Friday 28 December 2012

Lost Christmas


Lost Christmas by David Logan

Paperback, 400 pages

Published 8th November 2012 by Quercus (First published October 2011)


My shelves: arc-or-review, better-than-expected, books-i-own, christmas-books, contemporary, cover-appeal, death, magical-realism, movies-or-tv, read, read-in-2012, really-good, title-appeal, young-adult,
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Description via Goodreads:

When Goose’s parents are killed in a car crash on Christmas Eve, his life changes utterly. Living with his increasingly senile Nan, his dog Mutt is the only thing keeping him sane. His only other friend is Frank, a former friend of his father. Frank’s own life is falling apart and he has recruited Goose to help him carry out petty theft around the city. 
A year to the day since the accident that changed his life, Goose meets Anthony, a strange man who has forgotten who he is, but seems to know more about others than they know about themselves. When Mutt goes missing, Goose has no choice but to rely on Anthony to help find him. 
In an adventure that draws in Frank, who’s lost his family, an old lady who’s lost a precious bangle, an elderly doctor who’s lost his wife and mother who’s lost her daughter, Goose follows Anthony across Manchester. But at the centre of the mystery is Anthony himself: who is he, how does he know so much and can he help Goose and the others find what they’re searching for?  
A delight to read from start to finish, David Logan takes the reader on a terrific journey through love, loss and the quest for home.


I remember seeing Lost Christmas around bookshops last year, and whilst I was always drawn to it, I never got around to picking it up. This year it has been rereleased in paperback and I'm glad that I've had the opportunity and time to pick it up, as I really have been missing out! The beautiful cover of this book and the mysterious premise will tempt you to pick it up, and please, don't resist!

I think it's quite difficult to find a good Christmas-themed books that are suitable for any teenagers or young adults, as most are either aimed towards younger children or aimed towards the chick-lit market. Lost Christmas is a fantastically written book that would appeal from anyone aged 12 upwards. Though this is a story that will be suitable for the whole family, that's not to say that it is juvenile - it certainly isn't. It is really nice to find a book that's suitable for everyone, especially at this time of year - it's something that anyone can read and discuss.

I  enjoyed this story as it unfolded at a great pace, keeping me interested throughout. The writing is so easy to read and so fluid from the very first page that it quickly becomes a page-turner - it's easy to lose track of time with this book! The story has a lot of different things going on with various characters, but you never lose track and it's simple to follow, despite the complexity. The whole thing is so down to earth, the writing, the characters and the setting and the problems faced are all so real, against the 'magical' side of the plot. There are some very serious and quite emotive issues discussed in such a gentle but powerful way.

As aforementioned, the characters are all so down to earth and seem so authentic. Goose, our main character, is fantastically written. In his short life, Goose's parents died one Christmas Eve, and when we meet him the following year, we go on a journey with him as he searches for his lost dog, Mutt, with the help of a mysterious man who can see into the past - Anthony. Throughout most of the book, it is not clear who Anthony is - though he can remember a lot of things about other people, he can't remember his own identity. Towards the end, we do realise who he is and it does make a big impact on the whole story. The secondary characters truly added to this story too especially Frank and Helen, their authenticity and very poignant back stories (particularly Helen's) added massively to this book.

Lost Christmas has been made into a film, so I will certainly be eager to watch that when I can. I am so glad that I've read this first though as I don't believe a film adaptation of such a book could be as compelling, though I do hope it is! I strongly recommend this book for people of all ages - love it and share it.

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