The Keeper of Lost Things

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Embracing those who are marginalised by society … Joanna Cannon. Photograph: David Levenson/Getty Images Laura, a young woman who is working for this Keeper of Lost Things since the day she spotted the want ad that Anthony Peardew had placed. She was once lost, herself, but Anthony helped her to reunite with her true self, and not the one others had tried to form her to be. He knows too well the pain of losing something dear, and knows the value in having something to hold onto. I started to really worry about the book when it became clear that there would be no shift in the narrative voice whatsoever - and what I mean by that is that, when the little 'stories behind the items' were included, they were narrated in the exact same manner as the text that had come before it, with Laura in centre stage. Given that they were supposed to have been written by Anthony, this was a grievous mistake. Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he accidentally lost a memento from his fiancée, Therese. The same day she died unexpectedly. He lives in semi-seclusion in a rambling Victorian home in central London. Anthony has dedicated his life to a single mission: He gathers objects he finds carelessly dropped by others—everyday things that may hold sentimental value to those who lost them. His study is a museum of these lost things, each carefully tagged and accrued across more than 40 years.

I wanted to love this more than I loved it, but there is an essence that I really did love. Sometimes, I can read a book where the ending seems to just wander off into a future and it seems natural, right, but this fell just a little short for me. I loved the slow unfolding of this story as we learn how both timelines intersect in such a touching and almost unexpected way. I felt moved several times while reading this novel and appreciated the writing style of the author. She does a really great job at helping the reader be present in the story and actually imagine being there with the characters.

Ruth Hogan

Personally, I am a reader who likes to think (imagine that). When I thought of The Keeper of Lost Things, I had in mind the imagination of Neil Gaiman, almost a fantasy point of view, where I could dream up a story for each of the lost items, go on an adventure with the characters. Instead, the reader is presented with a story right away about each item. Ugh.

What I liked about this unique writing style was the several short stories that were attached to the list items. Each short story has its own unique moral and it’s woven into the main story effortlessly. I could see how it might be an issue for some as it took me the first two to get the hang of it, but then I really enjoyed it. Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects --- the things others have dropped, misplaced or accidentally left behind --- and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life's mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost. I studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths College which was brilliant, but then I came home and got a 'proper' job. I worked for ten years in a senior local government position (I was definitely a square peg in a round hole, but it paid the bills and mortgage) before a car accident left me unable to work full-time and convinced me to start writing seriously. It was going well, but then in 2012 I got cancer, which was bloody inconvenient but precipitated an exciting hair journey from bald to a peroxide blonde Annie Lennox crop. When chemo kept me up all night I passed the time writing and the eventual result was The Keeper of Lost Things.Readers looking for some undemanding, old-fashioned storytelling with a sprinkling of magic will find it here. How does Laura feel after Anthony passes away? What does this death mean to her? How does his task of reuniting people with lost things help her deal with his death and her life without him?