Rachel Harrison Join’s Shelf Indulgence Book Club to discuss The Return (Recording)

 

We were so lucky today to have Rachel Harrison  join us for our discussion of The Return. We wanted to share the discussion with those that couldn't make it but may have loved the book as much as we did: 

Play Video

Enjoy!

And here are our additional questions from those that couldn’t be with us from our Q&A: 

• One of our gals wondered if you (jokingly) had any friends you based Julie on? And if you joke with them about that? Haha! No, I know better than to base characters on people I know. That's trouble right there. 
• She also wondered if there was any grief for a loved one that inspired the story and if you could elaborate if so? I've had two close friendships fall apart, and how do you mourn a friendship? It's not really widely talked about. It was definitely something I was working through as I wrote this book. 
• Are the creatures all in parks? And if so do they have slight differences like the creatures in WA parks look more like Bigfoot? (She’s in Washington and everyone there really believes in Bigfoot). Or if you considered that? I hadn't considered the creatures living in other parks, but it's possible! 
• Did you have any different endings that you tried out where Elise decides to join Julie? Or one where Elise has to successfully kill Julie before you settled on the ending for the story? The ending was always them parting ways, because the book is about the loss of friendship, about letting go of a friend who has changed to a point the friendship no longer works.
• What was your favorite scene to write of the book? Probably when Elise breaks into her BF's house, because it felt so cringe! I really surprised myself writing that scene. I also really liked the scene where Tristan talks about Julie coming back and finding her at the fridge at night. That one was fun, too. 
• Is there a passage/quote our line that stands out to you? "You can't escape your past when there are pieces of it in other people." I'm probably misquoting myself, but it's something like that! 
• Was there anything that was cut from the book during editing, that you wish had made it into the story? Fortunately everything that was cut definitely deserved to be cut! 
• One of the gals wondered if you could please explain the ending. She got slightly lost. She knew that Elise was running away from Julie but then Julie catches up. Elise manages to get in her car but after that, what happens? Did she hit the tree and an airbag deploys? Does she get hit by a hit and run? Does she run into Julie as a tree monster? We know she has cuts and glass in her hair. What happens to Julie? Elise injures Julie in the lobby, runs out to the parking lot and gets in her car. Is attempting to drive away when Julie hops on the car, causing Elise to crash into a tree. Elise stumbles from the wreckage of the car into the woods, where she's stalked by Julie. Elise and Julie, now in full monster form, have a final confrontation, where Julie is able to control herself/her hunger enough to stop pursuing Elise and let her go, and Elise is able to finally accept there's no hope, that she needs to walk away from Julie forever.