Item: The Lost Story
Rating: 3.50
Author: quirkycat

by Meg Shaffer

'This wildly imaginative book speaks to every reader who yearns for a more magical world' - THAO THAI, author of Banyan Moon

'If you'd like to dream instead of a parallel world where love and loyalty and friendship are the magic that transforms the least of us into genuine heroes, then Meg Shaffer's The Lost Story is the book you've been waiting for' - RICHARD RUSSO, author of Empire Falls

From the author of the bestselling novel The Wishing Game comes a Narnia-inspired fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobe doors . . . just in case.

Once upon a time, two boys went missing in the woods. Six months later, they reappeared, with no explanation for where they'd been or how they'd survived.

Fifteen years on, Rafe is a reclusive artist with no memory of what happened during those months, despite the scars he bears. Meanwhile, Jeremy is a famed missing persons investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her long-lost sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy.

Jeremy also keeps a secret: the fantastical truth about the magical realm they made home for those six months. And it's there they may find Emilie's sister.

Alongside Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they left behind - for only then can they get back everything and everyone they've lost.

'Wholly moving . . . reminded me that even as an adult, if you look hard enough, you can find the child still inside you' - Jodi Picoult, author of Mad Honey, on The Wishing Game

'A heartwarming, page-turning story of found family [and] love triumphing over indifference' - Melissa Albert, author of The Hazel Wood, on The Wishing Game

'A dreamy, inventive novel . . . Full of the power of imagination, it's one of my favourite books of the year' - Sarah Addison Allen, author of Other Birds, on The Wishing Game

'A meditation on the power of hope when all else seems lost' - Kirkus Reviews on The Wishing Game

Book Summary:

Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell are famous. As teenagers, they went missing for months, only to randomly show up, providing no explanation for their absence. Now, Jeremy is making a new name for himself, as his talent lies in finding missing women and girls.

That’s where Emilie Wendell comes into play. Following the death of her adoptive mother, Emilie learned that she had a sister. Only her sister has been missing for over a decade. Her only chance at finding the family she has left is with Jeremy.

My Review:

When I saw Meg Shaffer (author of The Wishing Game) had another book coming our way, you better believe I scrambled to get my hands on it! Like her first novel, The Lost Story has a strong book-about-a-book vibe, but it's also so much more.

In truth, there are times when this book feels more like two wrapped into one. There's the world as described in Jeremy's past, and then there's the present, with a young girl searching for a long-lost sister. Basically, it's a magical/dark tale and a missing person's story.

Truthfully, I'm not sure which tale I liked more. I think they could have been better integrated, as the dialogue was jarring sometimes. I did enjoy the characters and the banter they quickly fell into.

Overall, I'd say that The Lost Story wasn't quite as strong as The Wishing Game. It still had a beautiful foundation, but it felt like it didn't quite live up to its potential.

Highlights:
Fantasy World
Bridge to Terabithia Vibes
Books about Books
LGBTQ+

Trigger Warnings:
Abuse
Homophobia
Familial Death

You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy

The Lost Story

by Meg Shaffer

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on Sep 8, 2024

Reading updates