The Keeper of Lost Things
Title: The Keeper of Lost Things
Author: Ruth Hogan
Genre: Contemporary Adult Romance
Rating: Five Stars!
Okay, so normally I write a pretty involved synopsis for every book I review, but the description on the book jacket for this particular book was so well done that I didn’t think there was much to add — there are a few word and phrase changes sprinkled throughout though, and my opinion is featured in the last paragraph, which I hope you enjoy!
So without farther ado, here’s the slightly tweaked synopsis . . .
Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. It isn’t a title he had intentionally picked, but forty years ago, he had carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. Sadly, on the very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects — the things others had dropped, misplaced, or accidently left behind — and then he wrote 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 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.
Along the way, the reader also gets to know Eunice, a woman who finds a trinket on the London pavement and for some reason feels compelled to keep it. The tiny object often resurfaces in her life during special moments, and when she loses something immensely precious, she often takes solace knowing that, at the very least, she’s found something for someone else.
Meanwhile, as Laura begins to understand the weight of her newfound responsibility as the Keeper of Lost Objects, she also begins to realize that she holds the key to Anthony and Eunice’s redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the connections that will finally provide the comfort they seek.
The short, spoiler-alert answer to that is yes, and boy is it worth the read! The Keeper of Lost Things is a superbly written tale about two couples, both facing their own trials and tribulation, and who at first seem entirely unrelated. Yet as their stories unfold, a certain sense of foreshadowing hangs in the air, giving the impression that at any moment the two stories will intersect. They don’t — or at least not for a very long time anyway, which amps up the suspense in a very pleasant way, because the book, while tackling some serious and often grim issues related to grief and loss, also has a light, playful air about it. So shoo, quit reading my blog and go make yourself “the lovely cup of tea.” Trust me; it’ll go very well with such a cozy, romantic read!
