Summary of The Return
āThe Returnā is a novel about the half a million settlers who fled from Angola to Portugal in 1975, following the Angolan War of Independence and the collapse of the Portuguese dictatorship. The protagonist of the novel, Rui, is a teenager who has never been to Portugal before and attempts to build a new live in Lisbon with his mother and sister.
Reasons to read The Return
āThe Returnā is a moving novel about refugee life in 1970s Portugal. Rui comes to realise that he and his fellow returnees are far from welcomed in their so-called āhomelandā Portugal. Additionally, he faces his own personal struggles, such as problems at school, discrimination, and the uncertain fate of his father. Dulce Maria Cardoso, a Portuguese author who has received numerous literary awards – including the EU Prize for Literature for āVioleta Among the Starsā (āOs meus sentimentosā) ā draws from her own experiences as a member of a āretornadosā family. She was born in Angola and fled with her family to Portugal as a child, in 1975.
Setting: Estoril, Lisbon (Portugal) & Luanda (Angola)
Original title: O retorno
Year of publication: 2006
Nr of pages: 272
