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The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer (book review)

Writer's picture: haleylynnthomas22haleylynnthomas22
GENRE: Adult Fantasy
LENGTH: 319 pages
 
PLOT
15 years ago, young boys Jeremy and Ralph ‘Rafe’ went missing in Red Crow state forest, West Virginia. In present day, the boys are estranged with Jeremy being famous for finding lost girls and Rafe becoming a recluse. When Emilie contacts Jeremy about finding her missing half-sister, Jeremy realizes they, and Rafe, must return to Red Crow.
 
CHARACTERS
Emilie is a compassionate vet tech who grew up unaware she had a half-sister until her mother (who adopted her as a baby) died and she searched for any family she had left. As someone with an adoptive family member, I liked how Emilie’s mother was never referred to as her ‘adoptive’ or ‘not real’ mother. I think this topic was very well handled.
Emilie has a pet rat, Fritz, who accompanies her on her journey. As a rodent lover, I was gleeful to see a main character with a pet rat who is, in himself, a character. I met the author, Meg Shaffer, at a book reading and signing recently and she said Fritz was actually her husband’s idea because he argued a vet tech should have a pet and a rodent was the perfect size because he could fit in her pocket! So, shout out to him for suggesting that!
Growing up, Jeremy was once a class clown type and Rafe a quiet budding artist. It’s clear their time in Red Crow has taken a toll on them. Their estrangement came from the fact that Jeremy remembers what happened in the forest while Rafe doesn’t and Jeremy won’t tell him for reasons he can’t confide (which are later revealed).
It becomes gradually evident that Jeremy and Rafe’s relationship goes beyond that of mere friendship. Their journey is one of friends to lovers to strangers to friends and lovers again. The story confronts topics that some young LGBT+ kids face with Rafe’s abusive father being homophobic. Their relationship is as tragic as it is quiet and beautiful.
One thread that ties all these characters together is that of loneliness. Emilie is all alone in the world following her mother’s death. Jeremy feels alone in that no one else understands what he went through in Red Crow, and Rafe feels isolated in that his best friend – in his interpretation – abandoned him. All of this leads to them becoming a found family. As they become closer the characters become more physically affectionate with each other. It’s nice to see platonic friends (Emilie with Jeremy and Rafe specifically) being so comfortable with each other.
 
WRITING
The novel is told through the perspectives of our core three characters but also has chapters told by an anonymous figure known only as The Storyteller. This is a portal fantasy in which the characters enter this land of colorful wonder with unicorns and queens and knights that captures the bright imagination of a child. I particularly liked the Storyteller as a story telling device because it gives this feeling of sitting around a grandparent’s feet as they read you a fairy tale.
According to the author, the story was inspired by Lord of the Flies and The Chronicles of Narnia. It’s a book that tugs on your heartstrings. It has an open ending which may frustrate some readers, but Shaffer said she deliberately left it that way so that the reader can imagine what happens next (though she said if her publisher will let her she is open to writing a sequel).
The novel starts with a prologue that immediately grips you. From there the lead up to entering the magical world is leisurely but not boring as it gives us time to grow to care about the characters. Once we enter the magical world the pacing takes off running then eventually slows back down as it reaches its natural resolution.
Shaffer presents as very friendly and funny in person To be honest, she wasn’t what I expected of someone who wrote such poignant prose. I suppose this shows that everyone has a side of themselves they present to the public but is also so much more than that. Either way, she was a delight to meet!
Trigger warnings include suicide and domestic abuse.

FINAL THOUGHTS
This was one of my favorite books of 2024 (I read it last year). I personally love fairy tales, so the concept of real world characters entering into one obviously appealed to me. This book caries a heaviness but proves that the light will always overcome the darkness. If you’re considering reading this book then please do – I promise you won’t regret it! I plan to soon read Shaffer’s other book, The Wishing Game, and look forward to what she puts out next.
 
FINAL RATING: 5⭐️
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