Lost and Found

Seven-year-old Millie Bird records dead things in her notebook while grappling with her father's death and her mother's unexplained disappearance. She meets Karl, an 87-year-old touch typist who has escaped his nursing home, and Agatha Pantha, an 82-year-old widow who hasn't left her house in seven years. The unlikely trio embarks on a journey across Western Australia in search of Millie's mother. Their adventure takes them through cities and remote areas as they navigate both physical obstacles and their individual struggles with loss. Together they form bonds and challenge each other's ways of dealing with grief and isolation. The story examines human connections and what it means to be left behind. This debut novel explores themes of mortality, resilience, and the different ways people process absence in their lives. Through the perspectives of characters at opposite ends of life's spectrum, Davis presents a meditation on how people find meaning after loss.

Readers frequently note the book's unique approach to grief and loss through its quirky characters and Australian setting. Many connect emotionally with the unlikely friendship between 7-year-old Millie and elderly Karl and Agatha. Likes: - "Raw but hopeful" handling of grief themes - Humorous moments balancing serious topics - Authentic child narrator perspective - Memorable supporting characters Dislikes: - Writing style feels forced/precious to some readers - Plot developments seen as unrealistic - Some found Millie's voice grating rather than endearing - Ending left many wanting more resolution Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (13,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4/5 (300+ ratings) Book Depository: 3.8/5 (200+ ratings) Common reader comments mention the book being "simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting" while others found it "trying too hard to be quirky." Several note it works better when viewed as magical realism rather than strict literary fiction.

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🌟 Author Brooke Davis wrote this novel while completing her PhD in Writing at Curtin University in Western Australia 📚 The story was inspired by Davis's personal experience with grief after losing her mother suddenly in 2006 🌍 The book has been sold in over 25 countries and translated into multiple languages, becoming an international bestseller 💫 Davis interviewed elderly people in nursing homes to help create the authentic voice of the 87-year-old character, Agatha Pantha 🎯 The novel took more than five years to write, with Davis completing seven complete rewrites before the final version