What do you think?
Rate this book
Everything We Lost
From the critically acclaimed author of Crooked River comes this fascinating novel about a young woman searching for answers about events that transpired ten years before when her brother disappeared without a trace—an utterly mesmerizing psychological thriller.
Lucy Durant was only fourteen-years-old when she lost her older brother. First to his paranoid delusions as he became increasingly obsessed with UFOs and government conspiracies. Then, permanently, when he walked into the desert outside Bishop, California, and never returned.
Now on the tenth anniversary of Nolan’s mysterious disappearance, Lucy is still struggling with guilt and confusion—her memories from that period are blurry and obscured by time, distance, and alcohol. Now an adult, she’s stuck in a holding pattern, hiding out at her father’s house, avoiding people, and doing whatever she can to keep herself from thinking about Nolan. But when a series of unsettling events leads Lucy back to Bishop, she is forced to reconcile with her estranged mother and come to terms with the tangled memories of her past to discover what really happened to her brother all those years ago.
Told in Lucy and Nolan's alternating voices, Everything We Lost is a psychological mystery exploring family, beliefs, obsessions, the nature of memory, and fear of the unknown—a haunting, compelling story that will resonate with readers long after the last page is turned.
Lucy Durant was only fourteen-years-old when she lost her older brother. First to his paranoid delusions as he became increasingly obsessed with UFOs and government conspiracies. Then, permanently, when he walked into the desert outside Bishop, California, and never returned.
Now on the tenth anniversary of Nolan’s mysterious disappearance, Lucy is still struggling with guilt and confusion—her memories from that period are blurry and obscured by time, distance, and alcohol. Now an adult, she’s stuck in a holding pattern, hiding out at her father’s house, avoiding people, and doing whatever she can to keep herself from thinking about Nolan. But when a series of unsettling events leads Lucy back to Bishop, she is forced to reconcile with her estranged mother and come to terms with the tangled memories of her past to discover what really happened to her brother all those years ago.
Told in Lucy and Nolan's alternating voices, Everything We Lost is a psychological mystery exploring family, beliefs, obsessions, the nature of memory, and fear of the unknown—a haunting, compelling story that will resonate with readers long after the last page is turned.
480 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 22, 2017
26 people are currently reading
1069 people want to read
About the author
Valerie Geary
11 books87 followersValerie Geary is the author of four books, including the Brett Buchanan Mystery Series and Crooked River, her debut and a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and a rescue dog named Charlie Waffles.
Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube to find out what she’s reading. Or sign up for her monthly newsletter to receive discounts, free books, and a behind-the-scenes look at her writing and hiking life: www.valeriegeary.com
Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube to find out what she’s reading. Or sign up for her monthly newsletter to receive discounts, free books, and a behind-the-scenes look at her writing and hiking life: www.valeriegeary.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
October 9, 2017
I would give this one 2.5 stars. The majority of the book was mediocre for me but the end just killed it. Do I think the writing was terrible? No. The book would have been much better if the author would have stuck to a story line in which mental illness was the focus.
June 26, 2017
I really thought I would like this book more but it just didn't provide the story I thought it would. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be science fiction or a mystery - it was like the author couldn't decide which way to go. You didn't get any closure - you don't find out what actually happened to Nolan or Celeste or what Lucy was doing the night Nolan disappeared. I received an ARC of this book from LibraryThing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2017
Even though I have never been much of a sci-fi fan and never been intrigued by UFO's, I was interested in reading this mystery. The disappearance of a 16 year old high school boy, Nolan, who has not been found for ten years when his sister, Lucy, two years younger, decides she is going to investigate what happened. The book is described as a psychological thriller involving obsessions, fear and the nature of memory. And it is that, and so much more. It is a book that I will not forget.
I enjoyed this story, and I noted that the author has written a previous book which I would be anxious to read as well.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I enjoyed this story, and I noted that the author has written a previous book which I would be anxious to read as well.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
June 19, 2017
A bit too relentlessly depressing.
November 8, 2018
Alles, was wir verloren haben
ist berührend und überirdisch gut!
Worum geht es?
Alles, was wir verloren haben handelt von einer Familie, die selbst etwas verloren gegangen ist. Die Eltern geschieden, die Mutter beinahe Alkoholikerin, die Geschwister Nolan und Lucy so unterschiedlich wie Tag und Nacht. Und besonders die Nacht hat es Nolan angetan, er beobachtet die Sterne und glaubt ganz fest daran, dass wir nicht die einzigen im Universum sind. Er ist überzeugt davon, dass ausserirdisches Leben unter uns weilt und seine Überzeugung wird noch stärker, als er Celeste begegnet. Ein Mädchen, dass nicht von dieser Welt sein kann.
Eines Tages geht Nolan ganz verloren und es stellt sich die Frage; wurde er von Ausserirdischen entführt? Zehn Jahre später geht Lucy dieser Sache auf den Grund, was ist wirklich in der Nacht seines Verschwindens geschehen? Wieso hatte sie blutige Knie und kann sich an so gut wie gar nichts mehr erinnern? Wo ist Nolan jetzt?
Erster Satz:
„Lucy Durant stand auf dem Haus ihres Vaters, mit den Fußspitzen an der Dachkante, und blickte in einen schwarzen Abgrund hinunter.“
Klappentext
Lucy Durant war erst vierzehn Jahre alt, als sie ihren älteren Bruder Nolan verlor. Zuerst an seine paranoiden Wahnvorstellungen, als er zunehmend von UFOs und Regierungsverschwörungen besessen war. Dann verschwand er spurlos. Zehn Jahre später kämpft Lucy immer noch mit dem Verlust. Sie fühlt sich wie in einer Warteschleife gefangen und tut, was sie kann, um nicht an Nolan zu denken. Aber als eine Reihe mysteriöser Ereignisse Lucy in ihre Heimatstadt Bishop zurückführen, ist sie gezwungen, sich mit den verworrenen Erinnerungen ihrer Vergangenheit auseinanderzusetzen, um endlich herauszufinden, was wirklich mit ihrem Bruder passiert ist. (Quelle: Harper Collins)
Meine Meinung
Alles, was wir verloren haben beginnt mit einem Familien Drama. Lucy ist 24 Jahre alt und wohnt bei ihrem Vater, dessen Freundin beinahe gleich alt ist wie sie. Zu ihrer Mutter hat sie nun seit 10 Jahren keinen Kontakt mehr, seitdem dies mit Nolan passiert ist.
Doch als sie eines Tages von Reportern belästigt wird, kehrt sie wiederwillig zurück nach Bishop und damit zurück in ihre Vergangenheit. Einer Vergangenheit vor der sie eigentlich flüchten wollte.
„Laufen hatte etwas Meditatives. Man konnte dabei alles vergessen, die Alltagssorgen hinter sich lassen, die Welt vollständig ausblenden und ganz bei sich und seinem Atem bleiben.“ S. 245
Die Kapitel werden abwechselnd von Lucy in der Gegenwart und von Nolan in der Vergangenheit erzählt. So erfährt man als Leser Schritt für Schritt was in der Vergangenheit geschehen ist und wie es dazu kam, dass Nolan verschwunden ist.
Bereits früh erfährt man, das Nolan ein absoluter Universum-Fan war und sich für alles rund um die Sterne und überirdisches interessierte. Als er eines Tages auf Celeste trifft, ein Mädchen, das plötzlich in Bishop auftaucht, ist er überzeugt davon, dass sie von einem anderen Stern ist.
„Es gibt im Universum etwa zweihundert Milliarden Galaxien, und das ist noch zurückhaltend geschätzt. Wir haben den Rand des Universums nicht einmal annähernd beobachtet, es scheint endlos zu sein.“ S. 368
Doch leider wird Nolan nicht wirklich von seinen Klassenkameraden akzeptiert und oftmals als Loser und Alien bezeichnet. Alles, was wir verloren haben behandelt nicht nur Themen wie Scheidung und UFO’s, es beschäftigt sich auch mit Mobbing, Vergewaltigung und Drogen sowie Alkoholmissbrauch. An ein oder der anderen Stelle musste ich auch heftig den Kopf schütteln, Nolan tat mir Leid und auch Lucy hatte es, egal wie gemein sie sich benahm nicht leicht.
Nur langsam wird dem Leser das Ausmass dieses Familien Dramas bewusst und man begreift bis zum Ende nicht, was genau geschehen ist. Ein Punkt der mich störte, waren die vielen Wiederholungen, ich hatte teilweise das Gefühl mehrere Seiten doppelt zu lesen, da es zuerst aus Lucy’s Sicht und dann nochmals aus der Sicht von Nolan erzählt wurde. In manchen Büchern mag das funktionieren, hier fand ich es doch mit der Zeit ein wenig störend. Und auch das Ende stellte mich nicht wirklich zufrieden und ich hätte mir irgendwie mehr gewünscht.
Schreibstil & Cover
Nichtsdestotrotz mochte ich die Protagonisten wie auch den Schreibstil sehr. Die Autorin fand schöne Wörter und verstecke einige tolle Botschaften in diesem Buch. Das Cover von Alles, was wir verloren haben gefällt mir richtig gut und es macht sich sehr gut in meinem Bücherregal.
„Es gibt keine Zufälle. Alles hängt mit allem zusammen, jede Person und jedes Ereignis, jeder Planet, jeder Stern und jede Galaxie, jedes Lebewesen, jeder Windstoss und jeder Regentropfen. (…) Jeder muss sein Schicksal erfüllen, und jedes Ereignis führt zu einem anderen Ereignis.“ S. 415
Fazit
Alles, was wir verloren haben erfüllte meine Erwartungen nicht komplett, hier hätte ich mir auf jeden Fall ein weniger offenes Ende gewünscht. Als Buch für zwischendurch ist es durchaus einfach zu lesen, auch wenn die Themen einen nicht ganz unberührt lassen. Auch hier gilt, denkt darüber nach was ihr gelesen habt – Mobbing und Alkohol sind keine leichten Themen über die man hinweg sehen sollte.
Bewertung
Buchlänge ♥♥♥ (3/5)
Schreibstil ♥♥♥♥ (4/5)
Botschaft ♥♥♥ (3/5)
Lesevergnügen ♥♥♥ (3/5)
ist berührend und überirdisch gut!
Worum geht es?
Alles, was wir verloren haben handelt von einer Familie, die selbst etwas verloren gegangen ist. Die Eltern geschieden, die Mutter beinahe Alkoholikerin, die Geschwister Nolan und Lucy so unterschiedlich wie Tag und Nacht. Und besonders die Nacht hat es Nolan angetan, er beobachtet die Sterne und glaubt ganz fest daran, dass wir nicht die einzigen im Universum sind. Er ist überzeugt davon, dass ausserirdisches Leben unter uns weilt und seine Überzeugung wird noch stärker, als er Celeste begegnet. Ein Mädchen, dass nicht von dieser Welt sein kann.
Eines Tages geht Nolan ganz verloren und es stellt sich die Frage; wurde er von Ausserirdischen entführt? Zehn Jahre später geht Lucy dieser Sache auf den Grund, was ist wirklich in der Nacht seines Verschwindens geschehen? Wieso hatte sie blutige Knie und kann sich an so gut wie gar nichts mehr erinnern? Wo ist Nolan jetzt?
Erster Satz:
„Lucy Durant stand auf dem Haus ihres Vaters, mit den Fußspitzen an der Dachkante, und blickte in einen schwarzen Abgrund hinunter.“
Klappentext
Lucy Durant war erst vierzehn Jahre alt, als sie ihren älteren Bruder Nolan verlor. Zuerst an seine paranoiden Wahnvorstellungen, als er zunehmend von UFOs und Regierungsverschwörungen besessen war. Dann verschwand er spurlos. Zehn Jahre später kämpft Lucy immer noch mit dem Verlust. Sie fühlt sich wie in einer Warteschleife gefangen und tut, was sie kann, um nicht an Nolan zu denken. Aber als eine Reihe mysteriöser Ereignisse Lucy in ihre Heimatstadt Bishop zurückführen, ist sie gezwungen, sich mit den verworrenen Erinnerungen ihrer Vergangenheit auseinanderzusetzen, um endlich herauszufinden, was wirklich mit ihrem Bruder passiert ist. (Quelle: Harper Collins)
Meine Meinung
Alles, was wir verloren haben beginnt mit einem Familien Drama. Lucy ist 24 Jahre alt und wohnt bei ihrem Vater, dessen Freundin beinahe gleich alt ist wie sie. Zu ihrer Mutter hat sie nun seit 10 Jahren keinen Kontakt mehr, seitdem dies mit Nolan passiert ist.
Doch als sie eines Tages von Reportern belästigt wird, kehrt sie wiederwillig zurück nach Bishop und damit zurück in ihre Vergangenheit. Einer Vergangenheit vor der sie eigentlich flüchten wollte.
„Laufen hatte etwas Meditatives. Man konnte dabei alles vergessen, die Alltagssorgen hinter sich lassen, die Welt vollständig ausblenden und ganz bei sich und seinem Atem bleiben.“ S. 245
Die Kapitel werden abwechselnd von Lucy in der Gegenwart und von Nolan in der Vergangenheit erzählt. So erfährt man als Leser Schritt für Schritt was in der Vergangenheit geschehen ist und wie es dazu kam, dass Nolan verschwunden ist.
Bereits früh erfährt man, das Nolan ein absoluter Universum-Fan war und sich für alles rund um die Sterne und überirdisches interessierte. Als er eines Tages auf Celeste trifft, ein Mädchen, das plötzlich in Bishop auftaucht, ist er überzeugt davon, dass sie von einem anderen Stern ist.
„Es gibt im Universum etwa zweihundert Milliarden Galaxien, und das ist noch zurückhaltend geschätzt. Wir haben den Rand des Universums nicht einmal annähernd beobachtet, es scheint endlos zu sein.“ S. 368
Doch leider wird Nolan nicht wirklich von seinen Klassenkameraden akzeptiert und oftmals als Loser und Alien bezeichnet. Alles, was wir verloren haben behandelt nicht nur Themen wie Scheidung und UFO’s, es beschäftigt sich auch mit Mobbing, Vergewaltigung und Drogen sowie Alkoholmissbrauch. An ein oder der anderen Stelle musste ich auch heftig den Kopf schütteln, Nolan tat mir Leid und auch Lucy hatte es, egal wie gemein sie sich benahm nicht leicht.
Nur langsam wird dem Leser das Ausmass dieses Familien Dramas bewusst und man begreift bis zum Ende nicht, was genau geschehen ist. Ein Punkt der mich störte, waren die vielen Wiederholungen, ich hatte teilweise das Gefühl mehrere Seiten doppelt zu lesen, da es zuerst aus Lucy’s Sicht und dann nochmals aus der Sicht von Nolan erzählt wurde. In manchen Büchern mag das funktionieren, hier fand ich es doch mit der Zeit ein wenig störend. Und auch das Ende stellte mich nicht wirklich zufrieden und ich hätte mir irgendwie mehr gewünscht.
Schreibstil & Cover
Nichtsdestotrotz mochte ich die Protagonisten wie auch den Schreibstil sehr. Die Autorin fand schöne Wörter und verstecke einige tolle Botschaften in diesem Buch. Das Cover von Alles, was wir verloren haben gefällt mir richtig gut und es macht sich sehr gut in meinem Bücherregal.
„Es gibt keine Zufälle. Alles hängt mit allem zusammen, jede Person und jedes Ereignis, jeder Planet, jeder Stern und jede Galaxie, jedes Lebewesen, jeder Windstoss und jeder Regentropfen. (…) Jeder muss sein Schicksal erfüllen, und jedes Ereignis führt zu einem anderen Ereignis.“ S. 415
Fazit
Alles, was wir verloren haben erfüllte meine Erwartungen nicht komplett, hier hätte ich mir auf jeden Fall ein weniger offenes Ende gewünscht. Als Buch für zwischendurch ist es durchaus einfach zu lesen, auch wenn die Themen einen nicht ganz unberührt lassen. Auch hier gilt, denkt darüber nach was ihr gelesen habt – Mobbing und Alkohol sind keine leichten Themen über die man hinweg sehen sollte.
Bewertung
Buchlänge ♥♥♥ (3/5)
Schreibstil ♥♥♥♥ (4/5)
Botschaft ♥♥♥ (3/5)
Lesevergnügen ♥♥♥ (3/5)
August 16, 2017
2.5 stars
June 27, 2017
Thanks to the publisher, William Morrow, via LibraryThing, for an Uncorrected Proof of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
Valerie Geary is a new author for me. She has written what is billed as a psychological thriller but seemed more like a coming-of-age drama about paranoia and UFO's. It's told in alternating voices of the two protagonists, Lucy, and her older brother, Nolan, who disappeared 10 years before when they were both teens. Nolan's voice is in flashbacks to 10 years ago and Lucy's is in both flashbacks and the present. She feels guilty because she can't remember what happened to her and Nolan on his last night due to her drinking too much alcohol.
The novel is set in California and there is a lot of information about researching UFO's from Nolan's view. He is so convinced there is life in outer space that he logs all of his imagined, mysterious, and perhaps real sightings into a Casebook. It becomes extremely repetitious. The book is entirely too long and depressing. It did not have a satisfying ending for me and I am wondering if perhaps the author is planning a sequel.
Valerie Geary is a new author for me. She has written what is billed as a psychological thriller but seemed more like a coming-of-age drama about paranoia and UFO's. It's told in alternating voices of the two protagonists, Lucy, and her older brother, Nolan, who disappeared 10 years before when they were both teens. Nolan's voice is in flashbacks to 10 years ago and Lucy's is in both flashbacks and the present. She feels guilty because she can't remember what happened to her and Nolan on his last night due to her drinking too much alcohol.
The novel is set in California and there is a lot of information about researching UFO's from Nolan's view. He is so convinced there is life in outer space that he logs all of his imagined, mysterious, and perhaps real sightings into a Casebook. It becomes extremely repetitious. The book is entirely too long and depressing. It did not have a satisfying ending for me and I am wondering if perhaps the author is planning a sequel.
August 17, 2017
Everything We Lost by Valerie Geary is a very highly recommended psychological thriller/coming-of-age family drama.
On December 5, 1999, sixteen-year-old Nolan Durant left his home in Bishop, California, with a backpack and several hundred dollars in cash. He never returned. Ten years later Lucy, his now twenty-four-year-old younger sister, has been kicked out of her father's house. This, along with an article her mother wrote, becomes the impetus she needs to set off back to Bishop where she will try to reconcile with her estranged mother, get answers, and confront her missing memories of Nolan and that night.
Although she and Nolan were close as children, as a fourteen-year-old Lucy became progressively distant and hostile toward Nolan. Nolan was increasingly becoming more and more fixated with UFOs. He recorded his obsession in his casebook, a composition book where he noted his UFO sightings, strange happenings, and supporting information about the events. As Nolan's paranoid delusions increased, so did Lucy's distance from him.
Chapters alternate between the voices of Lucy today and Nolan in 1999. In the present day, Lucy returns to Bishop, reflecting on the past while trying to recover her missing memories and figure out what really happened to Nolan. In 1999 Nolan is the narrator. His chapters open with a section from his casebook notes and then tell his story from his point-of-view. It becomes steadily obvious that Nolan is suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness.
The writing is excellent. I was totally immersed in the story and anxiously read to find out what would happen next in the present as well as 1999. Both Lucy and Nolan are well-developed, believable characters. Present day Lucy is stuck in a rut and needs to find some kind of closure in order to move on with her life. Geary has accurately captured the cruelties of peer pressure, being an outcast, and trying to fit into high school cliques with Lucy and being an outsider and increasingly different with Nolan. Their totally inadequate ineffectual parents are equally well-developed. The way the three handle the uncertainty of Nolan's fate is an insightful look into their personalities.
I was captivated by Everything We Lost and anxious to read what happened next in both timelines. (I am actually surprised that more ratings aren't glowing about this fine novel. I can concede that the ending might disappoint some readers but I thought it was well done. I'll be anxiously awaiting Geary's next novel.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/0...
On December 5, 1999, sixteen-year-old Nolan Durant left his home in Bishop, California, with a backpack and several hundred dollars in cash. He never returned. Ten years later Lucy, his now twenty-four-year-old younger sister, has been kicked out of her father's house. This, along with an article her mother wrote, becomes the impetus she needs to set off back to Bishop where she will try to reconcile with her estranged mother, get answers, and confront her missing memories of Nolan and that night.
Although she and Nolan were close as children, as a fourteen-year-old Lucy became progressively distant and hostile toward Nolan. Nolan was increasingly becoming more and more fixated with UFOs. He recorded his obsession in his casebook, a composition book where he noted his UFO sightings, strange happenings, and supporting information about the events. As Nolan's paranoid delusions increased, so did Lucy's distance from him.
Chapters alternate between the voices of Lucy today and Nolan in 1999. In the present day, Lucy returns to Bishop, reflecting on the past while trying to recover her missing memories and figure out what really happened to Nolan. In 1999 Nolan is the narrator. His chapters open with a section from his casebook notes and then tell his story from his point-of-view. It becomes steadily obvious that Nolan is suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness.
The writing is excellent. I was totally immersed in the story and anxiously read to find out what would happen next in the present as well as 1999. Both Lucy and Nolan are well-developed, believable characters. Present day Lucy is stuck in a rut and needs to find some kind of closure in order to move on with her life. Geary has accurately captured the cruelties of peer pressure, being an outcast, and trying to fit into high school cliques with Lucy and being an outsider and increasingly different with Nolan. Their totally inadequate ineffectual parents are equally well-developed. The way the three handle the uncertainty of Nolan's fate is an insightful look into their personalities.
I was captivated by Everything We Lost and anxious to read what happened next in both timelines. (I am actually surprised that more ratings aren't glowing about this fine novel. I can concede that the ending might disappoint some readers but I thought it was well done. I'll be anxiously awaiting Geary's next novel.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/0...
October 7, 2017
I rated this a 2 but struggled between that and a 3 because of the descriptions. I read Valerie's first book, Crooked River and loved it but this one, not so much.
This story was engaging, and I too wanted to find out what happened to Nolan throughout. However, I was disatisfied by the ending. Lucy was an unemployed philosophical drifter when the book started and an employed drifter when it ended. Nolan was possibly suffering from mental illness at the beginning, possibly not, and the same at the end.
It seemed as though the author couldn't figure out how to end it so chose the middle ground instead of leading the character through a resolution. I prefer characters who wrestle through the issues and we know who they are or who they become.
Overall, these characters seemed mushy. For example, I was once a 16-year old drifter like Celeste; it didn't seem realistic to me to see her hang out with high school students, or attend a basketball game, or be with a young teenage boy struggling with possible delusions. What was her motivation? Who was she?
I agree with another reviewer that there seemed to be a lot of repetitive description, including summaries of character's lives, thoughts, background, including at the end when I really didn't care any more or had heard it before. For example, how many times did we need to hear that Lucy was 14? I would have been happy with once, maybe twice but that description occured multiple times, including at the end.
There were also too many scences that felt contrived, such as the one where Adam and Patrick meet Lucy at the observatory. Why would a happily married, successful lawyer take the time to go meet her, let alone bring along his sleazeball friend. It felt like they were all back in high school.
Overall, the descriptions were good, but felt like drafts. Like the author was going to edit out the unnecessary stuff later, but ran out of time to do it.
I think it would have been a better read had the characters been more developed, the story tightly edited and the ending stronger in terms of what the characters realized.
This story was engaging, and I too wanted to find out what happened to Nolan throughout. However, I was disatisfied by the ending. Lucy was an unemployed philosophical drifter when the book started and an employed drifter when it ended. Nolan was possibly suffering from mental illness at the beginning, possibly not, and the same at the end.
It seemed as though the author couldn't figure out how to end it so chose the middle ground instead of leading the character through a resolution. I prefer characters who wrestle through the issues and we know who they are or who they become.
Overall, these characters seemed mushy. For example, I was once a 16-year old drifter like Celeste; it didn't seem realistic to me to see her hang out with high school students, or attend a basketball game, or be with a young teenage boy struggling with possible delusions. What was her motivation? Who was she?
I agree with another reviewer that there seemed to be a lot of repetitive description, including summaries of character's lives, thoughts, background, including at the end when I really didn't care any more or had heard it before. For example, how many times did we need to hear that Lucy was 14? I would have been happy with once, maybe twice but that description occured multiple times, including at the end.
There were also too many scences that felt contrived, such as the one where Adam and Patrick meet Lucy at the observatory. Why would a happily married, successful lawyer take the time to go meet her, let alone bring along his sleazeball friend. It felt like they were all back in high school.
Overall, the descriptions were good, but felt like drafts. Like the author was going to edit out the unnecessary stuff later, but ran out of time to do it.
I think it would have been a better read had the characters been more developed, the story tightly edited and the ending stronger in terms of what the characters realized.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2021
I'd guess your opinion of this book would depend on where you stand on the subject of UFOs and alien abduction. If you're a believer, you're probably going to like it. I'm not and therefore found it a bit of an effort to finish it. There were several issues I had with this, notwithstanding my disbelief, the main one being: wouldn't somebody who loved or cared about Nolan have actually done something to help him with his apparent mental health issues? His mother? His father? his sister? A teacher? Somebody? The boy was unravelling before their (unbelieving in aliens) eyes but nobody got him professional help. Also, the ending was a cop out. It was as if the author didn't know herself how to end it so just didn't. Disappointing.
August 27, 2017
Summary from Goodreads:
"Lucy Durant was only fourteen-years-old when she lost her older brother. First to his paranoid delusions as he became increasingly obsessed with UFOs and government conspiracies. Then, permanently, when he walked into the desert outside Bishop, California, and never returned.
Now on the tenth anniversary of Nolan's mysterious disappearance, Lucy is still struggling with guilt and confusion--her memories from that period are blurry and obscured by time, distance, and alcohol. Now an adult, she's stuck in a holding pattern, hiding out at her father's house, avoiding people, and doing whatever she can to keep herself from thinking about Nolan. But when a series of unsettling events leads Lucy back to Bishop, she is forced to reconcile with her estranged mother and come to terms with the tangled memories of her past to discover what really happened to her brother all those years ago.
Told in Lucy and Nolan's alternating voices, Everything We Lost is a psychological mystery exploring family, beliefs, obsessions, the nature of memory, and fear of the unknown--a haunting, compelling story that will resonate with readers long after the last page is turned."
My Thoughts:
Everything We Lost is one of those books that I can already tell is going to stick with me for awhile to come. It was an unexpected read for me and also one that I enjoyed immensely despite everything that goes on in this story. I'm not even sure those two descriptions make sense together but it is the truth. I almost hate to say that I find books to be unexpected because how in the world do I know what to expect in the first place from a book that I haven't read? But the statement is accurate here because I went into this book thinking it was about Lucy's search for her missing brother. It is that but it is also so much more! This book is this almost perfect mix of two very different things: one is the possibility of other life forms that we don't know of yet (and Nolan's search for these things) and the other is the mystery of what really happened when Nolan disappeared so long ago. This author takes those two story lines and blends them together so seamlessly throughout the book. It was almost hard to tell which one was which at times. Yet it made such an intriguing combination, and even now I'm blown away by how the author managed to keep it all together so that even the ending fit in perfectly with all of this.
This book is told from two different viewpoints: Lucy's viewpoint in the present and also Nolan's viewpoint from the days leading up to before he disappeared. The author managed to create all of these questions for me as the reader that were constantly running through my head while reading. Were there really other life forms and did these things factor into Nolan's disappearance? Was Nolan dead after something horrible that might have happened to him so long ago? Was he going crazy? It caused me to be unable to put this book down because I was so caught up within the story. I also loved how focused this book was on outer space, the stars, and other planets. I really read this at the perfect time with the solar eclipse this week being all over the news. Add to it that after finishing this book my husband and I watched The Passengers movie (also featuring outer space) and it just enhanced my reading experience so much more. I'm going to get into slightly spoiler-ey topics here so be warned you might want to move on to my final thoughts if you don't want to read this last part. I'm going out on a limb here but I think that the ending of this book is going to cause mixed reactions among readers. I think that the author ended it perfectly myself and it felt very true to the way the entire book was set up. But I do think that others could possibly not agree which is a shame. I loved it even when I wanted more!
Overall I really, really enjoyed this book and am so glad that I had the chance to read it! It isn't the usual type of book that I read but I think that just made me want to branch off from my usual reads a little more often. This book reminded me a bit of a book I read last year - Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay so if you read this one and want something similar give that one a try. I really can't wait to see what other readers think of this book. I enjoyed it so much and know that I won't be forgetting it anytime in the near future. Highly recommended!
Bottom Line: A book that I can't stop thinking about!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a TLC book tour.
"Lucy Durant was only fourteen-years-old when she lost her older brother. First to his paranoid delusions as he became increasingly obsessed with UFOs and government conspiracies. Then, permanently, when he walked into the desert outside Bishop, California, and never returned.
Now on the tenth anniversary of Nolan's mysterious disappearance, Lucy is still struggling with guilt and confusion--her memories from that period are blurry and obscured by time, distance, and alcohol. Now an adult, she's stuck in a holding pattern, hiding out at her father's house, avoiding people, and doing whatever she can to keep herself from thinking about Nolan. But when a series of unsettling events leads Lucy back to Bishop, she is forced to reconcile with her estranged mother and come to terms with the tangled memories of her past to discover what really happened to her brother all those years ago.
Told in Lucy and Nolan's alternating voices, Everything We Lost is a psychological mystery exploring family, beliefs, obsessions, the nature of memory, and fear of the unknown--a haunting, compelling story that will resonate with readers long after the last page is turned."
My Thoughts:
Everything We Lost is one of those books that I can already tell is going to stick with me for awhile to come. It was an unexpected read for me and also one that I enjoyed immensely despite everything that goes on in this story. I'm not even sure those two descriptions make sense together but it is the truth. I almost hate to say that I find books to be unexpected because how in the world do I know what to expect in the first place from a book that I haven't read? But the statement is accurate here because I went into this book thinking it was about Lucy's search for her missing brother. It is that but it is also so much more! This book is this almost perfect mix of two very different things: one is the possibility of other life forms that we don't know of yet (and Nolan's search for these things) and the other is the mystery of what really happened when Nolan disappeared so long ago. This author takes those two story lines and blends them together so seamlessly throughout the book. It was almost hard to tell which one was which at times. Yet it made such an intriguing combination, and even now I'm blown away by how the author managed to keep it all together so that even the ending fit in perfectly with all of this.
This book is told from two different viewpoints: Lucy's viewpoint in the present and also Nolan's viewpoint from the days leading up to before he disappeared. The author managed to create all of these questions for me as the reader that were constantly running through my head while reading. Were there really other life forms and did these things factor into Nolan's disappearance? Was Nolan dead after something horrible that might have happened to him so long ago? Was he going crazy? It caused me to be unable to put this book down because I was so caught up within the story. I also loved how focused this book was on outer space, the stars, and other planets. I really read this at the perfect time with the solar eclipse this week being all over the news. Add to it that after finishing this book my husband and I watched The Passengers movie (also featuring outer space) and it just enhanced my reading experience so much more. I'm going to get into slightly spoiler-ey topics here so be warned you might want to move on to my final thoughts if you don't want to read this last part. I'm going out on a limb here but I think that the ending of this book is going to cause mixed reactions among readers. I think that the author ended it perfectly myself and it felt very true to the way the entire book was set up. But I do think that others could possibly not agree which is a shame. I loved it even when I wanted more!
Overall I really, really enjoyed this book and am so glad that I had the chance to read it! It isn't the usual type of book that I read but I think that just made me want to branch off from my usual reads a little more often. This book reminded me a bit of a book I read last year - Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay so if you read this one and want something similar give that one a try. I really can't wait to see what other readers think of this book. I enjoyed it so much and know that I won't be forgetting it anytime in the near future. Highly recommended!
Bottom Line: A book that I can't stop thinking about!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a TLC book tour.
May 29, 2019
Kaum hatte ich die Kurzbeschreibung gelesen, war es auch schon um mich geschehen. Ich musste dieses Buch einfach lesen, da mich die Materie sehr interessierte. Überhaupt gibt es wohl keinen Menschen auf der Erde, der sich nicht wenigstens einmal im Leben fragte, ob es außer uns noch andere bewohnte Planeten gäbe. Dieses Buch bietet natürlich in keiner Hinsicht eine Antwort oder gar Lösung, nein, aber ich könnte mir vorstellen das Gläubige eben solche Geschehnisse bereits zu verarbeiten hatten. Manchmal aus Willenskraft, manchmal aus purer Verzweiflung, doch eines haben sie gemeinsam und das ist die Hoffnung.
Schöner hätte der Einstieg in die Geschichte nicht sein können. Mit einer gekonnten Geschmeidigkeit wurde ich in die Geschehnisse geführt, welche glatt aus den Nachrichten hätten stammen können. Alles wirkte so realistisch, so glaubwürdig und einfach nur wie aus dem Leben selbst. Dafür sorgte übrigens nicht nur der realistische Schreibstil, sondern auch die Art, wie die Stadt in der Lucy und Nolan wohnten, beschrieben wurde. Gebäude, Straßen oder selbst einzelne Bäume erschufen ein vollkommenes Bild, das nur für eines sorgte, man wollte weiter lesen.
Aber auch die Charaktere selbst spiegelten diese Liebe für Details wider, da nicht nur Lucy, Nolan oder allgemein ihre Familie interessante und ausgewogene Persönlichkeiten erhielten, sondern selbst die kleinste Nebenfigur. Allgemein schafften es viele Personen ins Buch, welches aber trotzdem nicht überfüllt wirkte. Im Gegenteil, Teenagergruppen fühlten sich wirklich wie welche an, wo hingegen die Polizei eine deutlich andere Formation besaß. Allein über Nolan und Lucy zu beschreiben, würde schwerfallen, da andere Charaktere, die Ereignisse im Buch immer wieder mit beeinflussten.
Trotzdem ist und bleibt Nolan einer der Hauptcharaktere, welcher mit seiner Affinität zu Außerirdischen, Ufos und Lichtern, seinem Umfeld große Probleme bereitet. Er verstrickte sich immer mehr in seinem Glauben und ließ es kaum noch zu, ihn vom Gegenteil zu überzeugen. Wie auch, denn er besuchte stets Treffen, in denen sich Personen trafen und sich austauschten. Gerade diese waren mir allerdings ein Dorn im Auge, da mir diese das Gefühl gaben das nur wenn man etwas mit Beweisen und eindeutigen Indizien vorlegen konnte. Gerade wenn Nolan einmal nichts zeigen konnte, wirkte diese gerade zu sauer auf ihn. Hier wurde ich gleich mit sauer und es sollte das nicht das einzigste Gefühl bleiben.
Emotional gesehen, war dieses Buch ein absolutes Highlight. Ich hatte zwar anfangs noch Probleme mich in Lucy hineinzufinden, aber ab dann waren meine Gefühle wie fern gesteuert. Wurde es etwas entdeckt, wurde ich schlagartig nervös und neugierig und wollte sofort mehr wissen. Liefen irgendwo Tränen, war auch ich kurz davor in welche auszubrechen. So ging dies durchweg, was einfach an der oben gelobten Schreibweise und der grandiosen Übersetzung lag.
Natürlich erwartete ich am Ende eine Lösung, jedoch verrate ich nicht, ob ich sie bekam. Ich möchte lieber eine Erkenntnis mit euch teilen, welche mir durch das Buch erst so richtig aufgefallen war. Auch heute noch werden Personen, die an Außerirdische usw. glauben, als Spinner oder Verrückte abgetan. Ich selbst zwar nicht, aber die meisten schauen doch etwas komisch, wenn man seine Meinung zum Thema loswerden will. Im Buch gab es eine Stelle in der Nolan erklärte, warum er zu Unrecht als Spinner bezeichnet wurde. Er meinte das, nur weil er an etwas glaube, das er momentan noch nicht beweisen kann, es nicht doch da wäre. Dazu meinte er ebenfalls, das dann Personen, die an Gott glauben würden, ebenfalls Spinner seien. Immerhin könne auch niemand beweisen, das es ihn gibt. Irgendwie hat er ja recht.
Dieses Buch bot mir unerwartete Momente, interessante Fakten und liebevoll gestaltete Charaktere. Ich habe hier mit Absicht Personen und gestalterische Ideen des Buches außen vor gelassen, denn die Geschichte soll auch euch überraschen. Eins kann ich aber sagen, die Reise hat sich zumindest für mich, auf jeden Fall gelohnt.
Mein Fazit
Selten durfte ich eine so fließende und stimmige Story wie diese erlesen. Ich fühlte mich wohl, lernte neue Dinge kennen und konnte doch glatt die Zeit vergessen. Die Mischung aus leichter Sci-Fi, angenehmen Roman und Ratgeber, machte das Buch zu etwas Besonderem. Noch immer sorgt die Geschichte dafür, dass ich über sie nachdenke.
Schöner hätte der Einstieg in die Geschichte nicht sein können. Mit einer gekonnten Geschmeidigkeit wurde ich in die Geschehnisse geführt, welche glatt aus den Nachrichten hätten stammen können. Alles wirkte so realistisch, so glaubwürdig und einfach nur wie aus dem Leben selbst. Dafür sorgte übrigens nicht nur der realistische Schreibstil, sondern auch die Art, wie die Stadt in der Lucy und Nolan wohnten, beschrieben wurde. Gebäude, Straßen oder selbst einzelne Bäume erschufen ein vollkommenes Bild, das nur für eines sorgte, man wollte weiter lesen.
Aber auch die Charaktere selbst spiegelten diese Liebe für Details wider, da nicht nur Lucy, Nolan oder allgemein ihre Familie interessante und ausgewogene Persönlichkeiten erhielten, sondern selbst die kleinste Nebenfigur. Allgemein schafften es viele Personen ins Buch, welches aber trotzdem nicht überfüllt wirkte. Im Gegenteil, Teenagergruppen fühlten sich wirklich wie welche an, wo hingegen die Polizei eine deutlich andere Formation besaß. Allein über Nolan und Lucy zu beschreiben, würde schwerfallen, da andere Charaktere, die Ereignisse im Buch immer wieder mit beeinflussten.
Trotzdem ist und bleibt Nolan einer der Hauptcharaktere, welcher mit seiner Affinität zu Außerirdischen, Ufos und Lichtern, seinem Umfeld große Probleme bereitet. Er verstrickte sich immer mehr in seinem Glauben und ließ es kaum noch zu, ihn vom Gegenteil zu überzeugen. Wie auch, denn er besuchte stets Treffen, in denen sich Personen trafen und sich austauschten. Gerade diese waren mir allerdings ein Dorn im Auge, da mir diese das Gefühl gaben das nur wenn man etwas mit Beweisen und eindeutigen Indizien vorlegen konnte. Gerade wenn Nolan einmal nichts zeigen konnte, wirkte diese gerade zu sauer auf ihn. Hier wurde ich gleich mit sauer und es sollte das nicht das einzigste Gefühl bleiben.
Emotional gesehen, war dieses Buch ein absolutes Highlight. Ich hatte zwar anfangs noch Probleme mich in Lucy hineinzufinden, aber ab dann waren meine Gefühle wie fern gesteuert. Wurde es etwas entdeckt, wurde ich schlagartig nervös und neugierig und wollte sofort mehr wissen. Liefen irgendwo Tränen, war auch ich kurz davor in welche auszubrechen. So ging dies durchweg, was einfach an der oben gelobten Schreibweise und der grandiosen Übersetzung lag.
Natürlich erwartete ich am Ende eine Lösung, jedoch verrate ich nicht, ob ich sie bekam. Ich möchte lieber eine Erkenntnis mit euch teilen, welche mir durch das Buch erst so richtig aufgefallen war. Auch heute noch werden Personen, die an Außerirdische usw. glauben, als Spinner oder Verrückte abgetan. Ich selbst zwar nicht, aber die meisten schauen doch etwas komisch, wenn man seine Meinung zum Thema loswerden will. Im Buch gab es eine Stelle in der Nolan erklärte, warum er zu Unrecht als Spinner bezeichnet wurde. Er meinte das, nur weil er an etwas glaube, das er momentan noch nicht beweisen kann, es nicht doch da wäre. Dazu meinte er ebenfalls, das dann Personen, die an Gott glauben würden, ebenfalls Spinner seien. Immerhin könne auch niemand beweisen, das es ihn gibt. Irgendwie hat er ja recht.
Dieses Buch bot mir unerwartete Momente, interessante Fakten und liebevoll gestaltete Charaktere. Ich habe hier mit Absicht Personen und gestalterische Ideen des Buches außen vor gelassen, denn die Geschichte soll auch euch überraschen. Eins kann ich aber sagen, die Reise hat sich zumindest für mich, auf jeden Fall gelohnt.
Mein Fazit
Selten durfte ich eine so fließende und stimmige Story wie diese erlesen. Ich fühlte mich wohl, lernte neue Dinge kennen und konnte doch glatt die Zeit vergessen. Die Mischung aus leichter Sci-Fi, angenehmen Roman und Ratgeber, machte das Buch zu etwas Besonderem. Noch immer sorgt die Geschichte dafür, dass ich über sie nachdenke.
February 3, 2025
Kudos to the person who designed the cover, because the cover was what made me interested in it.
The story seemed fine, and at first, I quite enjoyed this book.
I didn’t like Lucy’s parts though, as the story started to get going (she left her father’s house) I just lost more and more patience with those parts. She didn’t feel like a believable character to me, at first I liked that she was kind of in an arrested state, frozen if you will, but as the story went on she started to feel so unbelievable to me. She’d mostly be in her head, thinking about her migraines and Nolan, then spit out some strange diatribe on why hypnotherapy is real instead of saying actual, important, things.
It's like in movies when the characters can’t communicate because drama is wrought out of their inability to just say X and Y, so instead you’re brought along for long-winded misunderstandings. That’s a bit what this felt like.
Not to mention that every part in the present with Patrick and Adam felt incredibly hammy and forced. When she first ran into Adam again, I was like, ok, here we go, but also… neither of them acted like real people there? He was overtly menacing from the get-go and she was just sitting there frozen, asking her knees to move, which felt like an author’s way of trying to portray emotions but failing.
And Patrick as an adult felt like a high schooler still, which was also weird.
But I kept going because the parts about Nolan were at least interesting, even if he was very frustrating – clearly spiraling and finding people that would support rather than help him – with his mental health issues. It felt like a convincing story about how obsession can take over and ruin relationships and lives.
Nolan on the bluff, when he thinks he sees a light phenomenon and grabs Lucy so hard that she bruises, was probably the peak of the book for me. It shows how obsessed he already is, how afterward – with Lucy and Patrick – he is again only trying to interview them about the experience and how he has no thought or feeling anymore for actual people in his life. Well, until Celeste I guess, but she is also part of his delusion so barely count as actual. It is frustrating, but it at least feels real.
As the story dragged on – I did feel like it was dragging, Lucy’s chapters all felt meandering and pointless, and it was frustrating to feel like you were essentially treading water, storywise.
But again, I kept going because I wanted to get to a resolution. Whichever resolution that might be. I was fine with any resolution. And I spied a review that said that the end “killed it”… so I was eager to get to the point where things would turn around and get truly interesting.
And there was no such point. Leaving me with the feeling that I ended up where I started, which rather soured my opinion of the book.
I’m not really interested in UFO stuff, but I have recently been watching the X-files, so I think a part of me was kind of hoping for a more affirmative UFO story, just for fun.
Instead, the mystery – though unanswered – feel rather pedestrian not to mention unbelievable. I just don’t buy the hints or the characters they were dropped about.
All in all, technically it was fine.
Though the story dragged, and the writing often felt repetitive, I didn’t hate it. I didn’t like the characters, but I didn’t need to like them. But feeling like I spent 16 hours listening to a book that went nowhere, just dropped some clues and hints… well, feels like it was a bit of a waste of time. Sure, it is realistic that you don’t always get answers, but that’s why fiction is so great. You can expect an answer.
So… this was my first and last book from this author, I can’t really recommend it. If you like more of an open end perhaps and you enjoy books about mental illness, this may be for you.
The story seemed fine, and at first, I quite enjoyed this book.
I didn’t like Lucy’s parts though, as the story started to get going (she left her father’s house) I just lost more and more patience with those parts. She didn’t feel like a believable character to me, at first I liked that she was kind of in an arrested state, frozen if you will, but as the story went on she started to feel so unbelievable to me. She’d mostly be in her head, thinking about her migraines and Nolan, then spit out some strange diatribe on why hypnotherapy is real instead of saying actual, important, things.
It's like in movies when the characters can’t communicate because drama is wrought out of their inability to just say X and Y, so instead you’re brought along for long-winded misunderstandings. That’s a bit what this felt like.
Not to mention that every part in the present with Patrick and Adam felt incredibly hammy and forced. When she first ran into Adam again, I was like, ok, here we go, but also… neither of them acted like real people there? He was overtly menacing from the get-go and she was just sitting there frozen, asking her knees to move, which felt like an author’s way of trying to portray emotions but failing.
And Patrick as an adult felt like a high schooler still, which was also weird.
But I kept going because the parts about Nolan were at least interesting, even if he was very frustrating – clearly spiraling and finding people that would support rather than help him – with his mental health issues. It felt like a convincing story about how obsession can take over and ruin relationships and lives.
Nolan on the bluff, when he thinks he sees a light phenomenon and grabs Lucy so hard that she bruises, was probably the peak of the book for me. It shows how obsessed he already is, how afterward – with Lucy and Patrick – he is again only trying to interview them about the experience and how he has no thought or feeling anymore for actual people in his life. Well, until Celeste I guess, but she is also part of his delusion so barely count as actual. It is frustrating, but it at least feels real.
As the story dragged on – I did feel like it was dragging, Lucy’s chapters all felt meandering and pointless, and it was frustrating to feel like you were essentially treading water, storywise.
But again, I kept going because I wanted to get to a resolution. Whichever resolution that might be. I was fine with any resolution. And I spied a review that said that the end “killed it”… so I was eager to get to the point where things would turn around and get truly interesting.
And there was no such point. Leaving me with the feeling that I ended up where I started, which rather soured my opinion of the book.
I’m not really interested in UFO stuff, but I have recently been watching the X-files, so I think a part of me was kind of hoping for a more affirmative UFO story, just for fun.
Instead, the mystery – though unanswered – feel rather pedestrian not to mention unbelievable. I just don’t buy the hints or the characters they were dropped about.
All in all, technically it was fine.
Though the story dragged, and the writing often felt repetitive, I didn’t hate it. I didn’t like the characters, but I didn’t need to like them. But feeling like I spent 16 hours listening to a book that went nowhere, just dropped some clues and hints… well, feels like it was a bit of a waste of time. Sure, it is realistic that you don’t always get answers, but that’s why fiction is so great. You can expect an answer.
So… this was my first and last book from this author, I can’t really recommend it. If you like more of an open end perhaps and you enjoy books about mental illness, this may be for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2023
Valerie Geary (Crooked River) is definitely an auto-buy author for me. Although Everything We Lost wasn’t what I was expecting, I still found the book well-written and thoughtful.
Lucy Durant was just 14 when her older brother, Nolan, 16, disappeared. Although life wasn’t particularly easy for the siblings (their father left and their mother turned to alcohol), they have always been close, that is until Nolan’s former best friend, Patrick, starts paying attention to Lucy and she decides that Nolan and his interest in the stars and UFOs is just too uncool.
After Nolan goes missing, Lucy goes to live with her father and that’s where we find her, ten years later, with a stalled life. Her father, Robert, is about to remarry and he feels that it’s time for Lucy to get on with her own life.
They were kicking her out. She had seen this coming, was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner, like after she dropped out of college her freshman year, but still her eyes blurred with tears that she quickly blinked away. She wasn’t ready. She would never be ready.
At loose ends, Lucy returns to Bishop, the small California town where she grew up. She feels as though she might finally be able to unravel the tangled truth of what happened the night that her brother disappeared. That means she’s going to have to talk to her mother, from whom she’s been estranged for the past decade. It also means that she is going to have to try to remember what happened on that last night she and Nolan were together.
Lucy and Nolan take turns telling the story of what happened leading up to the night Nolan goes missing. Nolan’s narrative illustrates his growing isolation, and fascination with outer space. He is convinced of the existence of life on other planets and extraterrestrials. He spends all his time watching the sky and taking notes about what he sees. When he meets and strange and beautiful girl called Celeste, he is sure that she is from another planet.
Everything We Lost is really a coming-of-age story, even though Nolan’s disappearance is an intriguing mystery. Geary writes Lucy and Nolan’s story as believer and non-believer. From the outside looking in, it is easy to dismiss Nolan’s increasing paranoia as just that: the men in the black cars are watching him; the lights in the sky are from space ships; he imagined Celeste before she miraculously appeared in his life.
Although I have my suspicions about what happened to Nolan – and I think the clues are in the story – Geary doesn’t offer any easy answers, and I am okay with that. Everything We Lost isn’t a quick read, but I enjoyed the book.
Lucy Durant was just 14 when her older brother, Nolan, 16, disappeared. Although life wasn’t particularly easy for the siblings (their father left and their mother turned to alcohol), they have always been close, that is until Nolan’s former best friend, Patrick, starts paying attention to Lucy and she decides that Nolan and his interest in the stars and UFOs is just too uncool.
After Nolan goes missing, Lucy goes to live with her father and that’s where we find her, ten years later, with a stalled life. Her father, Robert, is about to remarry and he feels that it’s time for Lucy to get on with her own life.
They were kicking her out. She had seen this coming, was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner, like after she dropped out of college her freshman year, but still her eyes blurred with tears that she quickly blinked away. She wasn’t ready. She would never be ready.
At loose ends, Lucy returns to Bishop, the small California town where she grew up. She feels as though she might finally be able to unravel the tangled truth of what happened the night that her brother disappeared. That means she’s going to have to talk to her mother, from whom she’s been estranged for the past decade. It also means that she is going to have to try to remember what happened on that last night she and Nolan were together.
Lucy and Nolan take turns telling the story of what happened leading up to the night Nolan goes missing. Nolan’s narrative illustrates his growing isolation, and fascination with outer space. He is convinced of the existence of life on other planets and extraterrestrials. He spends all his time watching the sky and taking notes about what he sees. When he meets and strange and beautiful girl called Celeste, he is sure that she is from another planet.
Everything We Lost is really a coming-of-age story, even though Nolan’s disappearance is an intriguing mystery. Geary writes Lucy and Nolan’s story as believer and non-believer. From the outside looking in, it is easy to dismiss Nolan’s increasing paranoia as just that: the men in the black cars are watching him; the lights in the sky are from space ships; he imagined Celeste before she miraculously appeared in his life.
Although I have my suspicions about what happened to Nolan – and I think the clues are in the story – Geary doesn’t offer any easy answers, and I am okay with that. Everything We Lost isn’t a quick read, but I enjoyed the book.
November 26, 2018
Lucys Bruder verschwand vor 10 Jahre spurlos und so mehr die Jahre vergingen, umso weniger Beachtung fand dieser alte Fall.
Doch Lucy kann gedanklich ihren Bruder nicht loslassen und auch die alten Gerüchte, dass Außerirdische den Bruder entführt haben können, lassen sie nicht los. Denn Nolan war in den Tagen vor seinem Verschwinden besessen von Ufos und Sichtungen. Und so macht sich Lucy auf, um endlich die Wahrheit über das Verschwinden des Bruders zu erfahren.
Ich gebe zu, dass ich den Inhalt sehr vielversprechend fand und ich auch sehr neugierig auf das Buch war. Der Schreibstil ist durchweg sehr flüssig und gut zu lesen. Die Kapitel werden abwechselnd aus der Sicht von Lucy erzählt aber auch aus Nolans damaliger Sicht und wie sehr er vom dem Gedanken angefixt war, dass er tatsächlich Sichtungen wahrgenommen hat. Diese Abschnitte haben natürlich in allerhand Fragen in meinem Kopf erzeugt. Denn es gibt innerhalb der Erzählung genug Hinweise die darauf schließen lassen, dass ihm tatsächlich etwas zugestoßen ist und in mir eine schiere Spannung erzeugt haben, sodass ich die Auflösung gar nicht abwarten konnte.
Ich gebe zu, dass ich mit dem nun eintreffenden Ende nicht sehr glücklich war und die Spanunng, die so lange aufrechterhalten wurde und die mich auf ein fuminales Ende hoffen ließen, enttäuscht zurückließ. Ich möchte das Ende nun nicht verraten, um anderen den Lesegenuss nicht zu verderben, weil dies jeder anders empfinden wird. Sicherlich spielt in diesem Buch auch Lucys Entwicklung eine große Rolle, die ich als Protagonisten sehr gemocht habe und gerne auf ihrer Reise begleitet habe aber das war mir einfach zu wenig, wenn man bedenkt, dass der Focus für mich eher auf dem Verschwinden von Nolan lag und dessen Aufklärung, was denn nun geschehen ist.
Das Buch hat in meinen Augen einen sehr guten Start hingelegt und konnte mich mit einer ungewöhnlichen Story begeistern. Wenn jetzt nur das Ende passender gewesen wäre...
Doch Lucy kann gedanklich ihren Bruder nicht loslassen und auch die alten Gerüchte, dass Außerirdische den Bruder entführt haben können, lassen sie nicht los. Denn Nolan war in den Tagen vor seinem Verschwinden besessen von Ufos und Sichtungen. Und so macht sich Lucy auf, um endlich die Wahrheit über das Verschwinden des Bruders zu erfahren.
Ich gebe zu, dass ich den Inhalt sehr vielversprechend fand und ich auch sehr neugierig auf das Buch war. Der Schreibstil ist durchweg sehr flüssig und gut zu lesen. Die Kapitel werden abwechselnd aus der Sicht von Lucy erzählt aber auch aus Nolans damaliger Sicht und wie sehr er vom dem Gedanken angefixt war, dass er tatsächlich Sichtungen wahrgenommen hat. Diese Abschnitte haben natürlich in allerhand Fragen in meinem Kopf erzeugt. Denn es gibt innerhalb der Erzählung genug Hinweise die darauf schließen lassen, dass ihm tatsächlich etwas zugestoßen ist und in mir eine schiere Spannung erzeugt haben, sodass ich die Auflösung gar nicht abwarten konnte.
Ich gebe zu, dass ich mit dem nun eintreffenden Ende nicht sehr glücklich war und die Spanunng, die so lange aufrechterhalten wurde und die mich auf ein fuminales Ende hoffen ließen, enttäuscht zurückließ. Ich möchte das Ende nun nicht verraten, um anderen den Lesegenuss nicht zu verderben, weil dies jeder anders empfinden wird. Sicherlich spielt in diesem Buch auch Lucys Entwicklung eine große Rolle, die ich als Protagonisten sehr gemocht habe und gerne auf ihrer Reise begleitet habe aber das war mir einfach zu wenig, wenn man bedenkt, dass der Focus für mich eher auf dem Verschwinden von Nolan lag und dessen Aufklärung, was denn nun geschehen ist.
Das Buch hat in meinen Augen einen sehr guten Start hingelegt und konnte mich mit einer ungewöhnlichen Story begeistern. Wenn jetzt nur das Ende passender gewesen wäre...
August 29, 2017
This is a very interesting novel that I could class as a coming-of- age story more than a psychological thriller but no matter what classification you put it into, it's a great readable story. The book is told in alternating chapters by Lucy in present day (10 years after her brother disappeared) and Nolan's voice is from 10 years earlier. Lucy and Nolan had been close when they were younger but as they became teenagers, their closeness disappeared as Lucy became involved with her friends and Nolan became involved in the study of UFOs and his belief that they really existed. Once Lucy decides that she needs to try to find out what really happened to her brother, her life suddenly gains purpose after years of confusion. I thought that this was a very interesting book to read. I think that someone with great interest in UFO's would really enjoy it as there is a lot of information on the subject. I know I learned a lot about UFOs while reading this book.
Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
October 14, 2019
This book had so much more to it than I had expected from the beginning or even 100 pages in. I love the alternating timelines and perspectives because it brings to light slowly but purposefully how both Lucy and Nolan are incredibly unreliable narrators. I think that’s what makes a psychological thriller particularly interesting because it makes you question your belief in them, but also in your own assumptions from the beginning. The story manipulates you so well, mostly because the writing is so engaging. The pace speeds up and slows down at the right times and all characters are developed in the full arc of the story. I think the themes of family, loyalty, (dis)belief, and obsessions are really interesting, although I would have like the mental health aspect dealt with more fully. I usually don’t like hanging conclusions, but it was so fitting for this book and I disagree with most people believing it was a disappointing waste of time. As said in the end, what is will be and what isn’t won’t, but it’s the searching that we live for. That is exemplified in this book excellently.
October 31, 2017
I enjoyed this novel although I am still looking for more detail. The book ends without solving the mystery! Ok, I can buy into not definitively answering the question of the reality of UFO's and extraterrestrials, but what happened to the missing brother is left unsolved as well. He could have been beat to death, shot (but the backfiring car was even never mentioned as an alternative gun-fire report), runaway is still an alternative, or maybe he actually was abducted by ET. As Lucy was unwilling to believe in any results obtained through hypnosis, a deeper understanding of events, lights, and missing time are impossible to consider. It is hard to believe that Lucy has come to terms without solving any problems. She is actually not much farther than where she started in the beginning of the novel. I am not sure I really like that ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2017
This is listed as a psychological thriller but, to me, it was more of a coming-of-age mystery. Lucy and Nolan Durant are siblings and growing up playing in the yard together. As they hit their teens, they have a bit of a distance between them as Nolan is older, starting to have interest in a particular girl but far more involved in researching UFOs. Lucy wants to be older and tries to grow up quick by going to parties her brother attends, etc. Then her world and her family's world turns upside down when Nolan disappears. The story's narrator bounces between Lucy and Nolan but is more in Lucy's voice.
It was an interesting story. The ending is different than your typical mystery. After I thought about the ending. I liked it. I won't say more as I do not want to be a spoiler.
It was an interesting story. The ending is different than your typical mystery. After I thought about the ending. I liked it. I won't say more as I do not want to be a spoiler.
January 31, 2018
Another book I picked up on a whim - and the blurb sounded interesting. Certainly it isn't something I've ever encountered before in a book (encounter, haha).
I really liked the premise, and the back and forth between memory and present day, and between Lucy and her missing brother. But I did feel at times that the author lost tight hold on the plot, and I also felt some of the dialogue was the author playing with words, rather than the character actually speaking.
Interesting read though, and I did feel very much for Lucy at one point. It also struck home when I thought about a friend whose brother has schizophrenia, and the confusion and frustration he must experience when interpreting the world, as Nolan does.
I really liked the premise, and the back and forth between memory and present day, and between Lucy and her missing brother. But I did feel at times that the author lost tight hold on the plot, and I also felt some of the dialogue was the author playing with words, rather than the character actually speaking.
Interesting read though, and I did feel very much for Lucy at one point. It also struck home when I thought about a friend whose brother has schizophrenia, and the confusion and frustration he must experience when interpreting the world, as Nolan does.
September 13, 2017
The proverbial question: Are we alone? This novel attacks one of Man's greatest questions, in the form of a missing person mystery. What ever happened to Nolan? Was he abducted by "Them", beings from another planet? Was he murdered? Did he just decide to disappear?
I will not do spoilers. So, curious about the answers? Grab a copy, and find out some questions and some answers. I can tell you, not all of your questions will be answered.
This is an interesting read, whether you believe we are alone in this infinite universe or not! This tale is teeming with people who fall on both sides of the belief spectrum.
I will not do spoilers. So, curious about the answers? Grab a copy, and find out some questions and some answers. I can tell you, not all of your questions will be answered.
This is an interesting read, whether you believe we are alone in this infinite universe or not! This tale is teeming with people who fall on both sides of the belief spectrum.
September 20, 2017
I got an advance copy of this book back at the end of July and I enjoyed it. Geary really is a great writer as I could not put this book down at times. The suspense of what actually happened to Nolan and also what happened to Lucy all those years ago kept me going. As Lucy begins her journey to find out what happened to Nolan, her memories start to become clearer and the mystery starts to become a little clearer. This book also deals with sibling and sibling and parent relationships and how things change with that relationship which really hit home for me. I will definitely check out more of Valerie Geary's work as I really enjoyed this book.
September 25, 2017
Disclosure: I received an advance copy of this through the Giveaway.
I was ready to give this book 4 stars. It really had my interest and I was intrigued by the mystery. The story was unfolding, a 16-year-old who had gone missing was clearly psychotic and delusional.
What happened to him? His younger sister, now an adult, has gone back -10 years later - to try to solve the mystery of his disappearance. There are clues and revelations and mysterious occurrences - and then, a few pages from the end, I realized that there wasn't going to be any answer. For me, this story fell flat as it was totally anticlimactic. Great up until the last five pages :(
I was ready to give this book 4 stars. It really had my interest and I was intrigued by the mystery. The story was unfolding, a 16-year-old who had gone missing was clearly psychotic and delusional.
What happened to him? His younger sister, now an adult, has gone back -10 years later - to try to solve the mystery of his disappearance. There are clues and revelations and mysterious occurrences - and then, a few pages from the end, I realized that there wasn't going to be any answer. For me, this story fell flat as it was totally anticlimactic. Great up until the last five pages :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2018
A seamless blend of psychological thriller, family drama, and mystery, Everything We Lost follows Lucy Durant’s search to find her missing brother. A decade ago, Nolan Durant disappeared into the California desert and never returned. Lucy’s memories from that time are unreliable and hazy, but her confusion and lingering guilt drive her to seek the truth. Along the way, she must confront her broken relationship with her mother, the toll her brother’s mental illness took on the family, and her own troubled teenage years. Satisfying without losing its mysterious edge, Everything We Lost questions what we think we know about memory, belief structures, and the nature of truth itself.
May 20, 2018
Somethings are just meant to be a mystery...no matter how much you want answers, the universe doesn’t always oblige us. “Everything We Lost” is a heartbreaking journey of a sister trying to remember the events of the night her older brother Nolan disappeared. If you go into this thinking the unknown will become known, you will miss out on the the raw beauty and emotions that take place on the pages. Well written, emotionally raw and an eye opener to the vastness that our world beholds. A journey that allows you to believe in the existence of something you do not fully understand and the hope to know that possibilities do exist.
January 23, 2018
I received this book in a free giveaway. I tried to read it two different times. Sometimes a book just doesn’t grab you. So I put it to the side and recently took it with me on a cruise. The second try was no more successful than the first time.
I read a lot of books, and i swear i have read this premise in another book. I couldn’t get into the characters.
I am sorry not to be able to give those book the complete read and review it probably deserves but just couldn’t get past the first 100 pages. Thank you to Valerie Geary, the publisher and to Goodreads for the opportunity
I read a lot of books, and i swear i have read this premise in another book. I couldn’t get into the characters.
I am sorry not to be able to give those book the complete read and review it probably deserves but just couldn’t get past the first 100 pages. Thank you to Valerie Geary, the publisher and to Goodreads for the opportunity
June 16, 2021
I'd give 2.5 stars if I could. I was really hoping I'd like this book. I liked the overall premise, but the story kept going from SciFi to mystery/thriller with no clear direction.
I did like the back and forth between Nolan's and Lucy's point of views but overall, the book was disappointing.
I kept reading to find out what actually happened the night that Nolan disappeared but it never happens. Nothing! You don't find out what actually happened to Nolan or Celeste and Lucy just lives/moves on, not fully knowing what she did herself.
I did like the back and forth between Nolan's and Lucy's point of views but overall, the book was disappointing.
I kept reading to find out what actually happened the night that Nolan disappeared but it never happens. Nothing! You don't find out what actually happened to Nolan or Celeste and Lucy just lives/moves on, not fully knowing what she did herself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2024
This book hooked me from the beginning! I was pulled along rooting for Lucy and her quest to know what happened to her brother. I loved the question of alien involvement. I felt the honesty of a troubled relationship with Lucy's parents and why she needed her missing brother. The writing was incredible and sunk me deep into Lucy's world. I was only a little disappointed that the end didn't give more answers to how her brother disappeared, but I was glad it left Lucy in a better place. Highly recommend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2017
Full review to be posted on blog.
*First book read by Valerie Geary.
*Not what I was expecting - but not bad.
*Liked way story was told - alternating chapters: Present day from Lucy and past from Nolan.
*Not science fiction fan, but could appreciate Nolan's obsessiveness w/ UFO's - really spoke to his character & his state of mind leading up to his disappearance.
*Kept me engaged - needed to know what was going to happen next in both timelines!
*First book read by Valerie Geary.
*Not what I was expecting - but not bad.
*Liked way story was told - alternating chapters: Present day from Lucy and past from Nolan.
*Not science fiction fan, but could appreciate Nolan's obsessiveness w/ UFO's - really spoke to his character & his state of mind leading up to his disappearance.
*Kept me engaged - needed to know what was going to happen next in both timelines!
January 20, 2018
While I am not interested in ufology or aliens or any of that, I picked up this book because the author is related to a friend of mine and I enjoyed her first novel, Crooked River. I enjoy Geary’s style of writing and really the book had an overarching theme about belief and belonging and figuring out both of those and where we belong. Reading at the end about the story behind Everything We Lost written by Geary, she gives an honest confession that made me appreciate the story that much more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews