Having checked out Rachel Harrison’s Cackle, I was curious to delve into her 2020 effort The Return, off the back of plenty of hype.
While I was slightly lukewarm on Cackle, The Return is a much more assured effort which blends melodrama with tension, paranoia and body horror.
The way Harrison approaches the story is extremely clever, as for large parts the story focuses on Elise, one of a small group of friends.
Their dynamic is thrown when Julie, her closest friend disappears without a trace for two years but then miraculously returns, but something feels off with her.
Elise is a complex character with her own insecurities about relationships, how she treats others. There is the age-old trope of a group of close friends growing apart when some start families or move to other parts of the country.
While it could be handled clumsily, Harrison manages these scenarios with ease and gives us a real insight into Elise, Mae and Molly before we even get to the returning Julie.
The four decide to have a getaway together to reconnect after the disruption of Julie’s disappearance and its aftermath. Scars are laid and the horror only ratchets up from there until the complete story is revealed (which I won’t spoil).
The Return is a superb and fast read, which you will comfortably breeze through but be left haunted by its messages. Recommended.
The Return by Rachel Harrison is available now in paperback and digital formats.
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