When I first picked up this book I was reminded of the cover to another book I enjoyed, SISTER EMILY'S LIGHTSHIP by Jane Yolen. Its in fact a collection of Yolen's shorter fiction and as part of the hardcover artwork there's a quote that reminded me of his book. "I lost a word the other day, has anybody found? You'll know it by the row of stars around its forehead bound"

Have you ever lost something? Sure you have. Toys, clothes, socks, and office supplies. But what about something less material and more of a...feeling almost. More insubstantial and possibly not as easily noticed. In the town of Lost everybody has lost that something insubstantial. Some have lost their "good luck", others have lost their feeling of family and belonging, while still others have lost their belief in something. The Missing Man can help you once you've figured it out, but that's the trick. When its intangible how do you figure out what you lost that was so monumental that you wound up in a town called Lost?

I wasn't sure I'd like Lauren at first. Oh she's a fine enough person, but what she was running from--her mother's illness and impending death--I couldn't fathom ever feeling that way. I'm an emotional coward, don't think otherwise, but that's a responsibility and I've never run from that. Not when it matters at least. So I had trouble connecting with her and her constant "I need to get home", but then refusing to handle what that would mean.

Peter, aka "The Finder", is manic and crazy and scattered with logic that defies convention and scruples predicated mostly on if he thinks you're interesting enough to bother with. Luckily with the help of Claire--who I spent most of the book picturing looking like a Little Sister from BioShock--Peter finds Lauren interesting enough to invest time in. Which is doubly good since the town's savior, the Missing Man, gave Lauren the literal cut direct in front of the entire town. And when the savior of the town is like "Don't want!" and disappears you can be damned sure the town will turn feral and attempt to kill you. A lot.

Durst, who has exploded the airy floaty from one thought to another thought blend of narrative before, follows a story path that's at first hard to get a handle on. Lauren weaves in and out of her memories before/during/after her mother's diagnosis with very little warning, much like in life when something hits you and reminds you strongly of a memory without warning. It can get a bit vexing, since most of Lauren's memories are then added with "I can't lose her" denial or her mother's gallows humor that Lauren didn't appreciate.

The ending comes at you in a rush. Things are resolved, broken, ended and found all in rapid succession as the choices Lauren makes effect everyone around her in not always great ways. She seems a half step behind on all her decisions, making the right ones at the wrong time.

Also this book is the very definition of "framily". You'll see what I mean.

( )

Oh, I enjoyed this. Lauren sets out on an impromptu escape-from-my-problems car trip...only to end up slipping between the cracks and ending up in the land of lost things. All the people, luggage, properties, mail, half eaten sandwiches that slide out of view? They end up in Lost, and it's up to Lauren to find out how to save herself.

I loved the premise, the characters, the character development, and the story itself. Pleasantly surprised to find such a gem of a well-crafted novel hidden among the clunky YAs filling the sleves these days. ( )

I got a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program. The premise of this book sounded intriguing and it is was an intriguing book. This is the first book in a planned trilogy. The second book, The Missing, is scheduled to release in November 2014 (at least according to the info I found on Goodreads).

When Lauren skips out on life to go on a long car ride she doesn’t really have a destination in mind. All Lauren knows is that she is trying to avoid the news of her mother’s latest medical test. That’s when Lauren arrives in the town of Lost. Lost seems to be a town of abandoned and broken things and people. However when Lauren tries to leave shes finds herself wandering in a massive dust storm and then back in Lost. The residents of Lost tell Lauren that if she ever wants to leave she must figure out what she is missing.

This was a very interesting book about a place where all lost things go and the people who dwell there. I loved the concept it was creative and interesting to read about. The story is about finding out what is important in life and about the things people lose. It has a heavy element of magical realism to it because the town of Lost seems to exist outside of normal reality.

Lauren is in her mid-20’s and she gave up a lot of her artistic dreams to get a job that paid well and would help her take care of her mom. Lauren is floundering a bit with the decisions she’s made and with the current stresses that she is trying to cope with. She takes being trapped in Lost about as well as you can imagine, but better than you might have thought.

I loved the characters Lauren meets in Lost. Especially the young girl Claire and the Finder Peter. Claire is a young girl but she is also old in so many ways. Claire knows how to survive but still hopes like a child. Peter is a fantastic male lead, he is mysterious and amazing. He seems to want the best for Lauren and to help her, but also has his own agenda.

The plot was well done too. You are constantly trying to figure out if Lost is a real place or if it is something outside of time or imagined. I did think that Durst could have taken this story a bit deeper and made it a bit more gritty; but it is what it is.

This is Durst’s first adult book. Although the main character is older I have to say I didn’t notice much difference in tone. It still reads like a young adult book and there really isn’t anything in here content wise that I wouldn’t be comfortable with a young adult reading.

Overall I thought it was intriguing and enjoyed the plot and characters. I thought it was an intriguing concept and I loved the characters and plot. The book is paced well and ends at a good spot (although I am dying to know what happens next). Definitely recommended, but I am not sure what audience to recommend it to...maybe everyone YA and older. ( )

I was definitely drawn into this book but the back cover. Sadly, this is another book that is deceiving. It started out ok. Laura is driving and decides to stop for the night in the town of "Lost". The next day, Laura is leaving town when a strange sand storm appears out of no where. Laura survives the sand storm only to find herself reentering Lost. Every time she tries to leave, she gets stuck in the same sand storm and ends up right back where she begins. Sounds like an episode of the Twilight Zone. This could have turned out to be as good as the Twilight Zone but it was lacking personality, depth, engaging characters, and good writing. I found the repeat sentences and choppy style a turn off. I tried to stick with the book because the world that the author built was interesting and I wanted to know more. The author seemed to forget that her readers did not know the back story as well as she did and the author left out pieces about the world and how to tie it all together. I quit about a third of the way in. ( )

This read was truly spectacular. Think modern day Wizard of Oz directed by Tim Burton. Maybe a better comparison would be that creepy 80’s version Return to Oz. But regardless, Burton would have to be involved. (For reals though, this book should be picked up by Hollywood and given the Tim Burton treatment I'm saying it here, first, kids. Because I'm slightly hipster/elitist about things (mostly books) and I generally get turned off when the masses salivate over something that I advocated first (see also: how Hunger Games phenomenon was forever ruined for me). And, if it works in reverse as well. If the public goes ga-ga over something that had flew under my radar until mass celebration, I generally pass on that too (see also: Divergent, Twilight, The Fault in Our Stars and, now, Outlander). If it’s in mass market, I’m generally inclined to turn up my nose. The only exception to this seems to be Stephen King. I’m a groupie; I can’t deny. ANYHOW, I can see this trilogy being something big in the way that the other books I mentioned are big. And I wouldn’t be able to pass on a Burton adaptation, no way, no how). It was magical and haunting – the stuff of fairy tales and Twlight Zone.

Lauren, our 20-something protagonist, is looking to delay bad news. She’s got a feeling her mother’s cancer is back, and she’s not quite ready for the reality of the situation. She takes an impromptu road trip on the way to work only to find herself “lost.” Quite literally. Lauren arrives in a town known to residents as “Lost,” the location where all misplaced things or misguided people arrive for an indefinite stay. Amid the mountains of mismatched buttons, kitchen appliances and lunch boxes, Lauren finds that she is unable to leave “Lost” without the help of a mysterious figure known as the Missing Man. Only, the Missing Man has deserted the town (and its residents) after meeting Lauren, and, understandably, the town’s residents are not pleased, as they, too, are stuck in limbo until the Missing Man returns. Just as the unruly mob is closing ranks around the unwanted visitor, Lauren is rescued by Claire, a knife-wielding, teddy-bear hugging child, and Peter, a handsome Puckish goth that is half way in between the Crow and Peter Pan himself. Together, the three struggle not only to survive, creating a home in a strange, threatening place. Can Lauren find her way home? And will she even want to return home now that she’s found Peter and Claire?

The only downside to this read was that its another gosh-darn trilogy. I’ve been hating on the abundance of series lately, but this one has me hooked. I can’t wait to read the sequel. Kudos to NetGalley. I was provided a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review, and I can honestly say that I loved this tale. Highly recommended for fans of magical realism. ( )