The Returned by Jason Mott FIC Mot

What would happen if the dead came back to life on earth, just as they left it? When people who died years previously begin reappearing -- alive and unchanged -- the world doesn't know how to react or what to do with them. These "Returned" are actual people who simply want to go back to their homes and families -- or are they? The question of what or who are the Returned is never fully answered, but they aren't zombies or aliens or anything sci-fi like that.

The story is mainly set in a small southern town, but the events are happening all over the world. The main characters of the book are an elderly couple whose young son drowned over 40 years ago, the government agent who brings the boy home when he is found "returned", the evil army colonel who is "only doing his job", and the frightened and angry townspeople who decide enough is enough.

This book is the debut novel by Jason Mott, and it is worth the read. While there weren't a lot of surprises in the book, the story was well-paced and the characters were real and likeable (for the most part). The author left a number of questions unanswered, and a number of themes unexplored, but I suspect that was deliberate on his part -- it leaves the reader thinking. How would I react if my loved ones Returned? How would I react if they didn't? Could I believe it was really them? Why did some Return and some did not? What would I expect the government's reaction to be, and how would I respond to those actions?

A good story, and a thought-provoking read.