Once upon a time, there was a boy who lost his mother…
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.
First published in 2006, The Book of Lost Things is a novel that I first read several years ago. With the release of a sequel, The Land of Lost Things, in 2023, this seemed like an opportune moment to revisit this wonderful tale.
Twelve-year-old David is mourning the loss of his mother. As his father meets someone new, remarries, and has a second child – David’s half-brother, Georgie – David feels bereft and alone and like he’s the only one who misses her. It makes him difficult around his stepmother, Rose, despite her attempts to bond with him. He finds solace in the books that he and his mother loved, particularly fairytales. But gradually, David finds that the real world and the worlds that he reads about are beginning to overlap, until he crosses the border from one to the other. Unable to find a way back, he seeks out the king of this strange land, hoping that he might find answers there.
At its heart, The Book of Lost Things, is a coming-of-age story. The David we meet at the outset is very much a child – good, for the most part, but petulant and rude to his father and stepmother as he struggles to adapt to his new circumstances and seemingly unwilling to give this new life a chance. As he journeys through the strange land he finds himself in, both helped and hindered by those he encounters, we see him grow and adapt. This character development as he leaves some of his childishness behind comes partly out of necessity, and yet he does come to appreciate that his life wasn’t all bad, and that one can both miss a person while letting someone else into the family.
One aspect of the story I love is that David successfully illustrates the idea of brains over brawn. As a twelve-year-old, he is not able to match the strength of some of those he encounters, but he can outwit them, as he shows repeatedly. He’s a little like Gretel outsmarting the witch when she tries to cook her and her brother – he’s smart enough to trick those that would do him harm. It makes for an incredibly engaging story as, even though he does procure a sword, he has little opportunity to use it, yet must often think on his feet to escape the predicaments that he finds himself in.
The land that David must explore is a fascinating one, with some familiar elements and characters alongside more novel ideas as Connolly adds wonderful twists to well some well-known tales. I particularly liked the seven dwarves, here comrades from the influence of a book on communism on David’s shelves (just as David’s reality has begun to blend with fiction, his books have also begun to seep into one another) enslaved by a woman of ferocious appetite rather than looking after a young woman whose stepmother has taken against her. While there are some comedic moments, it is a dark and dangerous land, and while David meets wonderful individuals on his travels, many of those he encounters would do him harm. This is a land where children go missing and may stay lost, unless they can outwit those that would do them harm.
The Book of Lost Things is a novel that is suitable for adults old, young, or young at heart. As with the best fairytales, there are some darker themes explored and Connolly avoids the Disneyfied versions of these tales with their happily ever afters, although there also are some beautiful moments throughout. It’s a novel that shares a love of books and stories and the magic of imagination. It’s a wonderful tale that I loved when I first read it, and that I still love now, older but not necessarily wiser than I was the first time around.
Book 16 of 20 Books of Summer.
