"The Keeper of Lost Things" 

By Samantha Rogala, Staff Writer

"The Keeper of Lost Things"

Ruth Hogan

"The Keeper of Lost Things," a fiction novel by Ruth Hogan, depicts the intertwining lives of Laura and Eunice, assistants to men who are also connected. I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars because I enjoyed the way Hogan tied the two storylines together, giving the characters importance to one another even if they never meet.

Laura is a housekeeper for the elderly writer Anthony Peardew, who lives in a beautiful home called Padua. Anthony is the closest thing she has to family. When he passes away in the rose garden that he planted for his deceased wife, Therese, Laura inherits the house and all of his belongings, including his study which contains various objects. The objects had all been found by Anthony, who collects lost things and writes their origin stories. Eunice works with the publisher of Anthony Peardew’s story, which contains the stories of all the lost things he collected before his death and connects the two storylines.

New beginnings, strong relationships, and companionship through people and animals are present in the story. These major themes made for an enjoyable read, and I loved how the smaller stories that told the origins of the lost objects, written by Anthony, were planted into the main one. It made for many interesting characters and interactions.

Something I loved about this book was how the female characters were written. It’s often hard to find stories with strong, well-written female characters, but Laura, Eunice, and the other main women were well-rounded. The goals they had were meant to better themselves more than anything else. 

Characterization and development were clear throughout the book. Laura’s storyline begins with her just getting out of a bad relationship, and as the story progresses she becomes more independent and focuses on her personal growth. 

The thing I didn’t like about the story was the fantasy aspect. You may be wondering how Anthony knew the origin story of every object he found, and I was too. It is done with the psychic abilities of a girl named Sunshine who visits Padua. She just automatically knows where everything came from, and this put me off because I wasn’t expecting these elements in a book that isn’t labeled as fantasy. 

However, I did enjoy the aspect of Therese, Anthony’s deceased wife, haunting Padua as a ghost and trying to communicate with the inhabitants. To me, the ghost character added the element of unfinished business and could be more symbolic than anything, but Sunshine’s psychic abilities didn’t fit in with the rest of the story for me. 

"The Keeper of Lost Things" successfully depicted what it’s like to start over, put your trust in new people, and open up to new opportunities. I would definitely recommend this book because of its interesting characters, strong relationships, and mini subplots.

The Keeper of Lost Things

By Ruth Hogan

Can be found:

On Amazon: $12.39 (Paperback), $16.99 (Hardcover)

At Barnes & Noble: $15.29 (Paperback), $24.29 (Hardcover)

Morrill Memorial Library