The Lost and the Found

By: Cat Clarke

Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan

Fans of Lucy Christopher’s Stolen, Caroline B. Cooney’s The Face on the Milk Carton, and Natasha Preston’s The Cellar will be captivated by this twisty psychological thriller about an abducted girl who finally returns home to her family—but is she really who she claims to be?

THE LOST
When six-year-old Laurel Logan was abducted, the only witness was her younger sister, Faith. Since then, Faith’s childhood has revolved around her sister’s disappearance—from her parents’ broken marriage and the constant media attention to dealing with so-called friends who only ever want to talk about her missing sister.

THE FOUND
Now, thirteen years later, a young woman is found in the front yard of the Logans’ old house, disoriented and clutching the teddy bear Laurel was last seen with. Can her sister finally be back? Faith always dreamed of her sister coming home; she just never believed it would happen. But soon a disturbing series of events leaves Faith increasingly isolated from her family and paranoid about her sister’s motives. Before long, Faith begins to wonder if it’s the abduction that’s changed her sister, or if it’s something else. . . .

“An intriguing story from start to finish.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Clarke’s true success lies in crafting a realistic and haunting story of two young women who redefine what it means to be sisters.” —PW

“This mystery will have wide appeal and keep teens riveted.” —SLJ

“A compelling story with sympathetic and credible characters.” —The Bulletin

Difficult

ETA: I’m just finished listening to the audiobook. It was my first by a narrator with an accent other than American and took a little bit to adjust. The narrator read the story with a more sarcastic tone than I envisioned when I read, which made the Faith less sympathetic than my reading of the story.

After rereading THE LOST AND THE FOUND for the third or fourth time, I’ve upped my rating from 3 to 4 to 5 and for the first time I’m completely rewriting my review for a book. (I must have been grumpy the first time I wrote it).

After thirteen years missing, Faith’s older sister Laurel is finally home. Now seventeen, Faith barely remembers a life before the kidnapping, a life when she wasn’t eclipsed by the disappearance of Little Laurel Logan. She’s glad to have her sister home, but still in Laurel’s shadow.

Faith is so sympathetic, she understands Laurel’s life has been exponentially more difficult than hers, and Faith feels twinges of jealously then guilt. She’s so sensitive to Michel, her dad’s partner, being lost in the shuffle of Laurel’s return, much like Faith herself. Cat Clarke’s characters in THE LOST AND THE FOUND are complex, flawed and relatable.

Clarke gave Faith a believable, engaging and subtly sarcastic voice, kept the plot moving at a steady pace. My heart was invested in Faith’s journey and to a lesser extent, with Laurel.

I enjoy books about kidnapped children coming home and the impact on their families because of the emotional impact on the families and the victim. THE LOST AND THE FOUND is one of the best, that I reread when I need an emotional fix.