Book report 2007-002

"The Book of Lost Things" by John Connolly



Another find from the Library.  This one took me a long time to read.  Partially because I got involved in other things, and also because I found it to be a very dark book.  I was initially totally sucked in to the beginning of the book.  It is set in England, outside of London, in the early part of WWII.  David is a young boy who lost his dear mother to a terminal illness.  His father eventually remarries a new woman and a new baby brother joins the family.  David is not so thrilled with this at all.  They move into his new step-mother's family home.  David is given his step-mother's uncle's childhood room.  This boy had disappeared with his adopted sister many years before.  David begins to hear the books talking and sees strange things.  He gets drawn into the sunken garden by the voices of his late mother, and gets sucked into another world just as a Nazi pilot gets shot down on their property in the very spot, thus trapping David in this other world, unable to get home.

David finds himself in a strange land that has some very familiar stories.  A kind Woodsman finds him and leads him to shelter.  The Woodsman tells David that his only way home is to meet the King, who has a special book - The Book of Lost Things, which can help get him home.  David's journey is a treacherous one.  He fights for his survival, all while being chased by packs of wolves looking to take over the kingdom.  Along the way he meets different characters which are well known to him and the readers, with a twist of course. 

Once I had the time to sit and read the book, I figured out a key plot twist pretty early on, but was still compelled to keep reading to see if I was right.  (I was - and as Shiny will tell you, I have a knack for that sort of thing when we are watching TV dramas).   But I kept on reading, wanting to find out what happened to David next, how would he get through the next challenge, and would he be able to get back home. 

I've always had a thing for fairy tales, both twisted and the real kind.  Even took a literature course on them in college.  As I said, this was a dark book, certainly not meant for children.  It was good, but I wasn't in the "Oh wow I can't put this down! Stay up too late reading because I want to know what happens next  mode." At times I found myself skimming the paragraphs on the page, and not even realizing it at first.  But in other parts, I found the characters to be so beautifully written, that I would hang on every word.  So even though it took me awhile to get through, I don't regret reading it and would certainly recommend it to anyone who likes this genre.  I give this book a pair of toe socks - all ten toes!