The Library of Lost and Found

It was frightening how similar the situations in The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick are to events that have happened in my life. The book experiences are more extreme than my own, but I still understood all to well what was going on. You may be surprised how much you can relate to this book too.           

The Library of Lost and Found
Phaedra Patrick

Everyone has a breaking point

Martha Storm spends her life doing things for other people. She does so much, she has a notebook with a list of things she must get done for others. It is not often everything on the list is accomplished. Yet, even with Martha’s inability to finish everything, the list keeps growing. It grows because, no matter what, people keep taking advantage of Martha and wanting her to do things for them.

One day it all gets to be too much. Martha finally has enough of constantly doing things for others while receiving nothing in return. She tells the library book club, as well as her boss, she will no longer do what they are asking. Martha walks out of the library after the outburst and starts her new life.

What instigated this sudden change was a book. The book was falling apart, but Martha was still able to see a dedication to her from her grandmother, Zelda. The dedication was dated three years after her grandmother was supposed to have died.

Martha follows her instincts and her heart

Martha’s sister, Lilian, tells her to ignore the book and its dedication. She wants Martha to forget all about it. But Martha refuses. Instead, she becomes determined to figure out where the book came from, and why it contains stories she wrote as a child.

Bookstore owner Owen Chamberlain is willing to help Martha discover more about the book. He is the one who got the book to her in the first place, making him interested in its origins from the start.

Owen is only able to track down where the book came from so far. He might have been able to track it down farther, but Martha became impatient for results and began her own investigation. With her investigation, she discovers Zelda is alive. She also finds out where Zelda lives. 

The answers Martha seeks are so close yet so far

It is not easy to get access to her grandmother. Zelda is very sick, and her caretaker, Gina, is very protective. It would be easy to say Gina is controlling. The only problem is, Zelda does not listen to Gina’s controlling ways and does a lot of what she wants anyway.

Eventually Martha is given access to Zelda. She is full of questions for her grandmother about what happened long ago with her family. Zelda refuses to answer the questions. She is far more interested in breaking every rule Gina has set.

At some point Martha does receive the answers she was looking for, and a lot more. This leads Martha to question everyone and everything she has known. It also leads to her almost losing her life.

We will find people who care if we are willing to open our eyes

In the beginning I wasn’t sure I was going to get through The Library of Lost and Found. Everyone took such advantage of Martha. It drove me crazy. Then I became aggravated when Martha refused to stand up for herself. Once she did to her boss and the library book club, the story flew and I did not want to put it down.

One of the things that happened as the story went on was Martha started to find herself. Not everyone in her life was supportive of this, but her friend Suki was.

Suki works with Martha and has a tendency to use the wrong words when speaking. At first Martha is not sure what their relationship is. Still, Suki continues to be there for Martha no matter what. As time goes on, Martha begins to realize Suki is her friend.

Someone else Martha starts to see differently over time is Siegfried. A quiet man and patron of the library, Siegfried has always been kind and looked out for Martha. This is something Martha never realized. Thankfully, she eventually does before it’s too late. I would have loved to read more about Siegfried. He is a good man.

I could have done with a lot less of Martha’s father, Thomas. A controlling, manipulative, and emotionally abusive man, I spent the book wanting to kick Thomas really, really hard. It’s too bad Martha’s mother, Betty, died so soon after him. With Thomas gone, it was possible she could have finally had her own life.

Another person who needed a swift kick was Martha’s boss, Clive. Thankfully, he did get his comeuppance in the end.

It may take time, but it’s important to stand up for ourselves

So much of this book was relatable, which is what made it so good. I’m sure everyone has gone through periods of their life where they’ve felt taken advantage of and powerless to stop it. Martha was able to change that part of her life, which shows others can too. It may take work and time (Martha did spend fifteen years taking care of her parents while receiving little to no appreciation), but eventually you can reclaim your life.

Light at the End of the Tunnel
Kate Dorsey