An Impossible Return: A Novel

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Author: Caroline Laurent

Number of Pages: 368

*Winner of the Prix Maison de la Presse* An epic love story set against a backdrop of injustice, devastating secrets, and the painful price of independence. It’s 1967 in the Chagos Archipelago – a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean – and life is peaceful and easy for hardworking Marie. Her fierce independence and love for her home are quickly apparent to Gabriel, the handsome and sophisticated Mauritian secretary to the archipelago’s administrator; it’s love at first sight. As these two lovers from neighbouring islands welcome a new son, Josephin, a bright future seems possible. But Gabriel is hiding a terrible secret. The Mauritian government is negotiating independence from Britain, and this deal with the devil will mean evacuating the Chagos, without warning or mercy – a betrayal that will put their love to the test. Inspired by a shocking travesty of justice, the repercussions of which still reverberate more than fifty years later, bestselling Franco-Mauritian author Caroline Laurent paints a shimmering portrait of island life, a sensual paradise lost, and a gorgeous star-crossed love against all odds. ‘Franco-Mauritian writer Laurent, in her potent English-language debut, overlays a tragic love story onto a powerful account of historical injustice in the Chagos Archipelago…Thanks to Laurent’s devastating work, readers will, indeed, have their eyes and hearts opened.’ – Publishers Weekly (starred review) ‘While Rivage de la colere is a novel about exile and impossible love, it is nevertheless about hope too. It is an ambitious and sweeping story written with sensitivity that renders a geopolitical and human tragedy through its credible and endearing characters.’ – L’Orient Litteraire ‘A beautiful portrayal of a strong woman…a harrowing novel, stirred with anger, that Caroline Laurent has written with great passion.’ – Liberation ‘Caroline Laurent writes about the Chagossian people’s removal and anger with finesse and emotion.’ – Le Parisien