THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS by John Connolly

THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS

The Book of Lost Things , Book I
By John Connolly | Publication: October 16, 2007
Washington Square Press | Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★★

High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imagination and soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a world that is a strange reflection of his own -- populated by heroes and monsters and ruled by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things.

Taking readers on a vivid journey through the loss of innocence into adulthood and beyond, New York Times bestselling author John Connolly tells a dark and compelling tale that reminds us of the enduring power of stories in our lives.

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David was conquered by grief, because of his mother’s untimely death; and by jealousy due his father’s newly-found family -Rose and Georgie. This proves that anguish and loneliness can also poison even a child’s heart. Later, he can hear the books whisper to him. Then soon, seizures began to attack him, which baffled the doctors of its cause. But The Crooked Man can bring back everything he had lost… for a bargain.

. . . For a lifetime was but a moment in that place, and each man dreams his own heaven.
And in the darkness, David closed his eyes, as all that was lost was found again.”
I love the poetic tone of the story. It pulled me in and kept me reading despite the sad things happening along the way. It's interesting when twists were added to fairytales we grew up with. This is a dark tale of one boy's inner turmoil and descent to despondency. Also, a message of how powerful stories can be in children's lives. I adore John Connolly for this brilliant book!

The Land of Lost Things
The Museum of Literary Souls

About the Author:

John Connolly was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and has, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods department store in London. (A dogsbody, for our North American friends, is a 'go-fer'.) He studied English at Trinity College, Dublin, and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper. He divides his time between Dublin and Portland, Maine; makes regular donations to the wine industry; and keeps several dogs in a remarkable degree of comfort.