About this book
Return, by Walter de la Mare, opens with a quiet, uncanny hook that turns a sunlit churchyard into the stage for a subtle psychological horror. Arthur Lawford's sudden, unexplained "transformation" forces him to confront the baffled reactions of family and neighbors, and to question the boundaries between love, identity, and sanity. De la Mare's prose blends literary finesse with elements of ghost stories and fantasy, crafting an atmosphere where pastoral calm and creeping unease coexist.
Set in the early 20th-century Edwardian milieu, the novella explores alienation and the uncanny through dreamlike imagery and rigorous psychological insight rather than overt spectacle. Themes of social perception, inner fragmentation, and the fear of being othered ripple beneath the narrative's spare, elegant surface, making Return as much a study of human relationships as a work of supernatural suggestion.
Ideal for fans of classic ghost stories, literary fiction, and subtle psychological horror, this audiobook rewards listeners who appreciate evocative language, moral ambiguity, and slow-building dread. Listen for an unnerving, thoughtful exploration of selfhood that lingers long after the final page.
