The Returning by Ann Tatlock follows the lives of the Sheldon family during one summer at Conesus Lake in upstate New York.
John is returning to his family after serving five years for the manslaughter of a hitchhiker he picked up when drunk and then promptly crashed his car.
Time has moved on in his absence and the only work John can get is clearing tables at his critical brother-in-law’s restaurant. His seventeen-year-old son, Billy, and fellow co-worker may be delighted to see his father return. But John’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Rebekah, despises him and six-year-old, Phoebe, fears him.
And then there’s his wife, Andrea. John cannot understand why she’s stuck with him and refused the divorce he offered. So, he’s determined to be a better man. A better father. A faithful and a sober husband. That is, until he meets a beautiful woman at his A.A. meetings.
The Returning by Ann Tatlock explores hope, despair, faith, teenage angst, family ties and second chances. It’s an easy, feel-good read with no real surprises. But it will leave a smile on your face and I for one enjoyed my trip to Conesus Lake.