Book Review by: Alizay Ashraf
The Keeper of The Lost Things is a book written by Ruth Hogan about a boy Anthony Peardew who has spent half of his life collecting lost objects, trying to atone for a promise broken many years ago. He realizes that he is running out of time and leaves his house and all its lost treasures to his assistant – the one person he can trust to reunite the thousands of objects with their rightful owners.
The story is interesting and complex enough to carry itself in a realistic setting. However, it enters the realm of fairy tales by involving the supernatural. Sunshine’s convenient works with Therese’s ghost to drive the earthbound characters to fulfill Anthony’s mission down to the last object, as well as to resolve their own affairs.
The book is charming, has a bit of mystery to it plus a ghostly presence, and it’s like life itself. There are things that will make you happy and things that will make you a bit sad because the characters become real to you. The story is a bit of a tapestry in that it weaves together various threads of the stories of various people’s lives to create a beautiful garment.
In my opinion, the best aspect of this book was the artfully constructed vignettes attached to many of the misplaced treasures. They were deftly woven, delightful little windows of possibility and I savored each one. When all was said and done, things came together quite nicely, and I closed the book wondering if I should read it again from a less befuddled perspective.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates gentle stories with an ultimate happy ending. The theme is love for others, animals, and yourself; and I’d like to share that feeling with other readers. I think this book is suitable for children above the age of 9.
