The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
Inspired by C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, this wild and wondrous novel is a fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobes—just in case—from the author of The Wishing Game.
As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived.
Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons’ investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy.
Jeremy alone knows the fantastical truth about the disappearances, for while the rest of the world was searching for them, the two missing boys were in a magical realm filled with impossible beauty and terrible danger. He believes it is there that they will find Emilie’s sister. However, Jeremy has kept Rafe in the dark since their return for his own inscrutable reasons. But the time for burying secrets comes to an end as the quest for Emilie’s sister begins. The former lost boys must confront their shared past, no matter how traumatic the memories.
Alongside the headstrong Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they called home for six months—for only then can they get back everything and everyone they’ve lost.
Review:
I received an advance galley of this book courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.
Have you ever wondered what stepping through a doorway and into a magical world would be like? When I was a kid, I used to crawl into my grandmother’s very small wardrobe, close the door, and wait, certain that eventually, the back would reveal a magical world for me to explore. Those dreams may have died out as I grew older, but Meg Shaffer’s “The Lost Story” takes a similar concept and spins it into a tale of mystery, adventure, and friendship, focusing on three adults who find their way into a magical world.
The story follows best friends Jeremy and Rafe, who disappeared for six months as children in a West Virginia state forest. Mysteriously enough, Rafe has no memory of his time away, and Jeremy claims to have no memory but remembers more than he lets on. Fifteen years later, Jeremy and Rafe aren’t on speaking terms. Rafe prefers solitude while Jeremy spends his time assisting with missing persons cases, but when a young woman named Emilie enlists Jeremy’s help in finding her missing sister, who vanished in the same forest years earlier, the two will be forced back together to aid Emilie in her cause.
What follows is an unbelievable journey through a magical realm filled with beauty and danger as Jeremy, Rafe, and Emilie uncover the truth behind the disappearances and confront the traumas of their shared past. As they navigate the twists and turns of the enchanted world, they must also confront their inner demons and face the secrets they have buried for so long.
The characters were the best part of the book. They are richly developed, each with individual flaws and strengths that make them feel like real, relatable people. Jeremy’s mysterious past and uncanny abilities, Rafe’s struggles with his scars and memories, and Emilie’s determination and vulnerability all combine to create a dynamic trio you can’t help but root for.
I enjoyed the exploration of friendship and the bonds that tie us together. Jeremy and Rafe’s deep connection, tempered by years of silence and secrets, adds a layer of complexity to the story that elevates it beyond a simple fantasy adventure. I loved learning about their history and special relationship as all the pieces fell into place. As they come to terms with their past and rediscover the magic they once knew, their journey becomes not just a quest for answers but a journey of self-discovery, healing, and reconnection.
While I really liked the characters, I struggled with the story as a whole. I was fully invested initially, but then I felt like there was a lot of setup, and it took too long to get to Shanandoah. Once the characters got to Shanandoah, it was easy to settle into the world, and I really liked the concept of the villainous “Bright Boys,” but the story tried to be too many things and lacked direction. A side quest kicked off the adventure in Shanandoah, but it went by very quickly and didn’t have as much of an emotional impact as it could have. After that wrapped up, several more minor things transpired, but again, none were fleshed out enough to have a real impact, nor did they offer the sense of adventure that I had expected. I honestly felt like I was reading the Cliff Notes version of a fantasy series. I also felt the interjections by the “storyteller” between chapters offered little value to the story as a whole and could have been cut.
Overall, this had a great premise, and I really liked the characters; I just wasn’t invested in the story. The author had a lot of great ideas, but the execution was lacking in that too many things were crammed into the pages that were only briefly touched on when they should have been fleshed out more. I never felt a sense of adventure. A more focused and detailed approach would have offered a more engaging story.
