LOST by Joy Fielding
Joy Fielding is an author who is willing to take some risks with her novels. The biggest is the fact that she makes her lead characters unlikable at times. In her new novel LOST the main character is a divorced woman named Cindy. Cindy has two daughters, Julia and Heather, and she sometimes does all the wrong things in raising them.
Cindy and her girls live in Toronto, and Cindy is an avid film fan. In fact the Toronto Film Festival is almost a supporting character in this book. Her daughter Julia is an aspiring actress and has the vainness and self centered attitude that sometimes goes along with such a career.
Cindy worries about Julia a lot more than she does her younger daughter Heather. Heather has a live in boyfriend at the house and generally just makes her own way through life. Julia on the other hand demands attention and concessions every step of the way.
One day Julia has an interview with a director in town for the Festival. When she doesn't return home no one is really upset except Cindy, who is a worrier about everything. And when Julia is determined to actually be missing Cindy goes crazy with fear.
The book studies Cindy's reaction to her daughter's missing status and her ways of coping with what she fears is the inevitable conclusion. Cindy always thinks the worst and in this case it looks like she is going to be right.
The book is pure Fielding from the less than perfect mother to the twisted ending. This author always has a trick or two up her sleeve and that is what makes her such fun to read. She barrages you with the obvious and then slaps you with the unforeseen.
You will race through the story trying to find out what happened to Julia. When it ends you know the answer to that question and you also have the thrill of being surprised. I never saw the ending coming and I enjoyed it being so unexpected. I think you will too.
LOST is published by Atria Books. It contains 372 pages and sells for $25.00.