An Impossible Return: A Novel

by Caroline Laurent

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 neighboring islands welcome a new son, Joséphin, 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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Mauritius, Literary Fiction, Africa, Historical

Audible Audio

First published January 9, 2020

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paradise confiscated

This historical novel based on true events is a history that should not be forgotten. The British Government forced all the people off the island of Chagos in a contractual ploy with the U.S. to build a military base. These poor people lost their paradise to be dumped on Mauritius to fend on their own with no means to live and barely survived. This is their story. The results of their struggles comes to an agreement only recently. I am blown away at the abandonment and how long it took to get even a small resolution.

[Fran M · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I found it a little confusing to follow the book as I wasn't sure whose voice was telling the story, but after the first Chapter became really interested in the story. I was vaguely aware of the factual events that formed the novel but had no real idea of what happened in the late 60s to the inhabitants of the Chagos Islands but the author brought the human and emotional perspective very much to life.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will always be drawn to stories based on true events in history.

The events that take place in this book were completely unknown to me. This was a difficult read emotionally. The content is extremely heavy, this isn't a light-hearted, easy read. I felt a mixture of sadness and anger. The amount of deceit and suffering within this story is heartbreaking. I was blown away by the determination to move forward despite having everything ripped away, and ultimately being forced to start over with nothing.

Beautifully written. Truly compelling. This book is going to stay with me for a very long time.

My thanks to Amazon Publishing and Over The River Publications for my gifted copy!

Content Warnings: Descriptive Killing Of Livestock/Animal Cruelty/Rape/Racism/Death Of Child/Death Of Parent/Murder

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving story.

I was moved reading this novel about the Atoll islands and how the British government mistreated its inhabitants. How the US was allowed to build a military base on one of them, kicking off the people living there.

[catherine haas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moment of history shameful for Britain and America

A painful novel. The things that great powers do to those without political clout. Beautifully written. A happening that has been pretty well hidden in history.

[Lyle Wichman · Rating 5 out of 5]

this sad wonderful story is beautiful!

A people on a small island who harvest coconuts to make oil and have for generations suddenly find they are being left with no supplies,then evacuated in one hour by American soldiers. These peoples live are simple, peaceful and beautiful. Then an agreement between England, Mauritania and the
USA results in several hundred people being shoved on a ship with only a few things carried in their hands and left on a foreign shore to make there way to a slum. This is probably the most compelling story I’ve read. The people are heroes. They do not give up. They fight for their land.

[Alison Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

You must read this

It is fiction based on historical facts. The reader is transported to the island and it's simple life and then the tragedy of the people wrenched out to poverty . The writing is excellent and the story compelling

[Katia Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must read - the hidden and devastating story of the people of the Chagos Islands told through a love story of characters from two different worlds. Both beautiful and heartbreaking.

[HeyQuin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fictional romance set within the middle of the real-life Chagos archipelago sovereignty dispute (seriously, look it up!) Reading it was a great history lesson and the story itself was beautiful. I appreciate the way the author tied the two together.

[Cookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roman instructif et révoltant qui m'a beaucoup appris et m'a beaucoup fait penser.

L'écriture est exquise les premiers chapitres puis devient plus plate le reste du roman. Cependant, l'attrait de ce roman n'est pas vraiment le style littéraire mais l'histoire qui a vraiment attisé ma colère et mon dégoût face aux injustices subies par les chagossiens.

J'ai lu ce livre honteux et j'en ressors grandi, plus sage, moi qui par le passé connaissait le sort des chagossiens sans vraiment comprendre. Maintenant je comprends. Et j'enrage.

Par contre, malheureusement, je dirai que l'oeuvre est trop romancée: l'histoire d'amour n'était pas vraiment nécessaire et l'auteur ayant mélangée faits et fiction, il est difficile de faire la différence entre les deux. Une annexe/des explications à la fin avec les documents et faits réels aurait été grandement apprécié (Marie est-elle inspirée d'une chagosienne réelle? Quels sont les vrais détails et qu'est-ce qui n'est que fiction?). De plus, lisant en ligne la vraie histoire des chagossiens et de cette 'affaire' en général, bien que le roman se calque largement sur la réalité on a l'impression que les vrais héros de l'histoire (celles qui ont vraiment combattues, le journaliste qui a enquêté etc) sont mis dans l'ombre à la place de ces personnages fictifs... Dommage... A la place de "l'histoire d'amour", le roman aurait été plus grand si on avait passé du temps à plus détailler le parcours des chagossiens, leurs souffrances etc.

Donc une belle lecture mais dont il y a quand même beaucoup à redire selon moi...

[Kyle Dunne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5.0 Stars

This is not the sort of book I typically reach for off the shelf, but I did enjoy it. So, if you think it might be your kind of thing enough that you’re looking through reviews, there’s probably a better than naught chance you’ll at least like it also.

I got An Impossible Return as my monthly book from Amazon Prime First Reads. While their selection and variety each month is much improved from a couple years back, there are still times when nothing particularly calls to me. But that’s also a good excuse for stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something I wouldn’t otherwise pick up. In this case I’m glad that I made the choice I did.

The backdrop of the story is centered around true events of the eviction of the Ilois from the Chagos Archipelago in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. The story itself follows Marie, her evolving romantic relationship with Gabriel, a Mauritian man come to her island, and the family they build and try to hold together. The narrative is interspersed with short bits from the point of view of their son in the present day as he reflects upon their past in the events of the story and also relates some of the continued struggles of the Ilois past the time of the story.

It's a beautifully written story and I’d recommend picking it up. Not only is the love story itself both touching and tragic, but you’ll probably learn a couple things about the real history of the story’s setting.

[Nathalie J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bouleversante roman basé sur une période de l'histoire qui m'était inconnue.
Les îles Chagos -archipel peuplé de descendants d'esclaves noirs qui vivent paisiblement et simplement- rattaché à l'île Maurice va, au moment de l'ibdependance, être vidé de ses habitants, exilés de force à Maurice par les britanniques qui loueront les îles aux américains pour en faire une base militaire.
Lecture forte.

[Frédérique Girard · Rating 5 out of 5]

pas mon genre de roman habituel, mais vraiment un beau récit au fond historique réel (et très bouleversant) qui m’en a énormément appris sur le (dé)colonialisme britannique ailleurs qu’en amérique mettons

personnages hyper attachants qui racontent une histoire à la fois troublante et tendre, j’en aurais pris encore plus

[Alix Frazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A world of seems and seams and dreams

Do yourself a favor and wrap this book around yourself like a comfortable blanket. It will stay with you long after the last page ends.

[Marianna the Booklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I first heard about the Chagossians about 10 years ago but I'm ashamed to say that I didn't bother finding out more about what happened to them in the 1960s. I also had only a vague idea of where the Chagos Islands are (and that's just because I lived in Southern Africa and visited Mauritius, and simply looked at the map of the region more closely). This book is a little gem. The horrible plight of the Chagossians is described so vividly it made my blood boil. The author did extensive research on the topic (which she pursued for personal reasons) so the novel is historically accurate as well. Laurent's book deserves to be widely read as it brings to light yet another act of disgusting injustice in the world's recent history which should never be forgotten. Good translation too.

[Florence Aubaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Histoire très intéressante sur des faits réels, années 1967 et plus , archipel des îles Chagos, Maurice

[Cassi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very dark and tragic but it’s based on a true story that should be shared and it’s beautifully written.

[Hanae · Rating 5 out of 5]

« Rivage de la colère » porte bien son titre tant ce sentiment imprègne tout le roman. Caroline Laurent s'attaque à un archipel et à un pan de l'histoire injustement ignoré, surtout en Occident : les Chagos. S'il s'agit bien d'une fiction et si l'autrice prend des libertés par rapport à la réalité, elle réussit à sensibiliser son lectorat au combat des Chagossien•ne•s pour retourner sur leur île.

De sa plume envoûtante, l'autrice nous emporte dans une fresque historique à la dimension romanesque profonde grâce à une histoire d'amour, une galerie de personnages attachants, aux thèmes connexes de la famille des classes sociales, du colorisme... La narration alterne entre la fin des années 60 et le recours à la justice internationale en 2019. C'est aussi l'histoire de la transmission d'un combat, de mère en fils.

À l'aide de l'imaginaire, Caroline Laurent rend compte des conséquences de la colonisation britannique, dans l'un de ses derniers bastions, jusque dans les âmes des personnes qui l'ont subie.

[Aurélie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cela fait presque 50 ans que les habitants des îles Chagos dans l’Océan Indien se battent pour obtenir réparation. Chassés en 1971 de leur paradis, ce peuple s’est retrouvé la victime collatérale de la décolonisation. Caroline Laurent donne des visages à cette tragédie oubliée et nous emporte avec cette fresque sensuelle et bouleversante.

[Wendy Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart wrenching, heart warming

I was not aware of the historical plight of the Chagossians until I read this novel. Lovingly written, this story tackles a difficult situation with intelligence and compassion.
This is one of those rare novels that keeps you thinking long after the last page has been read and the book has been placed on the shelf.

[Annick Meulders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Émouvante, révoltante, instructive, cette histoire qui nous fait découvrir la longue lutte inégale entre le peuple des Chagos privé de ses terres et la Grande-Bretagne.

[Ioana Pristoleanu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this book I had no idea where Diego Garcia would be on the map, let alone their tragic history from not so long ago.

This book is split between three different perspectives: in present time, a man is recording his journey back to his motherland in short passages, journal style. The other two voices are Gabriel, a Mauritian man and Marie, a Chagossian woman, relating the period between 1967 and 1975. Diego Garcia is an island part of Chargos Archipelago, not far from Mauritius, where Marie and Gabriel fall in love. She is a worker on the coconut plantation, doesn't know how to read or write but is enjoying the everyday life on her paradise island, with her community, dancing, food and family close by. Gabriel arrives on the island as an assistant for the owner of the plantation, who shouldn't mix with the locals but, naturally, ends up seduced by Marie.

Gabriel is caught between two worlds: back home in Mauritius his sister is waiting for him to come back, not knowing about Marie, and on Diego Garcia his lover has no idea about the future plans Gabriel can't share with her, being sworn secrecy by the British. Not long until the plans come to life and Gabriel is separated from Marie and their son as the British make a devastating deal with Mauritius about how to repurpose the island for the benefits of their army.

I had to ise Google a few times to check if all these events actually happened in real life, and sadly they very much did. The depiction of people being forced to emigrate their homes was hard to read yet equally important to be shared to the world. The struggles and sacrifices these people had to make to try and justify being allowed to set foot back onto their motherland made my heart ache, and with throwing into the mix a forbidden love, fatherhood and prejudice, this book covered a great deal of themes.

4/5 stars only because of the frustration I had with a certain misunderstanding and lack of communication from the protagonists at one point, otherwise an important book highlighting issues I would have otherwise not even heard of.

[Lynn G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listening to this book was an endurance contest; would I persevere to the end or would the book be too slow and the characters not particularly engaging? I persevered and it wasn't a completely meh experience. I learned a lot about a place and point in the recent past about which I was almost totally ignorant: the Chagos Archipelago (specifically the islands of Diego Garcia and Mauritius) and the 1960s until 2019.

I learned even more about the duplicity of Great Britain in its administration of its colonies, territories, and other areas under the Crown's control. The actions undertaken by the Crown in the specific case of Diego Garcia relied on the lack of worldliness, lack of education, and the lack of literacy among the populace of Diego Garcia as well as the island's relative isolation. The US was also complicit in the summary removal of the entire population of Diego Garcia to Mauritius without their consent. The Chagosians (as the islanders are referred to) were subject to abuse, lack of compensation for their lands and possessions, given no place to live in Mauritius and were immediately thrust into typical third world poverty.

Much of this slice of history reminded me so much of American history. For example, the US negotiated many treaties with Native American tribes and then promptly broke the treaties. Then there is the long history of Black enslavement and the associated maltreatment and cruelty, whose reverberations we see today in many aspects of American culture, society, the justice system, and education system.

Common to Great Britain's treatment of the countries, territories, and colonies that it administered, and the way the US treated Native Americans and Blacks is the underlying scourge of racism, white supremacism, and "othering" of non-whites.

So, all in all, The Impossible Return, was not an entirely off-putting experience.

[Maryna Lykhachova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un gran bel libro!
Ambientato nel cuore dell'Oceano Indiano, nell'arcipelago delle Chagos, a nord delle Mauritius. Uno di quei posti che siamo abituati a chiamare un paradiso terrestre, ma dove l'uomo ha scritto per l'ennesima volta una pagina impietosa della storia taciuta. Dove il colonialismo, gli interessi economici e militari, la discriminazione e il razzismo, e quel diritto alla supremazia da parte dei sedicenti paesi
"democratici" fanno da sfondo alla vita di Marie e agli abitanti di Diego Garcia.
Questo romanzo denso, intenso, travolgente, ben costruito e tradotto magistralmente da Giuseppe Allegri, ha il grande pregio di essere anche un atto di denuncia. Perché dopo lo strazio arriva la rabbia, e con essa la rivolta.
Un libro che mi sta ancora vibrando dentro... leggetelo!
"Cosa significa, indipendenza? chi è indipendente? Voi lo siete?
Ho creduto a lungo a questo sogno. Libertà, autonomia.
Applicabile sia alla politica che all'intimità. Ti amo, non ti amo più, se non ti amo più me ne vado, una vita aperta ai quattro venti.
Mi sa che sbagliavo. L'indipendenza, voglio dire quella pura, vera, assoluta, non esiste.
Si è sempre colonizzati da qualcun altro.
Dobbiamo molto a tale constatazione.
Le Chagos dipendevano da Mauritius, che dipendeva dal Regno Unito, che dipendeva dall'Europa, che dipendeva dalle Nazioni Unite, che dipendevano dal mondo democratico. Chi ha mai sentito parlare di noi? Diego Garcia, Peros Banhos?
No, non conosco. Chi sa quello che il mondo democratico ci ha inflitto?
Credetemi. Il nostro destino riguarda tutti voi, e forse ancor più di quanto possiate immaginare.”

[Aimee Dars]

Thank you so much to @otrpr and @AmazonPublishing for including me on the tour for AN IMPOSSIBLE RETURN by Caroline Laurent and for a gifted copy of the book which went on sale December 1, 2022.

Marie, an independent and headstrong Chagossian, lives on the Deigo Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago, a colony of Great Britain. Like most of the indigenous people, she works on a coconut oil plantation, and, without a system of currency, barters for the supplies she needs. What doesn’t come from the island arrives from regular ships sailing from Mauritius.

In 1967, Gabriel, a young, upper-middle class man from Mauritius accompanies the British administrator to Diego Garcia to serve as his secretary. Despite all their differences, he and Marie fall in love and have a child, Joséphin. Though they love each other desperately, they each hold secrets from the other. Gabriel’s, in particular, affects everyone on the archipelago.
As Mauritius approaches a referendum on independence, they are negotiating with Britain to cede control of Chagos so that Britain can give it to the United States for a military base. To make the deal, all living creatures must be evacuated from the island with no hopes of return.

Marie’s story is intercut with lyrical first-person accounts from Joséphin speaking in 2019, showing what happened leading up to and after the removal including a harrowing cyclone that devastated a slum in which the Chagossian’s lived. The imagery is so vivid and powerful (so much so that I had so skip a few paragraphs!). I knew nothing about the Chagos Archipelago before reading this book, and I was grateful to learn about the injustices suffered and still going on. With such beautiful writing and so impactful a story, I know this book will have a long-lasting impact.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The policemen hadn’t been able to calm her down. She was stronger than them. She was invincible. They had no idea that her strengths came from afar, from the day a woman named Thérèse Ladouceur had agreed to let her live her life barefoot. She thundered, scratched, punched; she was the storm, she was every cyclone, the sea in turmoil, the indignation of an island. She stretched her torn skin out to the ocean, she was shattering every idol with her machete, and casting them bloodied, down on the shore.”

What can I say about the beautiful book? It grabs ahold of your attention to focus on an archipelago you have likely never heard of before and their struggle against the lasting colonialism of British. Based on a real story as told to the author by her own mother and supported by much research in the archives, Caroline Laurent presents a story sure to enrage you as it also brings tears to your eyes. With similarities to Hum If You Don’t Know the Words is definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an escape into recent history.

[Liz Schmittgens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a slow burn, but worth the effort. It’s another example of a history I was not familiar with, so it was a story I haven’t read ten times over. A fictional account of the failures of British colonization in Africa and the travesties carried out on an island nation for decades. The beginning was a bit hard to follow but as the book progressed the main characters develop great texture.

[Morgan Grice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful yet tragic story, this hooked me from the beginning. Reading it whilst in Mauritius, visiting the places mentioned, trying the food, and speaking to the locals about the events discussed made it even more immersive and wonderful.

[Erin Deveaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially it was a little difficult to follow which story belonged to who, however once the story was fully in motion it was captivating.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one blew me away with exquisite portrayals of loss and grief plus moments of pure beauty and joy. It would be nice if the tragic story was pure fiction, but unfortunately it is historical fiction based on a relatively unknown and ugly chapter as British colonization of island nations ended (late 1960s). Sadly, the native Chagossian people forced off their lands and into slums were victims not just of the British, but also the US which paid to build a military base on the island.