The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan Summary
Overview of The Keeper of Lost Things
A Richard and Judy Award-winning debut where lost objects become portals to forgotten lives. Ruth Hogan's "quietly moving" contemporary fairytale blends magical realism with grief and redemption, captivating 15,000+ Goodreads reviewers. What stories might your lost items tell?
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Key takeaways
Lost Things: The Artifacts of Our Deepest Connections
What stories do the forgotten gloves on park benches tell? What memories linger in discarded toys or abandoned umbrellas? In the quiet corners of our world, these lost items wait silently, each one a fragment of someone's life interrupted. Anthony Peardew understands this better than most. Once a celebrated writer known for capturing life's small magics, he now dedicates himself to rescuing these abandoned treasures. For forty years, he's collected thousands of items-puzzle pieces, hair ribbons, photographs-each meticulously labeled with the date, time, and location of its discovery. But Anthony's obsession began with his own devastating loss. On what should have been his wedding day in 1974, his beloved fiancee Therese died suddenly, and in the chaos, he lost the silver medallion she had given him that very morning. This double tragedy transformed him into "the Keeper of Lost Things," each rescued item a surrogate for what he couldn't protect, each careful label a thread of hope that someday, somehow, these objects might find their way home. When we meet Anthony in his twilight years, he's become frail but remains devoted to his mission. His Victorian home, Padua, houses cabinets and display cases filled with four decades of found treasures. Knowing his time is limited, Anthony makes an extraordinary decision-he leaves both Padua and his vast collection to Laura, his assistant of several years. For Laura, this inheritance arrives at her lowest point. After a failed marriage to the unfaithful Vince and years of cobbling together a living through odd jobs and secretly writing steamy romance novels, Laura had found in Anthony not just an employer but a father figure whose quiet wisdom helped heal her wounded spirit. Now suddenly the custodian of thousands of lost items and a mission she never anticipated, Laura must decide whether to embrace this strange inheritance or retreat back into the safety of isolation.
The Magic of Unexpected Connections and Chosen Families
Parallel Lives: Love in Unexpected Forms
The Ghosts That Guide Us and the Supernatural Threads
Stories Within Stories: The Power of Narrative
Finding What Was Never Truly Lost
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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