A review by jessdekkerreads
Lost & Found by Kathryn Schulz

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad

5.0

“Love, like grief, has the properties of a fluid: it flows everywhere, fills any container, saturates everything.” [pg. 127]

“...all of us yearn to be seen in our fullness, and never more so than when we fall in love. We yearn for it so much, in fact, that we fear it – or, rather, we fear that if we are seen in our fullness, we will no longer be loved.” [pgs. 143-144]

I will claim now, in the first month of 2023, that Lost & Found will end up on my favorites of the year list, heck, my favorites of all time. Remember how I pushed Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? A Memoir by Jeanette Winterson into everyone’s hands last year?? I will absolutely be doing that again this year but with Schulz’s memoir…. you’ve been warned. 

Schulz’s voice is tender, compassionate, vibrant, and meditating; showing us the power of language, of words. Sprinkled throughout are many literary and poetic references: Anne Carson, Frank O’Hara, bell hooks, and more; filled w/ mythology and philosophy, and all kinds of lists (I love a good list).

There’s a vivid contrast of the heartbreaking loss of her father, and the blissfulness of finding love with her wife; mixed w/ stunning nature descriptions, and philosophical prose, all led me to furiously annotating, and tabbing; quickly adding to my favorite memoirs of all time list. 

I highly suggest the audiobook, narrated by the author. When listening to her speak about her father, you can hear the sadness in her voice; when talking about C. (her wife), you can hear her smiling as she fondly reflects on the beginning of their relationship, the memories of her introducing C., to her parents

For fans of: H is for Hawk: a Memoir by Helen MacDonald, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? A Memoir by Jeanette Winterson and the philosophical ideas often presented in Sheila Heti’s writing.