Recovering from cancer, Cincinnati news anchor Jessica Fox has no choice but to take a summer leave. Her boss’s proposal: for Jessica to take it easy and recharge at his late grandmother Mabel’s cottage in the Kentucky mountains.
The town of Lost and Found lives up to its name. Resistant at first, Jessica grows to appreciate the slower pace, the spectacular sunsets, the affable locals, and even Matt Cordray, the laid-back, too-friendly police chief next door. Most engaging of all is Mabel, who left behind a treasure map that leads Jessica to a collection of lost items―mementos and love letters―people have mailed to the town over the years. Jessica needs something to help pass the time, and she finds it in reuniting these precious things with the distant strangers who lost them.
Lost and in flux herself, Jessica has no idea just how connected to life this town will make her feel again or, by summer’s end, how transformative a season it will be.
PJ's Thoughts:
Transformative is a good word to describe this book. Written with the perspective of someone who lived her own cancer journey, Blake's complex, heart-tugging, and, ultimately, hopeful story gives readers an intimate view into the life of someone who has emerged from treatment with a good health prognosis but, unbeknownst to her, has yet to begin the process of emotional healing.
Not only did I get to tag along with Jessica during her transformative, life-changing summer, reading this book was a visceral experience in itself, one that reminded me of the importance of slowing down, taking a breath, and giving myself grace when a life-altering obstacle appears in my path.
I'm a fast reader who typically finishes a book in one day. This book encouraged me to take my time and savor each small step of Jessica's journey along the way, whether that's the blooming of a long-awaited flower, the majesty of a painted sky at sunset, the joy of human connection, the burst of flavor on the tongue from fresh-picked, summer-warmed fruit, the fear of being vulnerable, the artistry of life's lines in an aging face, or the opening of one's heart to love. Each felt like a small celebration in the evolving trajectory of Jessica's life.
Jessica's journey showcased the complexity of her gradual emotional healing over one unexpected summer. On a personal note, while I don't purport to understand the emotions of one who has received a cancer diagnosis, and each of those people surely lives a unique experience, Blake, through her own personal experience, has given us a main character, and surrounded her with characters, who through their feelings, insights, and shared experiences, have taught me how to better understand, support and lift up someone who has. That, in itself, is a gift to be treasured.
The Summer of Lost and Found is an engaging, thought-provoking, hopeful, emotional celebration of life in all its messy, complex, painful, and joyful moments. It reminds us that, as Matt says in the book, "Sometimes life has to force on us the gifts we wouldn't have gotten any other way." For Jessica, that gift is a forced summer in a small mountain town that brings life-changing discoveries about herself, her surroundings, and her future path in life. For me, it's what, in my opinion, is Toni Blake's best book - a beautifully written story with realistically, and lovingly, depicted characters who will continue to live in my heart long after the final page. Don't miss this one. It's a keeper.
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