Lost and Found is a story about letting go of the past and finding unexpected friendships.
Rose ventured to England to find and perhaps rekindle a lost love but she found something much more; friendship and closure.
This story was hard going for me because I could never understand why Rose, now 51, would want to travel overseas to find her first love thirty years after she was dumped. Her continual asking herself and everyone who knew Tom if he loved her was annoying. Let it go!
That aside, Lost and Found isn't so much about lost love as it is about found friendship.
I enjoyed reading about Rose and Dora's friendship as it slowly grew with Rose wanting to redefine her youth and Dora in her 80's eager for companionship.
Rose and Dora were both headstrong intelligent women who had spent time in parliament.
Lost and Found is told through multiple narrators, journal entries and letters.
Liz Byrski touches on some thought provoking topics such as men making important decisions in women's lives, doing what 'they think' would be best for the woman.
As Rose and Dora connect via friendship, secrets are revealed and past regrets let go.
"Shame is so significant in women's lives..... We are cast as angels or whores, good mothers or tramps. When we are shamed it stays with us always. Some women are destroyed by it, others are driven."
While I did find the book slow going I was invested in Dora's life story, present and past. She was a strong woman and was a classic case of strength coming from adversity.
Lost and Found is a heartfelt story that champions the restorative power of female friendships.
My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐
Content: death of a baby
Publisher: Macmillan Australia
Publication date: 28th October 2025
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 304
RRP: $34.99AU (trade paperback)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
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