The Return of the Native

by Thomas Hardy

"The Return of the Native" by Thomas Hardy is a novel published in 1878. Set entirely on the wild Egdon Heath over the span of a year, it follows the intertwined fates of several characters trapped by passion and circumstance. When Clym Yeobright returns from Paris, the beautiful but restless Eustacia Vye sees him as her escape from the desolate heath. Their marriage sets off a chain of events involving thwarted desires, family estrangement, and fateful misunderstandings that will test everyone's loyalties and dreams.