The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst

The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst can be explained by the following quote: “I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.”  That line is not of this book, but from The Fault in Our Stars, what can I say that was exactly how I felt about this book.  Once I started reading I didn’t figure out, until towards the end how much I really liked this book and cared about the characters.  Lauren is running away from the pain that is waiting for her.  Her mother was diagnosed with cancer and every time she comes back from a test result, or consultation there is never any good news.  Lauren cannot take another piece of bad news, especially if it means her mother is at the end of her life.  She does the only thing she can think of, she gets in her car and starts driving until she gets completely lost.  One second she’s driving and reflecting on her selfish behavior and the next she is in a town that doesn’t seem to have reception or a gas station.  Lauren has just stumbled on the town of Lost, where people go when they are missing something essential in their life until they retrieve what they are missing and then they can go home. 

There are two important people in the town of Lost, Peter (The Finder) and the Missing Man.  Peter finds those that are lost in the void, before they completely disappears, and places them in the town.  The Missing Man helps guide that person in finding what they lost in the void; once the person is complete he sends them home.  No one can leave without the Missing Man, so Lauren asks for his help, but he leaves with an abrupt No, and Lauren has now a whole town of enemies since they fault her for the Missing Man going missing.  Lauren finds a friend in Peter, the wild man who is beautiful and startlingly crazy (quotes poetry and literature, likes to jump on things, and has a weird fetish for sleeping in closets) and Claire, a six year old who is also lost finds Lauren and together the 3 become a solid unit.  Lauren’s main objective is to get back home for her mother and Peter’s objective is to help Lauren but he also has a secret.  Lauren doesn’t realize that the town of Lost might put her back together again, but in the end there will be decision that needs to be made and it will be tough one, because the town will need her and Peter will need her… but do they need her as much as her mother?

Great story, rich in characters and the supernatural is not overdone… it’s not even fully described, which lets the reader focus on the action unfolding and the characters’ personalities.  Really enjoyed this and cannot wait to continue in the next book The Missing.

4 out of 5 stars.  Thanks NetGalley!!!