Lost: A Novel

'A psychologically intense and deeply emotional novel about three lives that intersect in the wake of a man's disapperance.
On a cold January morning Susan leaves her husband alone for a few minutes and returns to find him gone. Suffering from dementia, no longer able to dress or feed or wash himself, he has wandered alone into a frigid landscape with no sense of home or direction. Lost..

Over the course of one weekend, the massive search for her husband brings Susan together with Jeff, a search and rescue expert and social worker preoccupied with his young wife’s betrayal. In Jeff’s care is Corey, a mute eleven-year-old boy who has been abandoned by his family after accidentally setting a tragic fire. As the temperature drops and the search and rescue effort threatens to become one of search and recovery, they each confront haunting memories and difficult choices that will have an unexpected impact on their collective future. .

From the intersection of these three lives emerges an arresting portrait of the shifting terrain of marriage and the devastating effects of physical and psychological damage. Written in spare, beautiful prose, Lost explores the lengths we will go to take care of someone, and the ways in which responsibility, love, and sorrow can bind people together..'

Or so says the cover! I was disappointed in this novel as we surmise early on the outcome, so really no suspense and I felt no real connection with the characters. The epilogue just too unrealistic. ( )

A search is on for a man with dementia lost in the cold and snow of winter. Surprisingly, there was little suspense about the outcome. Susan, the wife, is a scientist; therefore, much of her thinking is analytical rather than emotional.

The two side stories add little to the drama. I was particularly bothered by Jeff, the search liaison, sharing his personal sad story with Susan during the search. It seemed very unprofessional to me.

Although the writing is promising for a debut novel, the flat tone and unrealistic reading left me cold. ( )

Alice Lichtenstein’s second novel begins with everyone’s nightmare - a loved one suffering from dementia wanders away from home and is lost. In this case, the loved one is the husband of Susan, a biology professor. Responding to her call for help in finding her husband is social worker and search-and-rescue expert, Jeff. Add to this cast of characters an eleven-year-old boy, Corey, whose family has abandoned him because he accidentally set a fire that killed his brother.

These three disparate characters are lost in their own way, but come together to form a bond that begins the healing process for each one. They each deal with the sorrow in their lives with the help of the others.

Lichtenstein’s novel is elegantly written. Her characters are finely drawn. Her plot has no surprises for her readers, which only adds to the depth of the writing.

If you appreciate literary fiction, you will surely enjoy this quietly elegant little book. ( )

This book had a simple plot and was a quick read. I liked the story but never really connected with any of the characters. ( )

Lost is the story of a search for a elderly man who suffers from dementia and has wandered off on a bitterly cold day. It is told from the perspectives of three main characters: Susan, his wife and caregiver; Jeff, an EMT and social worker who liases between Susan and the search team; and Corey, a 12 year old boy with a troubled history.

This is a well-written literary novel. The main characters in this book are very realistic and nuanced. Their histories are explored to explain how they react to the current crisis. The secondary characters serve to illustrate the main characters' motivations. The setting is richly drawn with beautiful descriptive language.

But I was disappointed in the plot. The story line is really pretty simple. There is an unusual ending to the search, but it is not unexpected as the reader is "in on" plenty of information all along. So there are no twists or surprises. The epilogue is too pat and unrealistic. ( )