From the First UK Edition dust jacket
Renault's fourth novel concerns a woman doctor of thirty-four, and her gifted young lover, some ten years her junior, whose will has been sapped, and his ambition crushed, by the remote antagonism of his mother. The story describes the doctor's struggle to release him from his mother's influence, and to restore his broken will, if need be at the cost of his love, and once at the risk of her own life. The two lovers are, in effect, the only characters in the book, which is made entirely enthralling by the author's subtle, penetrating, and wholly candid observation of the sexes, her unique command of dialogue, and ability to convey an intimate mental atmosphere.
"Return to Night" has been awarded the annual Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer prize of [$150,000], as the outstanding novel of the year, and will shortly be filmed.