The Return
What is The Return about?
The Return (1910) is Walter de la Mare’s unsettling novel about Arthur Lawford, a middle-aged Englishman who falls asleep on a grave in a country churchyard and wakes to find his face has changed into that of a long-dead man. As Lawford grapples with his transformed identity, his wife recoils, his friends doubt his sanity, and he is drawn into the mysterious life of the man whose face he now wears. The novel is a haunting exploration of identity, the self, and the thin boundary between the living and the dead, told in de la Mare’s characteristic dreamlike prose.
Main themes in The Return
Ghost story
In The Return, ghost story provides a lens for understanding the story's core message.
Identity crisis
The Return thoughtfully explores identity crisis through its central conflicts.
The uncanny
The uncanny emerges as a defining element in The Return, shaping character development.
Churchyard
The Return thoughtfully explores churchyard through its central conflicts.
Why The Return is still relevant today
The Return is one of the most psychologically subtle ghost stories in English, exploring identity and the uncanny with de la Mare’s characteristic atmospheric mastery.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Return about?
A man falls asleep on a grave and wakes with a dead man’s face, struggling with his transformed identity as his life unravels.
Is it a horror novel?
More psychological than horrific. The terror comes from the erosion of identity rather than from shocks or violence.
Is it related to his poetry?
It shares his poetry’s dreamlike atmosphere and fascination with the boundaries between reality and the supernatural.
Can I read it free online?
Yes, the complete novel is available free on TextStack.