Book Review -- The Secret of Lost Things
Sheridan Hay's Novel is a Page Turner
A vastly entertaining read, The Secret of Lost Things is a novel about a young girl named Rosemary who happens upon the discovery of Herman Meville’s lost novel. It just so happens that The Isle of the Cross is a story that Rosemary is very closely related to. Bereft without her mother, on the island of Tasmania off the coast of Austraila, Rosemary had been sent by her benefactor, Chaps, to start a new life in New York.
She comes startled into this new life with possibilities all around her. But the life is harsh. Alone and frightened Rosemary finds herself inside the Arcade, a bookstore unlike any bookstore, its vast vaults filled with books of all kinds and variety, a collector’s dream.
A World of its Own
Inside the Arcade is like a world of its own. With flawed characters and secrets, this world seems far from perfect.
But to Rosemary it is. Missing her mother and home a great deal, she finds comfort in the walls of books. A great lover of books herself, she has come to think that a book can contain whole worlds. All that information collected into a single volume is a structure she finds comfort in outside of the busy and hectic streets of New York.
Lonely in a city where only a handful of people knows her name, Rosemary finds Oscar, a eccentric character of his own and a collector of little details in his notebooks. With his golden eyes and delicate sensibilities, Rosemary slowly falls in love. In the meantime her love has to go unrequited for Oscar isn’t the type of man who will love you back.
Meet Walter Geist…
With her glossy red hair, Rosemary has many admirers including Walter Geist, the Arcade’s store manager. It is due to him that Rosemary discovers the secrets of the Isle of the Cross. And it will be primarily due to him that Rosemary finds herself in deep trouble. Tied to Oscar’s confidence and her loyalty to the Arcade, Rosemary finds herself at odds with herself. Should she side with the man she loves or Geist, a strange albino whose health is slowly declining before her very eyes?
This is a decision she has to make before the “lost” Isle of the Cross is uncovered.
A Coming of Age Story
Meville’s lost novel, secrets, and scandal, Sheridan’s Hay’s novel is filled with strife. It is a detailed account of a young girl’s journey towards womanhood, and her adventures inside the Arcade, a bookstore unlike any you’ve seen before. Filled with actual correspondence between Meville and Hawthorne, Hay’s novel is a great find for fans of the classical writer. An easy read filled with definite and beautiful details, be sure that this novel will be a memorable page turner.
Hay, Sheridan
The Secret of Lost Things
Anchor Books
2007
978-0-307-27733-6
The Secret of Lost Things
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