CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia remain one of the best fantasy works for children in the twentieth century. This book from Meg Shaffer uses that template for inspiration to depict a magical world accessible only through a special spot hidden in the West Virginia backwoods.
The story starts when two young men are lost, only to be found six months later in good health. No one is quite sure what transpired, not even the teenagers themselves. This book unfolds to show us that mystery. Themes of love, functional and dysfunctional families, kidnapping, and magic fill its pages. It slowly begins to entice your heart until it grips it fully and melts it in the end.
It’s hard to describe the start of the plot any more than what I said without giving away the beauty of this tale. I’ll only add this: Each detail in the early part of the book is wonderfully (magically?) reused in later stages of the book. Shaffer achieved this setup without confusing or boring me, too – a common pitfall for many books. The Lost Story is truly a wonderful gem!
The Lost Story
By Meg Shaffer
Copyright (c) 2024
Ballantine Books
ISBN13 9780593598870
Page Count: 329
Genre: Fiction/Stories
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