In “The Lost Story” by Meg Shaffer, two boys, Jeremy and Rafe, go missing for six months after getting lost on a school field trip to a forest in West Virginia. During that time, they went to a magical world that now only Jeremy remembers. Fifteen years on, the boys are no longer speaking, and both are longing for what is missing from their lives, although Rafe does not know exactly what he has lost. When a vet tech named Emilie discovers that her long-lost sister went missing in the same forest where Jeremy and Rafe got lost all those years ago, she seeks out Jeremy to ask for his help in finding her. This is especially fitting because Jeremy has become a missing persons’ investigator, specializing in finding missing girls. Jeremy agrees to help her and reunites with Rafe in the process, but he has been keeping even more secrets from Rafe than he lets on.
Before “The Lost Story,” I had not read fantasy in a little while, but this book happily pulled me right back into the genre. There was a lot in it to love! I appreciated the premise of two boys returning from a magical realm into the real world, and I thought Shaffer did a fantastic job of probing the questions surrounding what it could mean to go through an experience like that and then have to live a normal life again, especially considering how isolating that would be. I also enjoyed both the friendships and romance (shhh, no spoilers from me!). I was able to feel very invested in the characters and their happiness, which definitely requires a certain level of talent from an author.
Additionally, I was a fan of the writing style and its embrace of the fairy-tale elements of the plot. Shaffer had sidebars from the perspective of an unnamed (at least … until the end of the book) “storyteller,” who provided commentary on the narrative. I also liked that the book was narrated from different points of view (usually from the perspective of Emilie or Rafe, and sometimes Jeremy), and found myself growing fond of the three main characters and getting to know them all quite well.
My one major complaint about the book is the pacing was a little off. Despite the book’s premise being so concerned with the magical elements of the story, it takes surprisingly long to get back to the actual fantasy world of Shanandoah. I understood the author’s desire to ground her characters in the real world, but they got a little too grounded for my tastes. Additionally, once we were finally back in the magical realm, the plot felt rushed. I was expecting a bit more of easing into Shanandoah and learning about the world, but the characters were pretty much dropped into the middle of a quest, and all the actual enjoyment of the world is saved until the danger has passed.
The ending of the book feels hopeful, and it absolutely leaves things open for a sequel (which I would very enthusiastically read). I am convinced that this book will get quite popular eventually, and if you read it, you can be the first of your friends to say you knew “The Lost Story” when. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed reading “The Raven Cycle” by Maggie Stiefvater but is looking for something a little lighter in tone, or to any reader looking for an enjoyable novel in the magical realism genre.
