The Keeper of Lost Things
by Ruth Hogan
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?
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan was a novel on my TBR that made my 10 Feel Good Books to Read While Social Distancing post from just a few weeks ago. Based on the synopsis and many positive reviews, I felt it deserved to be included on such a list and after reading it for myself, I have to say that it has lived up to my ideas of a feel good book pretty nicely.
This novel was a very cozy, charming read. I think the set up is made quite clear in the synopsis and the story really didn’t veer away from anything I’d thought it might do. Laura is a divorced woman rediscovering life and her own potential for enjoying it after Anthony Peardew, owner of the house Padua and the Keeper of Lost Things, leaves everything he owns to her. In respect to Laura’s personal storyline, this novel didn’t do anything particularly unique or unexpected—but still, it was light and enjoyable. Laura was easy to understand and sympathize with from the start, likable and relatable but very much just a regular person. I did appreciate that she had more than one moment where she’d do things that weren’t perfectly kind or admirable when it came to hanging out with Sunshine in the beginning of their friendship. It was nothing awful, but I think it was realistic and made her a well rounded, well-meaning but ultimately regular person who sometimes handles things in an imperfect way. As for Freddy and Sunshine, they were nice secondary characters, especially Sunshine who added so much heart and charm, but I think some of the characterization was a bit shallow. We spend a decent amount of time with these three characters and the way we got to know them felt very day-to-day surface level and lacked the emotional depth I would’ve appreciated more of. The characters all seem a bit lost themselves and find meaning and happiness in each other and the task Anthony leaves for them, but with such a focus on Laura’s personal story, I was surprised by the lack of depth to one of the relationships that developed. It was surface-level-sweet, but not much else and came together rather quickly.
There were a couple of surprises within this story that I appreciated. First is the inclusion of some of the stories Anthony wrote about the lost items he’d collected. They were short but certainly interesting, delivering a variety of happenings from humorous to emotional in a short space. Reading them was an interesting way to get to know Anthony after he passed away. The stories weren’t about him but reading them allowed readers to know him through his interpretations.
The second surprise was something not even mentioned in the synopsis I’d read (although the synopsis I included here does mention it)—a second timeline and storyline that tells Eunice and Bomber’s story through chapters sprinkled throughout Laura’s story. I loved these chapters. In fact, I might’ve enjoyed reading Eunice and Bomber’s chapters more than the normal Laura storyline. I loved their friendship and watching how it and their lives developed over the decades. Their story had more meaningful emotional depth than the rest of the book in my opinion. Also, their chapters also added a bit of mystery, making readers wonder how they’d connect to the regular storyline. I loved learning about Anthony’s life as the two storylines converged, too.
The progression of The Keeper of Lost Things was slower but charming all along the way. This novel isn’t terribly exciting or emotionally gripping, but it’s a pleasant little read. The writing was decent–nothing noteworthy but also nothing wrong with it. While I had some questions regarding the novel’s believability at some points, I ended up thinking it all came together quite nicely and was perfectly believable in an unexpected way. I really liked that there was something bigger hinted at, bits of supernatural happenings and a sense of everything coming together the way it was meant to. That was one of my favorite aspects of the story, the slight supernatural/spiritual edge that made its way into the story. It was certainly the most unique aspect of this novel.
Overall, this was a sweet story. It didn’t veer away from my expectations but it didn’t need to in order to be enjoyed. In terms of emotional depth, personal storylines and plot, it was pretty middle of the road but it still managed to be charming and was still a feel good read.
I would recommend The Keeper of Lost Things to anyone looking for a lighthearted, cozy novel with some light emotional happenings. It was quite a charming read and definitely a feel good book with humor and heart.
3/5
Thanks for reading,
Madison