The Lost Story
by Meg Shaffer
Summary
As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived.
Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy.
Jeremy alone knows the fantastical truth about the disappearances, for while the rest of the world was searching for them, the two missing boys were in a magical realm filled with impossible beauty and terrible danger. He believes it is there that they will find Emilie’s sister. However, Jeremy has kept Rafe in the dark since their return for his own inscrutable reasons. But the time for burying secrets comes to an end as the quest for Emilie’s sister begins. The former lost boys must confront their shared past, no matter how traumatic the memories.
Alongside the headstrong Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they called home for six months—for only then can they get back everything and everyone they’ve lost.
GoodReads Nominee for Favorite Fantasy 2024
My Review
Having thoroughly enjoyed The Wishing Game last year, I eagerly anticipated Meg Shaffer’s highly anticipated sophomore book. However, upon reading it, I found myself rather disappointed. It didn’t quite meet my expectations. I was hoping for a more whimsical feel, with richer fantasy elements akin to C.S. Lewis’s Narnia. Instead, it came across as a diluted tale of trauma with only a sprinkling of fantasy.
The story started strong as we delved into Jeremy and Rafe’s mysterious disappearance for six months in their youth, only to resurface without explanation. This mystery had me hooked, especially when Emilie entered the scene, seeking help to find her long-lost sister. I anticipated being whisked away into a fantastical realm for an exhilarating adventure. However, my excitement dwindled rapidly when the two male leads reunited after 15 years. Their palpable tension hinted at unresolved issues, compounded by simmering sexual tension that eventually revealed their past romantic involvement. Essentially, the narrative pivoted into a tale of a gay couple grappling with past trauma, with sporadic fantasy elements thrown in. It veered drastically from my expectations and preferences, ultimately not aligning with my taste in reading material. There is some language but no spicy scenes.
To be honest, I couldn’t quite warm up to the two male leads. They didn’t strike me as particularly likable, and I struggled to connect with them. Moreover, the fantasy elements felt lackluster and uninspired. The world-building was sorely lacking, and the supposed “adventure” they embarked on in the magical realm fell flat for me—it just didn’t hold my interest. Character development also seemed to be lacking. Overall, the execution felt disjointed, as if the book couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be a mature drama or a whimsical fantasy tale. That said, I did find Emilie’s storyline and her relationship with her sister engaging and enjoyable.
Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me, even though it had so much potential. I managed to finish the entire book out of sheer interest, but I wouldn’t personally recommend it. I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t love it. However, if the premise intrigues you, it might be worth a try. Yet, it didn’t quite resonate with me, and I’m uncertain if I’ll explore more works by this author in the future.