FROMTHESTACKS Lost items shine in can’t-put-down read

For 40 years, author Anthony Peardew has been collecting various things that people lose, misplace, or accidentally drop on the streets and parks of England as they go about their daily lives. Anthony became the keeper of lost things as a consolation for losing a special keepsake of his fiancee, noting the day she unexpectedly died in an accident.

Each rescued item is cataloged in a notebook denoting the date, time and place where it was discovered. They are later stored in the study of Anthony’s Victorian home. This large collection is ever-growing, and Anthony writes a story about each glove, hair bobble, umbrella and puzzle piece left behind. The stories about the lost items are both unique and intriguing — and one of the main reasons why this novel is such an engrossing read. The story alternates with ease between present day and the lost items’ flashback narratives. There is also a parallel story involving characters named Eunice and Bomber that becomes essential to the overall plot.

Anthony’s housekeeper and assistant, Laura, is pulled into the vast world of lost things when Anthony dies and she is left with specific instructions to reunite the lost things with their owners. This daunting task becomes Laura’s all-consuming focus with the help of Freddy the gardener and the neighbor’s sweet, psychic daughter, Sunshine. This unlikely trio finds a way to honor Anthony’s last wish by creating a website of all the lost things cleverly marketing its existence using various media outlets. The mystery of each lost item and its potential reunion makes this the kind of novel a reader is compelled to complete in one sitting.

Ruth Hogan’s “The Keeper of Lost Things” is an excellent choice for local book clubs. There is a great deal to discuss that revolves around promises made and broken and the numerous objects that fill and give meaning to our lives. Hogan has since published three other novels and is establishing herself as a writer of uplighting, cozy English stories. Missouri River Regional Library has print audio, and digital copies of

this title.

Claudia Cook is the director of the Missouri River Regional Library.