The Keeper of Lost Things
Ruth Hogan
File Size: 791 KB
Print Length: 277 pages
Publisher: William Morrow; Reprint edition (February 21, 2017)
Publication Date: February 21, 2017
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
Language: English
ASIN: B01GONIFLM
BOOK BLURB : Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly.
Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidentally left behind—and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life’s mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.
Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura, in some ways, is one of Anthony’s lost things. But when the lonely woman moves into his mansion, her life begins to change. She finds a new friend in the neighbor’s quirky daughter, Sunshine, and a welcome distraction in Freddy, the rugged gardener. As the dark cloud engulfing her lifts, Laura, accompanied by her new companions, sets out to realize Anthony’s last wish: reuniting his cherished lost objects with their owners.
Long ago, Eunice found a trinket on the London pavement and kept it through the years. Now, with her own end drawing near, she has lost something precious—a tragic twist of fate that forces her to break a promise she once made.
As the Keeper of Lost Objects, Laura holds the key to Anthony and Eunice’s redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the connections that will lay their spirits to rest?
I just finished listening to this book, and I couldn’t help but say, “Wow” when the story ended. The telling of the story slips seamlessly from character to character, and past to present, with reference to one of the “found” items as the connector.
I loved the characters, especially Sunshine, who has intuitive powers above a normal person, and the reader slowly begins to understand that she is different physically, too, but that revelation comes in small hints along the way. That’s the way most of the characters were revealed as the story progressed, with no big info-dump of backstory or personality traits. It was also a delight to see how the individual characters’ stories started to connect to each other.
One reviewer on Amazon called it a Tapestry of Love, and that is so apt. Relational love of all kinds were explored in the story.
The story is a bit of a tapestry in that it weaves together various threads of the stories of various people’s lives to create a beautiful “garment.” I did feel the book wrapping itself around me and felt I could “wear” the story because it made me see how people and things in my own life form a pattern, too.
This book is high on my favorites of the year so far, along with The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell and Street Music by Timothy Hallinan. As a reviewer, I rarely give 5 stars to books, reserving that highest rating to the very best. This book joins those others that have knocked my socks off this year. The story is delightful and the writing is fresh, with turns of phrases I’d never heard before. Some of them were laced with humor that made me smile.
I was so caught up in the magic of the writing and the characters whom I expected to see around my kitchen table when I looked up, I totally forgot that I really don’t like to read paranormal stories. I’m not afraid of ghosts, I just prefer to socialize with people who are still alive.
If you’re looking for a good book to add to your reading pleasure, I highly recommend this one. And if you’ve found some favorites in recent reading, please do share in a comment. In the meantime, be safe. Be well. Be happy.