The Book of Lost Friends: A Novel

Reading The Book of Lost Friends--what a privilege. It's one of those books that makes you go, "Wow," not only as you finish but while you are reading it. I didn't want it to end, and now I want as many more like it as Lisa Wingate is prepared to give her readers. The stories of Hannie Gossett and Benedetta Silva connect beautifully, forming the best example of a split time novel I've seen from Lisa Wingate. The stories feed into each other, showing how the past informs the present and the present influences past choices so that future generations can have positive experiences. Within that, the diversity of human experiences shines more than in most books I've read lately. In one book, we get the stories of an ex-slave girl, a privileged mixed-race girl (both of whom are forced to live as boys), and a 1980s teacher who looks privileged because she's white and middle-class, but is nursing pain and lack. Within *that*, we also get the non-POV stories of people like Nathan and Robin Gossett, LaJuna Gossett, Shad and Gar Fish, and Missy Lavinia, all of whom have multifaceted backgrounds and journeys. You'd think Lisa would drop the ball somewhere during all these journeys, but she gives the secondary characters just enough page time and shading to both pop and fit seamlessly into the main protagonists' stories. Additionally, she crafts her novel around universal themes without being preachy, so that when they are directly addressed, the reader can support that decision. For instance, the themes of privilege vs. want, freedom vs. slavery, could've been heavy-handed. Instead, organic things like Hannie's conversations with Juneau Jane or Benedetta bringing her students pooperoos, turn these into themes that make you think. As noted, every character pops off the page and has a distinct, relatable voice. Having been a teacher--and a misunderstood one at that--I identified heavily with Benedetta, but also rooted for Hannie, and even Juneau Jane and Lavinia as well. Their character growth occurs across a great mix of internal and external stakes, and I loved the interwoven surprises, such as the true identity of Moses, the reappearance of Gus McKlatchy in both timelines, and the revelation of Robin's project, as well as how it affected Benedetta's students. The Louisiana and Texas settings suck you in and keep you riveted. I loved accompanying Benedetta on her walks through the cemetery, and during Hannie's chapters, I could absolutely feel the constant humidity, muck, and heat. (Eck, but in a good way)! Goswood Grove functions as a character in itself, like a stately old woman who might be "crumbling" or dealing with "dementia," but still has a story to tell if you'll listen. The Cluck and Oink and Granny T were two of my favorite additions, and I especially loved how much the kids loved Granny T. But I think my favorite location had to be Judge Gossett's library, partly because of LaJuna's relationship with it. It reminded me of The Book Thief, with a Southern Gothic twist. As with any great book, it's the scenes that stick in your mind. I had so many favorites it would take forever to list them all, but here are a few to keep an eye out for: -Benedetta's first conversations with Granny T. and Sarge -Granny T's presentation -Hannie's midnight jaunt to the library -Hannie and Juneau Jane discover the Lost Friends and begin writing down stories -Hannie and Juneau Jane cement sisterhood -Benedetta confronts the Gossett-ruled school board -The final Tales from the Underground project/unification of prologue and epilogue The Book of Lost Friends as an object also unites the stories of modern students and families in the best way I've ever seen it done. Benedetta's half of the story could've easily been the same old, "save our underprivileged students" story, but not only does she learn from the kids, they learn from her and embrace their history in deep, organic ways. Special mention to Benedetta's conversation with Gar Fish over his history (oops, another wonderful scene I forgot)! I could, as you can see, go on all day, but I'll leave this review here. Just a few more words: Read it. You're going to love it. And, to Lisa Wingate, can we have a sequel ASAP, PLEASE? Thanks! -

It is 1875 and a still young country is emerging from the harrowing events of its lengthy civil war. In the aftermath of that conflict, both freed slaves and their former masters have begun the fraught process of attempting to reconcile the past while looking to the future. Hannie Gossett, a young woman who is now sharecropping on the Louisiana farm where she used to be a slave, has just embarked with two other girls on a long and dangerous journey to Texas in an attempt to reunite with the family she has been separated from for most of her life. Along the way, Hannie will come across many other former slaves also trying to find their own people, which leads her to keep a journal of those hopeful and heartbreaking searches for all of the “lost friends”. It is 1987 and Benedetta Silva, a thirty-something woman reeling from a failed relationship and other secrets she is afraid to confront, has just begun a job teaching English at an underserved high school in rural Louisiana. The only place she can find to rent is a dilapidated outbuilding of a once grand plantation estate that is on the edge of the town’s cemetery. In an effort to reach her disinterested, underachieving students, Benny launches a project that will force them research their own personal histories and, in the process, force an unwilling community to confront the horrible legacy of their shared past. With the aid of Nathan Gossett, heir to the plantation properties, the two unlock century-old mysteries that connect the two timelines. In The Book of Lost Friends, Lisa Wingate does a wonderful job of weaving together the stories of these two women, who end up having a lot more in common than anyone might suspect. Told from both Hannie’s and Benny’s perspectives in alternating chapters, the novel bounces between the two stories fairly smoothly, building the suspense in each quite nicely. The only real problem I had with this literary device is that Hannie’s story was substantially more interesting and engaging than was Benny’s; in fact, the angst level in the latter went a little too far so that, by the conclusion, that whole plotline bordered on being melodramatic. Still, the author did an impressive amount of research to produce this work of historical fiction and I found it to be a pleasurable reading experience from beginning to end.

Great book, great characters (real people). The courage and resilience of people is amazing. This is a realistic journey told through the lens of compassion, grace, and mercy.

This book has a modern and historic POV. The modern one is from Bennie’s POV, a brand new teacher in a low-economic area in Louisiana. She wants to get her students engaged, and eventually comes upon an angle letting them research their ancestors to do that. The Gossett family has a tangled history in that town, white slave owners to their black slaves, all bearing the same surname. The historic POV is from Hattie, a slave girl who is eventually freed, then indentured to the same plantation family. She is pulled into an adventure against her will when she sees the Master’s daughter by his mistress sneak into the home while the master is out. She follows her, then realizes the master’s daughter by his wife has urged her half-sister to find her father’s documents. There are nefarious plots in place, and Hattie ends up saving the two daughters of her master and ending up in Texas as she tries to stay ahead of the bad men they got mixed up with. It’s a riveting story about slavery, the world after the Civil War down south, and all the lost friends these people are looking for decades later, trying to find their missing family members sold during slave times. Great book!

Took a little bit to understand how each chapter works but now I understand. 1980’s then 1880’s and back again.

What a nice book. I appreciated that this book was rooted in Historical fact. Maybe the characters were fictious, but the stories was based on Real people, real situations and real stories. How did the story impact me? There were two stories told (even if they did come together in the end). With the 1877 story - I guess I had never appreciated that people “lost” family and would hold out hope to find them decades later. Given the difficulties of literacy, changing of names and the expansion into new country, I can see how difficult this was. I should have appreciated this as I have seen family trace genealogy to discover our “roots”. I think having an appreciation of the African American perspective may help understand some of background in current racial issues. With the 1987 story ---- We would be blessed with more teachers like Benny. Being able to use her own childhood experiences to reach down and help the disadvantaged youth in her class ---- to spark their attention and make learning important to them ---- will only help those students to strive for more.

This was a very interesting story and for the most part well written. I was frustrated by the end though. I felt it was very rushed and there was more that I wanted to know about the rest of Hannie’s story.

I really enjoyed this book and was in constant apprehension about what would happen next! I also appreciate the author not going too deep into the awful details and letting the reader use their imagination! Great read!

This was an excellent Book Club selection. With so many veins for discussion, it kept our group engaged. Strong characterization and plot, combined with smooth transitions between two eras created a stimulating read.

Loved it, good book group read

Really good read. Wonderful characters. Characters really brought to life spectacularly. Loved how th he two stories past and present linked. Very sad and true of the life lived in those times. Would definitely recommend.

Schnelle Lieferung. Guten Zustand.

This novel switchesbetween the two story lines with each new chapter , a former slave’s journey and near death experiences to find relatives sold away before emancipation, and a teacher’s struggle to inspire her unruly class in 1980s Louisiana by getting them interested in their past. It’s a great premise and the author is an impressive writer. Personally though, I found the book overly long and at times I felt quite disconnected from the story. The ending was brief, including the modern protagonist’s back story which seemed almost like an afterthought. Before each chapter is an extract from the ‘Southwestern’ where former slaves posted details of relatives sold away which would be read out in African American churches, a sobering reminder of the enduring pain and evil of slavery even after it was abolished. So many must never have found parents or siblings they were so brutally parted from