The imposable turn.
Ajruk.
Since World War One it has been recognized that turning back is the imposable turn and this accident serves only to demonstrate how true this is.
If you want to continue in flying you need to distance yourself from your feelings for your friend ( no matter how noble and loyal they may be) and recognize that the turn back was a mistake, I have no idea how much power the engine in this case was producing ( as have you ) but the only way to get the aircraft away from the ground with a malfunctioning engine is to nail the best lift/ drag speed with the wings level.
If there is no chance of climbing then the only choice is to use the power you have to get to the best into wind landing site. Do this and you load the dice in your faviour, don't and you shorten the odds on a sucsessful outcome are diminished to almost zero.