels have previously been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin and the Prime Minister’s Awards. In The Returns, we meet two middle-aged protagonists: Trevor, who runs a bookshop and is at the tail end of a disintegrating marriage; and Elizabeth, who posts a ‘room for rent’ notice in Trevor’s store and is somewhat surprised when Trevor himself answers the ad. Trevor is keen to reignite the artistic career that he abandoned in his youth, and Elizabeth’s basement lodgings – with a huge backyard shed suitable for his painting pursuits – seems ideal. But his life is not as simple as it at first appears, with his complicated relationship with his not-quite estranged wife, and the fact that his Polish father disappeared when Trevor was only 15, declared dead. (But is he really?) Elizabeth is a freelance book editor, she suffers from prosopagnosia, or face blindness, rendering her unable to recognise familiar faces, and her constant companion is her dog, Gordon. She has also had a troubled past, growing up in a commune or cult with a mother more interested in sexual awakening than mothering; a mother who is now elderly and requiring care, and is a terrible hoarder to boot, her entire house filled with everything from newspapers to appliances to food, none of which she can throw away.
Elizabeth agrees to allow Trevor to lodge with her on ‘probation’, despite their friends and family thinking it a rather odd arrangement. And so these two eccentric characters, with their foibles and failings, are thrown together in a process in which they discover the small acts of kindness of which they are capable, and the importance of new friendships even – or maybe especially – in our later years.
Philip Salom depicts the interiority of his characters’ lives in detail and with insight, and although I found this book a little slow at times and had some difficulty maintaining my interest in Trevor and Elizabeth, both are endearing and quirky, and the book is nevertheless punctuated with humour, pathos and poignancy. The story attempts to say something about the nature of art (both visual and literary), the redemptive power of artistic talent, and the frequent pretentiousness of the artistic world. The Australian references – to place, pop culture, politics, art and news – are familiar and recognisable, and readers who enjoy deep-diving into the minutiae of people’s lives, thoughts, behaviour and motivations will appreciate the detail of this narrative. The themes of the book around the Australian literary environment reminded me a bit of Michelle de Kretser’s The Life to Come, and the story itself has echoes of Melanie Cheng’s recent Room for a Stranger.

[Di · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trevor is a middle aged, overweight, balding bookseller in inner Melbourne. His marriage to Diana has failed and they are living separately under one roof. When Elizabeth places a "room for rent" notice in his window, Trevor applies. He was not quite what she was expecting, thinking more of a young, female student, nevertheless she accepts him on probation. Trevor is taken with the shed in her backyard - an opportunity to re-start his stalled attempts at painting.

Elizabeth is a book editor - She also has an ageing mother living in Ballarat, once in thrall to a hedonistic Rajneesh cult and now in thrall to hoarding as her mind gradually disappears. Trevor has a father that disappeared 30 years ago somewhere in the Pilbara, eventually declared dead and now suddenly returned (or has he?)

"She's a professional unseen. Editing, the job that disappears itself. Like a father, or his father. And his pwn efforts, out in the shed painting canvasses no one will ever see. The ironies dissolve the paint in him." (p164)

The book is shortlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin. Salom is a poet and this shows in the beautiful images in his writing, but I found the story, the gradual development of the relationship between Trevor and Elizabeth, very slow to unfold.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shortlisted for this year's Miles Franklin, which is a terrific double for Salom, after his previous novel, Waiting, also made the shortlist. Both books are set in the suburb of North Melbourne, but Salom goes more middle class with this one, his two main characters being a freelance book editor and a police psychologist who has quit to open a bookstore. He has a couple of sly references to Waiting embedded in this book and it offers more of the same pleasures of people struggling to make their way in present day Melbourne, which I think he captures very well.

[Ben Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of book I can imagine some people really enjoying, and I can't say it was bad as such, I just didn't enjoy it myself. Mostly I think it was the voice of the writing that I just didn't connect with, and neither of the main characters appealed to me as people I wanted to read about. It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly what didn't work for me, but something about it just didn't click.

[paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐
I found this to be a beautifully poetic, gently meandering character study.
I enjoyed spending time with Trevor and Elizabeth as they settled into their days together.
I loved the cameo appearance of Big and Little from Salom's "Waiting", as they peered through the bookshop window.
I was quite surprised at how many spelling errors there were, disappointing for such a literary piece.

[Cristo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read to the beginning of part 2 but I couldn't muster enough interest in the characters or plot to keep going. The whole story was bogged down by the writing style which just meandered along rather annoyingly.
It seemed ironic that one of the MC's was an editor yet there were way too many superfluous words.
DNF.