Lost & Found: A Novel

Brooke Davis

Jan 2015 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

An irresistible debut novel about the wisdom of the very young, the mischief of the very old, and the magic that happens when no one else is looking

Millie Bird, seven years old and ever hopeful, always wears red gumboots to match her curly hair. Her struggling mother, grieving the death of Millie’s father, leaves her in the big ladies’ underwear department of a local store and never returns.

Agatha Pantha, eighty-two, has not left her house—or spoken to another human being—since she was widowed seven years ago. She fills the silence by yelling at passersby, watching loud static on TV, and maintaining a strict daily schedule.

Karl the Touch Typist, eighty-seven, once used his fingers to type out love notes on his wife’s skin. Now that she’s gone, he types his words out into the air as he speaks. Karl’s been committed to a nursing home, but in a moment of clarity and joy, he escapes. Now he’s on the lam.

Brought together at a fateful moment, the three embark upon a road trip across Western Australia to find Millie’s mother. Along the way, Karl wants to find out how to be a man again; Agatha just wants everything to go back to how it was.

Together they will discover that old age is not the same as death, that the young can be wise, and that letting yourself feel sad once in a while just might be the key to a happy life.

Ratings and reviews

I chose this title because it was recommended to me. I also have seen some very strong reviews on how much this book touched people. That is the main reason we continue to read. Be feel a oneness with some aspect of the story before us. In this case, I felt nothing to connect with. I didn't have a broken home or bad childhood. I wasn't abandoned and haven't spend time with crazy people. I did at one time own a mannequin, but that wasn't enough to build any empathy with the characters in this story. That is really my only knock, but from a reader's standpoint, it's a pretty big one. Lack of a connection. I enjoyed the writing style, and even found a few humorous moments. While I believe in the context of the story these were supposed to be actual events, for me, with no connection, they continued to add to the Fiction aspect and didn't stir any emotional reaction. The characters are quirky to say the least. All of them. Even the sub-cast has issues. The ending left me hanging a bit to. An abrupt ending that for all the struggles throughout, didn't really bring the closure I was looking for.

About the author

Brooke Davis grew up in rural Australia, has lived in Halifax, Canada, and Florida, USA, and now lives in Perth, Australia, where she works as a bookseller. In 2015, Lost & Found won the iBooks Fiction Book of the Year and two Australian Book Industry Awards; Fiction Book of the Year and the Matt Richell Award for New Writer. Lost & Found is her first novel and will be published in twenty-seven countries.