What’s Up With the Title?

This one's pretty easy. The book is about Cam returning home from war and dealing with the aftermath in his family and community. And it's called The Returning. Yep, we told you it was simple. But think about this for a second: the book isn't just Cam's story of going home. It's also his story of setting back out, of returning to the person who let him live—Gyaar—in hopes of finding his footing again. And as the book closes, of course, this part of Cam's journey isn't over yet—he's not yet ready to go home.

So though the title is pretty simple at first glance, upon closer look it's a bit more complicated. Cam can't return to the life he left before the war, and even as the story ends, he still isn't ready to return to Downland and his family.