Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

Oh, my lovelies! If you read just one book this month, make it this one. I laughed out loud. I sobbed. I had ALL the feels. The writing is gorgeous, the characters are, by turns, gentle, salty, and mischievous, and the story so clever.

Anthony Peardew, who lives in a beautiful house called Padua, collects lost things, catalogs them, and carefully stores them in his study. (St. Anthony of Padua, Patron Saint of Lost Things…get it?) His collecting began, as many unusual habits do, in response to a tragedy that took his one true love from him. Eventually, Anthony recovers from his loss and begins to live again, becoming an accomplished author and friend to his housekeeper, Laura. When Anthony dies, he leaves Padua and his entire estate to Laura, with the caveat that she must begin returning the lost things to their owners. She must also complete a near impossible task – find the one thing that Anthony himself lost the day his beloved Therese died. Aided by gardener Freddy and neighbor Sunshine, Laura begins to recover from her own tragedy and learns about true love and friendship.

There are so many things to love about this book. The characters are good people with flaws, people who care about each other despite their differences. Witnessing Laura’s journey from a wounded, frightened, menopausal mess to a vibrant, caring woman in charge of her own self is gratifying. The relationship she develops with Sunshine, the neighbor who decides that Laura needs a friend, is especially poignant and powerful, given that Sunshine has Down Syndrome. Her character is written with warmth, respect, strength, and intuition. She sees and understands things long before Laura and Freddy, and she is 100% part of their work in returning the lost items.

Told alternately with the secondary story of Eunice and Bomber, two people whose lives were unknowingly caught up with Anthony and Therese for decades, and interspersed with micro-stories about the lost objects themselves, Keeper of Lost Things reveals the often invisible connections between people, places, and things in a way that will stay with you for a long time. Highly recommended.