I was so ridiculously excited to read this book. Finally, after sitting on my “holds” list on Overdrive for six months, I was able to read this one. I was drawn to this gorgeous cover, the title, and the idea of this story. Unfortunately, this book was a huge let down for me. I think my motto for my reading life this month should be “Great Concepts: Poorly Executed”.
BLURB:
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 all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.
Many books have slow starts, but this book seemed to be spinning its wheels throughout. The Keeper of Lost Things was SLOOOOW as syrup, and could not hold my interest for more than a couple of paragraphs at a time. Just as I would get interested, the chapter would end or the point-of-view would change. For a book under 300 pages, it should not have taken long at all to get through reading, but not all pages are created equally, as all of us readers well know. I would find my mind wandering in the middle of sentences, only to realize I had read to the end of the page and didn’t have the slightest inkling what had happened. I also wasn’t a fan of the third person narrative, making this a difficult story to connect with from beginning to end. I wish the story would have been written in the voice of Laura throughout.
After checking out other reviews on Goodreads, I have to say, many reviewers got this one right. It felt as if the author was trying too hard, trying to make this book a Literary great and failing miserably. I’m baffled this book garnered a nomination for the Goodreads Choice Awards, to be honest.
Despite my negative feelings, I did enjoy a few things about this story. I obviously loved the British language and humor, Sunshine’s quirky characteristics, and the whimsical stories written about the lost items. I simply couldn’t get past the waiting – waiting for anything of consequence to happen. This was a fantastic idea for a novel and had loads of potential to be a masterpiece. Unfortunately, the execution fell completely flat, making me give this book 2 stars. If you’re interested in checking this one out for yourself, follow the links below!
Ashes Books & Bobs 