Customer Reviews

Lost and Found: A Novel

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is not typically the kind of book that I read. I got "Lost and Found" a few years ago for Christmas. I was intrigued by its premise: looking at relationships through the lens of a reality TV game show. In the days before the Kindle, I had no way to sample the book - I just took a leap based on the synopsis, and put it on my Christmas list. It then got shuffled to the bottom of my "to read" pile for various reasons over the next year or so. It caught my eye again last month, and I decided to give it a whirl.

The premise of the book still intrigues me and, for the most part, is executed very well. It follows a group of contestants who are competing on the reality show "Lost and Found" - whose inspiration is take very much from "The Amazing Race". Teams are racing around the world; competing in challenges, solving puzzles, and learning about themselves. Each chapter is narrated by a different person, so you continually get a new perspective and new voice on the events as they unfold.

Each team has a secret, and as the book progresses, those secrets shape the relationships between the team members and each other, as well as with the reader. You have a mother and daughter team - mom trying to reconnect with her daughter and daughter trying to cope with both a life changing decision and confusion about her sexual identity. You have a married couple, both of whom are "ex-gay" (or maybe not so ex-gay), trying to spread the word about the program that helped them leave that lifestyle. You have a team of former child TV stars, both trying to jump start their careers in different ways. You have a team of brothers - one of whom is a nice guy hoping to find peace, the other who....well, he's on the team. And you have host and production crew trying to keep everyone off balance enough to bring the secrets out, create a little (or a lot) of drama, and make for a compelling TV show.

There is no doubt that Carolyn Parkurst is a skilled writer. There are moments in the book that are so real, so honest, and so clear that they can stop you in your tracks. She captures subtle moments in great clarity and artfully sprinkles those insights throughout the story. In one instance the mom, Laura, is remembering a simpler time, when her daughter was younger:

"No one else ever loves you the way your children do when they're young. No one else will ever cry when you leave the room. I try not to spend too much time thinking about those days, because I know they're perfect only in memory, and I know I need to focus on the girl I've got in front of me right now. But sometimes I can't help but give in to it, to live inside the warm hues I've colored those moments with. To remember what it was like, back when she smiled just to see me, when she needed my help to move a spoon to her mouth or to walk down a flight of steps. Back when she had to reach up to hold me hand. Back when she thought I could turn on the sky."

I wasn't sure if I should give this book 2 stars or 3 stars. It deals with a lot of duality and conflict. When all is said and done, the title of the book itself is perhaps the best summation for my experience with it - "Lost and Found". I found many moments in the book that I enjoyed immensely. I found that Parkhurst's prose and insights on many occasions were beautiful and impactful. But at the end, I lost connection with the moral center of the story. Things fell together quickly towards the end - and even though I did want to know what happened to the characters, I wasn't satisfied with all of the answers. Perhaps I'm just not subtle enough in my sensibilities. Perhaps it's just a "woman's" book being read from a "man's" perspective. I don't know. Maybe I'll have to pick it up again in a few years and see what I think. Maybe not.

First off, Carolyn Parkhurst should get an award for most ingenious idea for a novel. Capitalizing on the craze and glut of reality shows on the air and taking a cue from most notably, 'The Amazing Race' she has created a clever and ultimately heart warming novel about a group of contestants on a world hopping reality entry called, 'Lost and Found'. What evolves is a kid gloved satire that pokes at among other things, the pursuit of elusive fame, the ex-gay movement, and the opportunity to be a millionaire at whatever cost.The novel's strengths and weaknesses are on par with the genre she's depicting. Some characters are severely underdeveloped to give more "air time" to the central characters and story lines that shape the backbone of the book. Additionally, towards the end the events have a literary manipulation to them, much like the producers of the shows are thought of to do to craft a neat and satisfying ending. I would've been even happier to read a longer novel that spent more time with some of the other characters who were quickly eliminated with a few choice words.The idea could span literally hundreds of contestant ideas. (Someone should adapt this into a tv show of it's own! ) It's a rather enjoyable and unique book, and for people who especially enjoy 'The Amazing Race' there is plenty here to identify with.

It's a worldwide treasure hunt, and there are seven teams in the game. Lugging everything from aviator caps to parrots to fake sushi, the players are after a million-dollar prize.

The teams are as dynamic as the game, each with their own secrets. There's the mother and daughter with the strained relationship, the brothers who share all the jokes, the former child stars, the former high school sweethearts, a Christian couple, the millionaire buddies, and the flight attendants.

In true reality show fashion, nothing is as it seems, and secrets have a way of exploding in their keepers' faces. The question each player must answer is whether the prize is worth the journey.

Each chapter is told first person by a different character. This technique is effective from the standpoint that the reader gets hints into the key players' lives. It's reminiscent of the reality show trend of privately interviewing the players during the game, only more intimate. While rounding out the complete picture, it also helps the reader keep track of the game's progress.

Lost and Found is a fast pace take on American culture and how signing up for a reality show can ruin or mend lives. In truth, it becomes a parable for "what you want isn't always what you need."

Parkhurst delivers a clever, sometimes funny, sometimes heart-wrenching tale sure to leave its mark. This read is most definitely worth your time.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
5/22/2006

I don't watch reality television--ever. Oddly enough, this is the third novel I've read featuring reality television, and Lost and Found is unquestionably the best of the three. As noted above, it isn't the most original concept. What makes the novel such a pleasure to read is Parkhurst's excellent execution.

The novel opens in the middle of the eponymous reality show, Lost and Found. It's very much like the Amazing Race with a few twists here and there. Teams of two travel the world decifering clues on a globe-trotting scavenger hunt. The twosomes include brothers, reunited high-school sweethearts, formerly gay born-again Christians, grown-up child stars looking for a comeback, etc. As the game moves from destination to destination, the point of view switches from player to player and even to the host occasionally.

And this is where Parkhurst shines. These characters could easily have been cardboard cutouts. Instead, she imbues a real depth and richness into each of the players. Getting inside the heads of each one just made the unfolding dramas so interesting.

Plus, it was a fun, fast-paced story. All in all, Parkhurst's superior writing makes this a superior and very entertaining summer read. I kept wondering how she would end the novel. When the end finally came, I found myself completely satisfied with the story told. What more could you ask?

Lost and Found reality TV show is down to its final twelve contestants consisting of six two players per team on a round-the-world scavenger hunt. The winning duo earns a million dollars. With cameras following each person, jet lagged bone weary contestants are over the edge as the punishing tests have taken their toll. Their so-called images established for the show have worn thin and exposed is more of the real inner person as this dirty dozen survived so far the great race that is nearing the finish line.

Eighteen year old Cassie and her widowed mom Laura do not talk about the baby that the older member gave away for adoption or the father of the child. Former child protégés Juliet and Dallas squabble over who is the star of their team. Siblings Carl and Jeff debate each other whether their comedic routines are loved or hated by others especially their ex wives. Trying to recapture the past, former high school lovers Betsy and Jason instead realize they have moved past one another. Dot.com superstars Trent and Riley struggle with everyday living so they hoped this adrenalin rush will return them to their glory days. Finally former homosexual turned born again Christians Justin and Abby conclude that their marriage has not ended their desires for sinful same sex. Manipulated and maneuvered the twelve reveal all to the candid camera.

Rotating perspective of the ensemble cast leads to each of the twelve and the avaricious producer having differing personalities, which makes this satire of greed fun to read. The story line uses the zany global scramble as a cover for a character study; readers learn what motivates each of the baker's dozen (contestants and the producer) especially when everyone is exhausted and masks are easily torn asunder. Humorous and poignant, everyone seems more lost than found.

Harriet Klausner

Carolyn Parkhurst has come up with a super plot for her newest novel. Take a reality show, give it a little twist and a few interesting characters and you have an instant bestseller! I have to admit that I picked up this book to see if it was better than Dogs of Babel (it was) and because I am a reality show junkie. (There! I feel so much better now!) The characters of Laura and Cassie had to deal with the typical mother daughter conflict times 10 and Justin and Abby, the ex-gay couple who has now started living the "right way" because of God sometimes made me laugh and sometimes made me very sad.

Lost and Found is a very good book, a light read on a chilly weekend curled by the fire. Not too heavy but very interesting. Parkhurst seems to have a very creative imagination and it shows here. She has definitely capitalized on what is hot right now.

A reality show brings the cast of characters together, and becomes a major, positive turning point for many of them. It is a feel good book which is honest, not manipulative. Parkhurst is a fine writer, who is not overly ambitious in her prose, but sometimes provides great images: a teenager says "I felt almost, I don't know, noble, like a medieval knight or something, carrying this secret love around with me". The reality show itself is kind of neat, and Parkhurst captures the good and bad of such shows very nicely; the chapter told from the viewpoint of the host was effective and moving. I did take some time to get into the novel, but was very happy I stayed with it.

I have to give Parkhurst points for make me gasp at one point and for making me cry at another. The clever premise leads you along a story that unravels and twists and turns. It's a lesson in that while television can be a medium for artificiality, it can also peel away the layers to show the authentic. Parkhurst does a great job of building the tension in the characters until they reach boiling point. And it's all fun for us to watch along the way.

Last year Carolyn Parkhurst rocketed to the top of my favourite author list when I read her beautiful, haunting novel `The Dogs of Babel' (published as Lorelei's Secret in the UK). I was very excited when I discovered she had a new book out and bought myself a copy right away - and I'm very happy I did.

Lost and Found is a different type of book to her debut novel, as I expected it to be when I read the blurb. Lorelei's Secret was about one man's grief after his wife dies, whereas Lost and Found focuses on the various contestants taking part in a reality TV show. Each of the contestants has a secret or interesting back-story. As the pressure cooker environment of reality TV takes hold they each start to unravel in different ways. As a fan of certain reality shows myself (such as UK versions of Big Brother, The Apprentice and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here etc), I felt that the book was realistic and liked the fact that the author didn't set out to mock people that like to watch reality shows.

The characters were a good mix of being both troubled and likeable. I found Laura and Cassie (the mother and daughter team with a tear-jerker of a secret) and Abby and Justin (the ex-homosexuals now living as husband and wife team) to be the most interesting characters, although I certainly enjoyed reading about the others, particularly Carl, Jeff and Juliet. The author was able to step into the shoes of each character and make you believe that they were talking directly to you. When I finished the book I actually felt quite sad because I wanted to find out what happened to the characters in the future and how well the TV show was received (yes, I know the book is a fictional account and `Lost and Found' doesn't really exist, but the book was so good that I practically started believing it did!)

The novel is also very well plotted and the twists in the game show worked really well to increase the tension. I also liked the fact that there were a couple of chapters dedicated to Barbara, the seemingly cold-hearted host of the TV show, so we could see what she was really like under the surface. Overall, Lost and Found is a super book. The topic of reality TV might sound trivial, but Parkhurst manages to make you really care about the characters - I was laughing at times and blinking away tears at others. Highly recommended.

I have to say, I hate reality television, and in particular, shows like "Lost and Found." That said, I loved this book and read it all in one sitting. I enjoyed the slow revealation of the characters' pasts and secrets more than the reality show background (although it's a great device to set up the format of the book), and there were passages that I thought were very poetic and beautiful. There are parts that deal with sex and/or homosexuality, so if you're not comfortable reading that sort of material, this may not be a book you'd want to read. Overall, I loved the mix of sarcasm, humor, hurt, and heart in this book.