Children are often much more imaginative than adults. This can lead to horrible things like nightmares, but in books their inventiveness often keeps them alive where adults have failed; especially in coming-of-age novels. The Book of Lost Things manages this idea exceptionally well.
In this story, David has recently lost his mother and longs to have her back. He’s also gained a younger sibling and a step-mother whom he in uninterested in. He copes by escaping into books, a medium his late mother had often praised. As he delves deeper into this story-world the lines between reality and fiction blur and David believe himself to be entering a new world. Here he encounters new dangers that threaten the family he resents.
As David becomes more involved in trying to survive as well as protect his friends in this world and his family in the next, he begins to grow up. With astounding rapidity he must face his own fears, learn to solve problems and finally is left to fend for himself. His ingenuity often saves him while he learns the rules of things. It’s sad that as we learn the rules we often forget to be inventive, which is why I believe coming-of-age novels are so popular. They allow us to experience the best of both worlds.
This novel follows the normal template without being overly trite or entirely predictable. The author’s own inventiveness and word choice bring the story to life in a way that most books fall short of. Connolly does not pull any punches in telling his story, death and depravity are not hidden from the young boy yet nothing is obscene, just realistic. This book receives my whole hearted recommendation.
