The Keeper of Lost Things

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She then added more than a few eccentrics, a feisty spirit and a sweet innocent by the name of Sunshine whom you will come to love, and gave us a story brimming with wit, wisdom and charm galore. With faltering steps, Laura befriends the extraordinary girl that is Sunshine, a downs syndrome child who has been bullied.

Several readers liked the way the people and connections were woven together, particularly in the opening and closing sections. The back stories, real or imagined, of lost-and- found objects form the centrepiece of this exquisite, absorbing novel, a potent cocktail of insightful psychological realism, whimsy and glittering magic, where hopes and new beginnings glint off the sharp edges of grief and loss. It is also a ghost story, as the house that Laura inherits is haunted, and increasingly so as the story progresses. In The Keeper of Lost Things, debut novelist Ruth Hogan ties together the lives of her characters and the objects they discover. Meanwhile, the best character of this novel, Sunshine, starts out strong but then becomes downsized to comic relief in the later chapters of the book.And when you read the final chapter, the final sentence, and you see THE END, you feel miserable that the time has come for you to say your farewells. Psychological realism, whimsy and magic are a winning combination in this quirky, exquisitely crafted novel. Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura struggles to put her own life back together when she becomes the new keeper of lost things. There is an undeniable sense of mystery and intrigue in something “lost”, and if considered enough, a single misplaced object can raise a multitude of questions: Who was the previous owner? Added to that Sunshine's preternatural capabilities, a TERRIBLE, predictable and sickly-sweet plot, not to mention another 15,000 similes and cliches .

One story features middle aged Laura who inherits a house full of lost objects which she is tasked with reuniting with their owners. Sunshine places herself at the centre of the action and in many ways she is the inheritor of the title Keeper of Lost Things. The bubbling of romance and the hangover from previous relationships is never far away in this novel.Anthony Peardew has learned, through experience, the pain and heartbreak that can come through loss. I would describe the novel as a modern day fairy tale in which fantastical events intertwine all of the characters and their fates. Eunice leaves a dead end job and takes an exciting one in publishing with a witty and charismatic boss. The title is bold white font in the centre of the cover and Ruth’s name is in a smaller white font at the bottom of the cover.

I loved the characters in this, even the snooty Portia, and especially Sunshine, and Anthony’s story, wonderful, but heartbreaking. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects, the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidentally left behind, and writing stories about them. Many tiny stories that go along with the lost things are also scattered at random through the main narrative. The treatment of the dogs, the way their people love them so deeply and share their days with them, is just another part of the story that worked so well for me. All of the characters are well rounded and seem utterly believable except for one which seems like a caricature (Bomber’s sister, Portia).Maybe my expectations for this book were a bit too high since I picked it up because it was nominated for Goodreads’ Best Fiction 2017, but I can’t say I understand why it’s on this list.