The Luster of Lost Things von Sophie Chen Keller
A Novel

Kategorie: Bücher
Seiten / Format: 336 S
Erscheinungsjahr: 2017
Verlag: Penguin USG.P. Putnam's Sons
Sprache: Englisch
ISBN: 9780735210783

[E]nchanting....A delightful trek through and under New York streets.Minneapolis Star Tribune<br><br> A book of rare elegance. . . . Keller understands the magic of New York City . . . and how sometimes listening to those most people hurry past make us find something we did not know we were missing. This book is one of those things: Take the time to find it.  Newark Star-Ledger<br><br>[R]ewards those willing to savor the linguistic riches and quirky characters, artfully provided by the author. With its strong story line and magic realism, this will appeal to readers of Joanne HarrisChocolat and the works of Alice Hoffman.  Booklist<br><br>Insightful....This is a feel-good, message-driven story about the restorative power of human connectedness and how acts of kindness can ultimately change lives.ShelfAwareness<br><br>A buoyant, surprising, deeply human novel that underscores how easy it is to become lost in this great big world, and how affecting it is to be found. It's no small bit of irony that I completely lost myself in these pages.The Luster of Lost Thingsis every bit as delicious as the magical treats from the family bakery at the heart of this charming debut.Steven Rowley, author ofLily and the Octopus<br><br>"Keller's style is simple and often beautiful, and she infuses the novel with flashes of subtle humor and mouthwatering descriptions of sugary confections." Kirkus Reviews<br><br>The true magic of New York City shines especially bright thanks to a sprinkle of literary magic in this tender and original debut. Readers will root for the endearing young Walter along every step of his remarkable odyssey.Meg Donohue,USA Todaybestselling author ofDog Crazy: A Novel of Love Lost and Found<br><br>Sophie Chen Keller s enchanting debut melts kindness and action together into a tale of wonder and magic. I savored each tasty morsel as Walter and his valiant dog, Milton, began their extraordinary quest where the seeking became more important than the finding. Keller s writing reminded me of Adriana Trigiani the words are so perfectly chosen that missing even one would lessen the enjoyment.Amy Reichert, author ofThe Coincidence of Coconut Cake <br><br>"The book takes its readers on a magical odyssey through New York." Falmouth Review<br><br>The Luster of Lost Thingsis about opening your heart to others and allowing yourself to believe in the wonder and magic of life. Young hero, Walter Lavender, uses his extraordinary talents to track down what he holds dearest to himself, and his family, assisted by a myriad of compelling, curious characters, usually hidden away from the public eye. In doing so, he shows us how to be brave and open-hearted, and to never give up trying. Unique and unforgettable, this is storytelling at its finest.Phaedra Patrick, author ofThe Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper1<br>

Somewhere in the Fourteenth Street subway station there is a statue of a little bronze man who waits for a train that never comes. I looked forward to stopping by his bench, so that I could take the seat next to him and inspect my reflection in his shiny bald head. My mom, Lucy Lavender, always said that I was just like my dad, Walter Lavender Sr. the same eyes and patience for listening, and that gentle way of curiosity and kindness. But no matter what surface I looked in and how hard I studied my features, I saw only my own face, bland and uncomplicated, and it was that, along with my silence, that others attributed to the dumbness of a slow, amiable boy.

I did not mind, mostly, because then I was free to observe. Without the distractions of speaking and being noticed, I could listen more closely to what people said to each other and to themselves. I could watch more carefully as the skin of the world glided and stretched, and when I was open and attentive enough, I caught glimmers of the underlying bones and gears and my understanding of the secret workings of life sharpened.

In kindergarten, the teacher read aloud the story of Helen Keller and had us sit in the dark until our ears tingled, our fingers too, and we smelled and heard things we had overlooked. I wondered if that was what happened to me the silence embedding itself into the crevices of my brain, forming a singular sense that reached into the borderland between the real and the imagined to discern the echoes of the imperceptible.

My whole life, my mouth had been shut and my eyes wide open, and the deeper and darker my silence became, the more I began to sense outside of it traces of light, shifts in matter, changing undercurrents. As I grew older and it became clear to me that Lucy didn t perceive what I perceived, it was already just another part of me, and there was nothing so incredible about that.

The things I noticed were small and fleeting, easy to miss scratches or flourishes in reality, clues that pointed the way to the larger truths buried beneath the surface, like the molten ripple along the base of a vase of lilies in danger of tipping over or, when it came to people, the disappointed hiss of something doused before it could be said. Later, at Lucy s suggestion, I began recording these truths in my notebook, so that my mind did not turn into a prison for my thoughts.

Write down the things you pick up that the rest of us miss, she said. That way, you won t forget a single one, and one day, you can tell me everything.

My notebook was my companion before I found Milton. It became a part of who I was an observer, a witness. When I noticed a small detail about a person and jotted it down, I had a feeling that I was speaking and an ear was listening.

Sometimes, though, I looked down at my handwriting­unreadable to anyone who wasn t me, the letters distorted and toppling over like towers of blocks and a bolt of rage ripped through me because these thoughts did not matter; I could not communicate them to anyone. I was trapped in my role as an observer, separated from everyone else and unable tobe a part of the story.

That changed a few weeks before I turned seven. I learned that I could dosomethingthat my ability to see around corners to flashes of the truth made me better at finding things. It first happened when a customer finished paying for her strawberry cheesecake profiteroles, and while Lucy printed the receipt, the woman touched her ear and discovered that her diamond earring was missing.

I hadn t yet devised my rules for finding but that time the telltale sign was an easy one to spot. As Lucy hurried around the counter and the woman crouched to sweep the floor, I noticed a delicate strand of silver trickling down her arm a sign that she seemed to lo

In this story for readers ofThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeandA Man Called Ove, when all seems lost, he finds what matters most.<br><br>Walter Lavender Jr. is a master of finding. A wearer of high-tops. A maker of croissants. A son keeping vigil, twelve years counting.<br> <br>But he wouldn t be able to tell you. Silenced by his motor speech disorder, Walter s life gets lonely. Fortunately, he has The Lavenders his mother s enchanted dessert shop, where marzipan dragons breathe actual fire. He also has a knack for tracking down any missing thing except for his lost father.<br> <br>So when the Book at the root of the bakery s magic vanishes, Walter, accompanied by his overweight golden retriever, journeys through New York City to find it along the way encountering an unforgettable cast of lost souls.<br> <br>Steeped in nostalgic wonder,The Luster of Lost Thingsexplores the depths of our capacity for kindness and our ability to heal. A lyrical meditation on why we become lost and how we are found, from the bright, broken heart of a boy who knows where to look for everyone but himself.3USSophie Chen Keller was born in Beijing, China, and was raised in Ohio and California. Her fiction has won several awards and has appeared in publications such as Glimmer Train andPedestal. After graduating from Harvard, she moved to New York City, where she currently resides with her husband and a not-so-secret cabinet of sweets. 

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