I had a hard time rating this story, and shelving it. It's less of a short story and more of a little wayside chapter that didn't have a place in the novel or something, a sub plot of a different family going through the ordeal (?) of having someone who had died return inexplicably as if they had never died; not aged from the day of their death and not remembering anything about it. It's meant as a tease to the novel The Returned and it definitely peaked my interest to have the concepts more thoroughly explored, but in and of itself I was a bit unsatisfied. Obviously nothing was really explained or went into any kind of depth, so as a stand alone not so great, but as part of a bigger story I'm sure it's good. The forward to this book is so compelling that I knew I would read the other books in this series even before I started the first chapter simply because of the author's comments. I want to share excerpts from Jason Mott's comments about his motivation. " This story is born out of my novel, The Returned, about a global event in which long-deceased loved ones have begun returning from the dead.....We all have many methods and mechanisms ...to help us conquer the silence left behind by the passing of a loved one. Some of us isolate ourselves from memories. We pack away the photo albums, clean out closets....Others cling to memory. We vow never to forget and create memories...Ultimately, my sincerest hope is that these stories encourage you to reflect on the people you care about. The goal...is not simply to brood over death and loss, but to remind us that our loved ones are always a part of our lives, whether we hold them close ...or let the bonds with which we cling to their memories slip ans slowly drift away." This says it all. The First is a companion book to the novel The Returned, which is about the return of a child. It is one of several about people who return and the impact of this miracle on their loved ones. The writing is beautiful and the implausible story makes you believe and care about the people as you witness their struggle to deal with a new reality, one they thought they had lost forever. This book will make you think.
What do You think about L'inizio (2013)?
Not much to say, it's a good short story. Free on Kindle and as audio through audible.com
—sponegy
prequel of a prequel of a prequelcuriously confused
—screamingdolai
