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A review by lazygal
The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay
3.0
Clearly set in a version of The Strand bookstore, Rosemary's journey from naive, sheltered Tasmanian childhood to a little savvier New Yorker is filled with quirky characters. Almost without question she accepts trans Pearl and the variously creepy men (Walter Geist, Arthur, Mr. Pike) that inhabit The Arcade, and there were times I wondered if that was real or if it was "older" Rosemary looking back at "younger" Rosemary. Had this just stayed with life in the bookshop and Rosemary's growing up the book would have been stronger. However... there's the Melville Mystery and it feels so very contrived.
Several readers have pointed out the author's MFA, which I also noted. Perhaps there was a need to make this more literary focused? It felt shoehorned in and unnecessary. It's not unbelievable that there might be theft of valuable materials from a rare books room, or that employees might have conflicts, but then we should have seen something different in the lead-up so that this didn't appear to have been written for a different book.
Several readers have pointed out the author's MFA, which I also noted. Perhaps there was a need to make this more literary focused? It felt shoehorned in and unnecessary. It's not unbelievable that there might be theft of valuable materials from a rare books room, or that employees might have conflicts, but then we should have seen something different in the lead-up so that this didn't appear to have been written for a different book.