The Keeper of Lost Things - Ruth Hogan - ★★★★.¼

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AUTHOR: Ruth Hogan
GENRE: Magical Realism
PUBLICATION DATE: February 21, 2017
RATING: 4.25 stars.

On some days, you don't want an adrenaline-increasing book, but just something mellowing and calming, not something full of action-packed adventures but something full of bittersweet moments, something that won't cause you to bite your nails in anticipation but that would tug at your heartstrings.... That is a day you ought to pick up "The Keeper of Lost Things" by Ruth Hogan.

The book narrates two stories across two different time frames. The first story playing out in the present time frame tells of Anthony Peardew, an ex-writer, who is the eponymous "keeper of lost things". After having lost something precious, he begins collecting lost things and meticulously maintains a record of how and where he came by them. Laura, his housekeeper and friend, needs to take over this task after a change in certain circumstances.

The second storyline spans a time of forty years and tells of two close friends, Eunice and Bomber, both of whom work together in a publishing company. How this story connects to Anthony's and Laura's is visible to us readers right at the beginning and creates a curiosity about how the twain shall meet and how the stories shall merge.

I went for this book mainly for its colourful & attractive cover, its intriguing title and the blurb. Its
Goodreads rating of 3.8 did create some apprehension in me but something in my gut told me that I'd enjoy this book. And I'm glad I trusted that feeling.

The Keeper of Lost Things unfolds slowly yet brilliantly. For a debut novel, I found it really up to the mark. The parallel storylines are handled adeptly and the characters are well sketched out. The book contains within its narrative some mini-stories and each of these tales is brilliant.

Ruth Hogan's vocabulary left me mesmerised. After Gail Honeyman had set such a high benchmark for vocabulary for a debut work (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine), I hadn't expected to find so soon another debutante author with an equal prowess over the language. (On an aside, I found that she has written two more books after this one, so I'm definitely going to check those out too.)

Yes, the book has some minor flaws and dips a bit in the middle. But considering the inexperienced author, I can easily overlook these points. I must mention that the book contains a slight element of the supernatural but nothing scary. So it isn't your typical romantic drama. There are some things that are beyond practical belief, so you do need to be mentally prepared to accept the "out of the world" part of the narrative.

Overall, it is a book that warms the cockles of your heart with its extraordinary storyline and its happy ending. Recommended, but not a must-read. If you are looking for a feel-good book that just leaves you satisfied and sighing at the end, check it out. Rating: 4/5

Btw, I'm not much of a quotes person but this book has some fabulous lines for all quote lovers. Here are a few:

🌹 One could blame ugliness on one's genes and ignorance on one's education, but there was absolutely no excuse whatsoever for being dull.

🌹 The wonderful thing about books was that they were films that played inside your head.

🌹 If you never get sadness, how do you know what happy is like?

🌹 Nothing wrong doesn’t make him Mr Right.

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