Review: "Lost and Found" by Brooke Davis

Millie has experienced an abundance of death in her young life. Her first brush at seven is finding her dog dead at the side of the road. She drags him home for burial and neither her mother nor her father can sufficiently answer her questions about where he has gone. Thus begins her obsession with death. Shortly after, her father passes away and her mother, unable to deal with his death and Millie, abandons her in a department store. This starts her quest to find her mother. Along the way, she meets 87 year old Carl, who has just walked away from a nursing home and is mourning the death of his wife and Agatha, whose husband has passed away 7 years previously and has chosen to lock herself in her house and not come out.

I loved this wonderful, poignant story. The characters were quirky and their adventures are humorous and touching. Along with their grief, Carl and Agatha are dealing with getting older. Their views and insights on death and wrinkles are both thought provoking and entertaining. They hold a touch of reality for all of us. Millie’s views on the passing of her father and her abandonment, although childlike, also gives pause for contemplation and reflection.

Brook Davis did a wonderful job with this story. The characters are well developed and unique. While the subject could be very dark, her writing keeps it engaging and allows you to look beyond the hurt and examine the deeper issues. I highly recommend this book. You will not want to put it down and will be thinking about it after you turn the last page.

I reviewed this book for First to Read.