Lost and found by Liz Byrski

Rose has lived for many years in Australia, but England is the country of her birth. At a time of change in her life after failed marriages and the end of her political career, she is drawn to investigate Tom - her first love. Wanting to fill in details and to find answers to why their relationship disintegrated and to see what Tom has done with his life since she left, she returns to Rye in England. There she discovers she is too late to find answers from Tom, but his mother, Dora, also a former politician, becomes a lifeline, a confidante and a friend. Their friendship almost magically cements itself and Dora even asks Rose to write her biography. This journey into another life has many twists and Rose not only uncovers truths long hidden but also starts to assess her own life’s path. 

Written from the perspective of many different characters in Dora and Rose’s life, and through letters and communication between Rose and her close Australian friend and former work colleague, Chris, the story delves into the nature of friendship and love. With hints of discussion about feminism and the power struggles within relationships, and even political life, this is essentially a reflective journey into the lives of two women who have loved and lost and have given themselves an opportunity to explore their own histories. This is an adult story, the nature of female friendships, and shame and grief are explored and insights into the changing nature of the world are possible. The cover of this book almost automatically has a feminine mystique and English country garden-feel, and the book will definitely appeal to adult female readers.

Themes: Friendship, Regrets, Politics, Guilt, Love, Biography, Memories, Grief, LGBTIQ relationships, Adult drama.

Carolyn Hull