The Library of Lost and Found (by Phaedra Patrick)

(Amazon UK link)

Two and a half years ago, I read ‘The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper’ by Phaedra Patrick. I liked it so much that I put another of her books on my wishlist. I was given ‘The Library of Lost and Found’ for my birthday in 2022… and finally picked it up to read a few days ago. 

Martha is the main protagonist of this novel. She’s in her forties, and volunteers at the local library. She’s a likeable person with almost no self esteem, and measures her value by the things she does for other people. She gave up a future with her fiance nearly two decades earlier, to care for her ageing and sick parents. She now lives in what was their house, and plans to sort out their stuff…one day.

Meanwhile Martha has a long checklist of jobs she has agreed to do for other people. She hems trousers for her sister, she does laundry for a neighbour whose washing machine has broken down. She has promised to mend a broken dragon mask for the local school, she has offered to clean some  and she has to organise almost every event that takes place at the library.

We meet her when she’s on her way to a celebrity event for which she has worked hard, only to discover that it’s cancelled. And nobody let her know. She tries not to be resentful, but it’s quickly clear that she’s taken for granted by many of her neighbours. Everyone assumes she will do whatever she is asked, because she doesn’t have a husband or family, and has plenty of time.

Then she discovers a book, with no front cover. Inside, to her astonishment, is a dedication to herself, from her grandmother Zelda. But the date of the dedication is 1984, and her grandmother died in 1982. Martha is puzzled and disturbed, but when she calls her sister to discuss it, her sister tries to fob her off, telling her she shouldn’t worry about the past or try to investigate.

The bulk of the book follows Martha as she begins to take action for herself. Her parents were quite controlling, and she ‘hears’ her father telling her to do - or not to do - things all the time. He used to make judgements about everything, and was very scathing about fiction. Martha used to love fairy stories and wrote some short stories herself, often in conjunction with her grandmother. But her father disapproved strongly. 

The novel is cleverly plotted, moving forwards in time as Martha begins to do some research, with a few flashbacks. These neatly fill in some details with brief scenes in Martha’s memory, or what she learns in conversation with others. There aren’t any great surprises; I had guessed most of what transpired, including the revelations at the end when Martha learns some secrets from her sister. 

But it doesn’t matter. This is a character-driven novel, and what I loved about it was the gradual unfolding of Martha’s personality as she learns about herself, and her family. I don’t have an unhappy background at all, and am not as generous or altruistic as Martha. But I could very much empathise with a lot of her character: she’s nervous about taking proactive steps, doesn’t like phoning people out of the blue, and feels that her own wishes are less important than those of people around her. She’s caught in a vicious cycle of chaos, not looking after herself at all, and yet finding little motivation to get on with the many tasks she has agreed to do.

A bonus in the novel is a sprinkling of short stories, some of them supposedly written by Martha, and some by Zelda. Each one is brief, but gives an analogy or references to something going on in Martha’s life.

Once I had started, I found the book quite difficult to put down. I thought it very well-written, and with an encouraging (if somewhat bittersweet) ending. Definitely recommended. 

 

  Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews