[Book Review] The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan is a novel revolving around loss and heartbreak, yet it is filled to the brim with love and hope, with a nice splash of the paranormal.

I was drawn right into this story immediately and had so much fun reading it. I’m very thankful that this was the book pick for May with my book club!

Let’s dive in to my review!

My Thoughts on The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

My goodness… this book. It was such a powerful tale of loss, love, heartbreak, and hope.

The story hit me really hard, especially with where I am currently in life, quickly approaching my wedding day. While reading, I thought a lot about my fiancé, Alex. I am just so thankful to have him in my life!

The story was set in two narratives that worked so wonderfully together. I really enjoyed that each centered around loss and love, but in slightly different ways. This was also a rare case where I enjoyed each storyline equally!

The novel was written so beautifully. The descriptions of certain elements, both large and small, and organization of the two narratives were just perfect. I loved how some things (again, some small, some large) circled back and connected to others; I’m a total sucker for when authors use this method. I also really appreciated the laugh-out-loud humor that was sprinkled in as well as the lovely short stories about each lost item that we were given the chance to read.

On that note, the whole idea of cataloguing lost items was so extraordinary to me! I ate this idea right up and I couldn’t wait to learn more about the items. I would definitely read a companion novel that was just the short stories for each item in the collection!

I felt that each character included in the story was perfect for the role that they played. I really felt for Laura and the tough things she was dealing with; I was saddened by Anthony’s heartbreak; I was intrigued by the slight mysteriousness with Freddy; I enjoyed the excitement of Bombers personality; I adored the loyalty of Eunice; I was infuriated with Portia’s ridiculousness; and I couldn’t help but grin every time Sunshine was in the scene.

There were a few elements in the story that were a bit clichéd. Some of my book club friends had a really hard time with these elements, but I actually loved them! I’m all for the clichéd romance complete with the ridiculous hiccups while the two settle into the relationship.

The one slight negative with this novel that I have to point out is that it was a little difficult to follow the timeline. I’d love to go back and reread this one to see if I had a hard time simply because I had missed something small.

Book Club Activity:

For our book club, the ice breaker was so wonderful! We each picked a piece of paper out of a bag, on that paper was an item. The leader of this month’s discussion gave each of us the item that matched our paper. Then we were to write a quick story about the item in the same format that was included in the story; how that item was lost.

Here is my story:

Red glass bauble —Found, under the Christmas tree, Portsmouth, NH 25th December.

Frustrated with another year of poor gift giving, Tom was walking down the streets of Portsmouth headed to the center of town with his family. Under the Christmas tree, a few ornaments had dropped off the tree and smashed. Seeing a red ornament that had cracked and left the center hollow, Tom decided it was the perfect hiding place for the red glass ball that his grandmother bought for him thinking it was a fushigi that he had wanted so badly this year…

It definitely wasn’t the strongest story of the bunch, but I did win third place!

My Favorite Passages from The Keeper of Lost Things

The midnight summer sky was a watercolor wash of darkness with a glitter of tiny stars thrown across it.

The lace panels at the French windows lifted and fell in rhythm with the evening air which breathed gently through the crack in the frame.

He looked important. Uncertain how to greet a person of such standing, Sunshine bobbed a little curtsy and offered him a high five.

Things always look better in the morning. It wasn’t the sunlight that poked fun at Laura’s imperfections, but the darkness with its looming doubt that mocked her in the sleepless spells that broke the night.

My Final Thoughts on The Keeper of Lost Things

I just adored this book! I really loved each of the characters, I enjoyed the deep friendships that were portrayed, and the overall plot and pacing kept me absolutely hooked. There were a few elements that I wish had been developed a bit more, but it was still a lovely read!

I would highly recommend this book with just one caution about the cliched tropes which, of course, I thought were done very well!

This book will certainly make you look twice at items left behind by their owners.

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Thanks for reading!
Feel like completing the same prompt that my book club did? Snag a random item from where you are currently sitting, list out what it is and then take only 5 minutes to write a story about how it was “lost”! I’d love to read what you come up with!