The mysteries behind unclaimed treasures, those who have lost them and the man determined to reunite possession and owner are the carefully tended threads of The Keeper of Lost Things, a rich and heartfelt first novel by Ruth Hogan.
Seventy-four-year-old Anthony Peardew, an unmarried British writer, resides in a charming mansion, a "solid redbrick Victorian villa with honeysuckle and clematis framing the steeply pitched porch." Loss has permeated Peardew's life. Forty years earlier his beloved fiancée, Therese, as a token of her love, gave him her Communion medallion embossed with a tiny picture of St. Therese of the Roses. Soon thereafter, Peardew lost the medallion on the same day that Therese died unexpectedly. As atonement for the eerie timing of the lost medal, he made it his purpose in life to gather, meticulously label and give a loving home to a "sad salmagundi" of lost objects--jigsaw puzzle pieces, hair bobbles, gemstones and even a biscuit tin containing cremation remains--which he stored in his large study.
But objects aren't the only things in life that can get lost. People, too, often lose their way and need someone to rescue them. In life and in death, Anthony Peardew unknowingly brings together strangers as a result of his quest: Laura, for instance, Peardew's admiring and devoted housekeeper and personal assistant. This lonely, childless divorcee finds asylum in his home, regains her emotional footing and is ultimately named benefactor of the estate after he passes. The inheritance comes with the stipulation that Laura must also continue Peardew's task of reuniting lost objects with their owners and unravel their secrets.
She teams up with Sunshine, the spirited and powerfully intuitive 19-year-old daughter of quirky neighbors, and Freddy, the handsome, rugged gardener with baggage of his own. The trio list the lost items on a website they call "The Keeper of Lost Things," in homage to Peardew, with a nod to Anthony of Padua, the venerated Catholic patron saint for the recovery of lost items. As they progress in their mission, however, their personal lives are upended and strange happenings start occurring. Doors become mysteriously locked, clocks stop and a notable picture frame even shatters. Might there be ghosts in the mansion who have unfinished business on earth? If so, can Laura and her new friends help them find what they're looking for?
Hogan's prose is thoughtful and elegant. She richly portrays a cast of likable characters, wounded souls in search of love, peace and a sense of belonging. Readers are bound to discover joy and hope in this quietly moving, tender story that examines how serendipity often plays a pivotal role in human interconnectedness. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines
Shelf Talker: A heartwarming, enchanting novel about how lost things--and the lost souls of people--can often be found via serendipity and fate.