All the Lost Things

by Michelle Sacks

From "a master of slow-burn suspense" (Shelf Awareness), a simmering family drama about a father and daughter who embark on a road trip through the American South -- but what they're leaving behind is as important as what lies ahead.




When we first meet seven-year-old Dolly, she immediately grabs us with a voice that is both precocious and effervescent. It has been a while since her dad has spent time with her, just the two of them, and so when he scoops her up and promises to take her on the adventure of a lifetime, Dolly is thrilled.


The first days on the road are incredibly exciting. Every pit stop promises a new delight for Dolly and her favourite plastic horse, Clemesta, who she's brought along for the adventure. There are milkshakes, shopping sprees, a theme park, and all the junk food she isn't allowed to eat under her mother's watchful eye. And, for the first time, she has her father's attention all to herself. But as they travel farther south, into a country Dolly no longer recognizes, her dad's behavior grows increasingly erratic. He becomes paranoid and irresponsible, even a little scary. The adventure isn't fun anymore, but home is ever further away. And Dolly isn't sure if she'll ever get back.


A compulsively readable work of psychological suspense from the first mile to the last, All the Lost Things introduces a remarkable young heroine who leaps off the page, charts a life-changing journey, and ultimately reveals the sometimes heartbreaking intersections of love, truth, and memory.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Audiobook, Contemporary, Family Drama

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2019

About the author

Michelle Sacks is the author of the story collection, Stone Baby, and the novels, You Were Made for This and All The Lost Things.

Her forthcoming story collection, Dancing At The End Of The World will be published in 2026, and You Were Made for This is currently being filmed for French TV.

https://www.instagram.com/michellesac...

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is told completely through the narrator's voice, who is a seven year old girl. The first few pages I thought were fun, but quickly I wondered if I would be able to tolerate that childish voice for the long haul. Ultimately I did, and if I overlook the rather strange choice of narrators, this was a really beautiful, sad, emotional and jarring story. I wouldn't say it is a suspenseful read, but it does pull you along at a rapid speed because, while you think you know what is going on, you are also very aware that something is definitely not right. And the end - it really sucker punched me. The emotional intelligence of the narrator, her relationship with her doll/horse and her spot on instincts were incredibly moving. When she says she has a little more brave left in her it just struck me as so innocent but also so incredibly mature. We should all be so lucky to always have just a little more brave left in us. Many thanks to the publisher and Goodreads for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Goodreads giveaway winner. What a fantastic book. Seven-year-old Dolly is taken on a road trip by her dad to have an adventure. After a few days of driving all day, gas station junk food and questionable motels, Dolly isn’t sure this is a good adventure. She relies on Clemesta, her toy horse, for conversation and checking her thoughts. Dolly is sure they are going the wrong way after a day at Dollywood, where she mentions her name and the staff gets excited.

This is a must-read for this year. Sacks does a phenomenal job of getting into the mind of a seven-year-old and translating what she sees there to paper. This author is destined to go places.

A story like this stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page, the sign of a very thought-provoking story.

[Tucker Almengor]

Many thanks to Little Brown for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

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[CarolG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read "You Were Made for This" by Michelle Sacks and absolutely loved it so when the library finally reopened I was first in line to get this one. I really liked Dolly in the beginning, then the capitalization in her mind of certain words and phrases was so frequent that it started to really annoy me but I got past it and really started to like Dolly again. The presentation reminded me of Ginny Moon which I read fairly recently. All through the book I was trying to figure out why her dad had suddenly taken her on an adventure but assumed there was something unpleasant involved. I was pretty teary-eyed at the end. I'd definitely recommend this book to a friend. Oh, I forgot to say that I also loved the cover.

[Lisa Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It was very clever how the author wrote this book. I feel this book should been more of a fantasy than suspense. I love how they went to different states on their adventure. The ending was great.

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Michelle Sacks book and I loved everything about it. The narrator is a 7-year-old girl named Dolly Rust, who is taken by her father on a long and confusing “adventure” one day. As her father’s mood swings from one extreme to another, Dolly grapples with accepting the reality of the situation that she’s in and all of the unpleasant feelings that accompany it. The style of this is reminiscent of Ginny Moon in that the unreliable narrator, in the form of a child, is taken to a whole new level. Sacks executes this feat flawlessly as Dolly describes what’s going on in her head by her conversations with her toy horse, Clemesta. This has exceptional character development, just the right amount of suspense and a surprising ending. 5 well-deserved stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Little, Brown and Company and Michelle Sacks for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Marisa Gonzalez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is told through a CHILD'S EYES. Dolly is SEVEN years old and is very excited to go on an adventurous TRIP with her Dad. The only thing is as the trip goes on her DAD becomes more and more ANXIOUS and ANGRY. The trip quickly takes a TURN for the WORSE as secrets are REVEALED. I thought this BOOK was OKAY. I FIGURED out the ending early on. Do you FIND the use of CAPS in this review ANNOYING? If so, don't BOTHER with this one because the WHOLE book is written in this STYLE. From BEGINNING to END words are CAPITALIZED for NO APPARENT reason. It felt like the MAIN character was constantly SCREAMING and got on my NERVES.

[Virginia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, I'm one of the people this wasn't "for." Way too much Dolly and Clemesta and not enough... let's see - plot, setting, depth, conflict, variation of voices, alternative viewpoints, believability. The only voices that were even remotely engaging for me were the grandparents'. The fault may very well be with me because I'm just not sentimental or "feely" enough to sink into this. Plus Dolly's voice became an annoyance very quickly. Maybe this would have been a better beach read and I should wait until I'm on an actual beach.

[Kelly]

Not usually a suspense person but I loved this.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admit that after the first part (the set up) I skimmed through the road trip until about the last third? quarter? of the book which I read all the way through. I probably could have worked around the ridiculous CAPITALIZATION of every 5th word, or so, if the ending hadn't been so awful.

From the beginning, I knew that her father had abducted Dolly and that they weren't simply on an "adventure". I just didn't know that he had killed his wife/her mother, as opposed to taking his daughter and going on the run.

What I found the most disturbing may have been an unintended (by the author) "moral" of the book, which was that it is dangerous to assume that a highly intelligent, extremely precocious child of 7 is any more mature than any other child of the same age. And every one of the principals seemed to have made that mistake.

Dolly completely misunderstood what was going on with her mother. She thinks that a friend of her mother's is actually her mother's boyfriend. When he alludes to the freedom he feels that he is no longer in the closet (He is using it as a metaphor for how he thinks Dolly's mother will feel once she gets away from her abusive husband, Dolly's father.), Dolly thinks that he was literally in a closet and that her mother freed him so that they could be together as a couple!

Dolly's mother makes the fatal mistake of telling Dolly to pack because they are going to live in Los Angeles. Dolly was supposed to keep it a secret. Instead, Dolly tells her father about her mother's plan because she believes that if he knows, he will find a way to get her mother to reconcile with him and then they can all be together. Of course, when he tells his wife that he knows she has been seeing someone else, she tells him that he is losing it. At that point, he kills his wife, based on what his 7 year old daughter told him, which was totally false. Yes, his wife was planning to take the child and leave, but no, she wasn't leaving him for someone else.

Dolly clearly has an elevated opinion of herself when it comes to her understanding of what is going on around her with the adults in her life and her ability to "fix" adult relationships. Unfortunately, the adults also erroneously conflate her book type intelligence with her level of emotional maturity and their doing so leads to tragedy.

[Rachel]

My personal "star" rating system:

1 star: Could not finish the book
2 star: Had to force myself to finish the book, did not care for the book, and will not be seeking out this author in the future
3 star: Liked the book, but will not necessarily be seeking out this author in the future
4 star: Really liked the book and would read more of this author, but will not be re-reading this particular book again
5 star: Loved it so much that I will re-read this book in the future, and the author is going onto my list for pre-orders of their future titles

My rating: 4.5 stars

I will be honest-I didn't know if I was going to be able to finish this book. The story is told from the eyes of a 7-year-old girl, and a lot of times, I don't particularly care for children's points-of-view. HOWEVER, I kept pluggin through, and MAN. What a great story!!!

I probably would have given it 3.75 stars, but by the ending, I was sobbing. Real tears=exquisite book.

I would say that if you like Emma Donaghue's "Room", you are going to love this one.

[Karalyn Manns · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF couldn’t get through 50 pages of the little girl narrator so I just read reviews with spoilers to find out what was actually going on. Dont waste your time.

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the Lost Things from Michelle Sacks was initially, for me, a borderline book. Pluses and minuses that I couldn't make up my mind about. But I couldn't stop thinking about it, both the story itself and the writing. So I read it again. It isn't that a second reading was necessary for the enjoyment of the book but rather that it served as a type of rethinking of what was presented to me, the reader, and what wasn't.

I was not sure I could handle an entire novel with the voice of Dolly but between becoming accustomed to it and the slight change in the "cutesy" aspect the narration was ultimately a positive feature. Additionally, the sporadic use of words in all caps was more than just random words, they were largely important words that she would have picked up from adults with some type of understanding but without a full understanding. With this in mind those words tell us much more than we first think.

There are plenty of people comparing this to other novels, a couple in particular. I tend not to do so and particularly in this case because a comparison might either be misleading (we all have different takeaways from novels so a comparison will mean different things to different people) or give unnecessary hints at the plot. So I will compare this novel to what I was expecting it to be, and it compares favorably. As the situation became more evident the novel remained compelling not because of the "mystery" but because of wondering how it would ultimately play out.

I would definitely recommend this and just suggest that anyone initially put off by the narrator voice give it time, you will be rewarded.

Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads.

[Stephanie (earlgreyreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

All The Lost Things begins with “the best day ever” for Dolly when her dad takes her on a mystery road trip. Dolly has her best friend and twin soul sister along with her-a plastic horse named Clemesta. While Dolly and her father spend the days driving and nights at different hotels, Clemesta begins to get concerned and urges Dolly to remember something. It becomes harder for Dolly to believe they are a fun road trip when she is asked not to tell anyone her name, and the angry bear inside her father starts to come out. This is a heartbreaking story. There are ominous, dark hints throughout, but you won’t know just how sad it is until the end.

I was initially surprised that the story is told in the voice of a seven year old girl, but I found that I got used to it and really enjoyed it. This won’t be for everyone, but it helped me to connect with her character, and for the most part, it came off as realistic. Though this has thriller elements, it is an emotional family drama. I loved how the author highlighted the love that still exists in a family that is dealing with so many other issues. The characters are complex, well-developed and will work their way into your heart. I could not put this down!

Thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Tracy (The Pages In-Between) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Little Brown for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 Stars.

I loved Sacks last book “YOU WERE MADE FOR THIS” and devoured that book within hours! So, when I was presented with the opportunity to choose this book as part of my monthly Ambassador package, I was so excited!!

I loved that this book was fully narrated by a 7 year old, and her toy horse. I was a bit apprehensive at first, that I would enjoy it, but I actually really did. The only real complaint I had was It would have been nice to have a few chapters of the dads P.O.V. I wanted to know what his mindset was.

I enjoyed the pacing of this book, and Dolly was just such a great little character. When I got to then end, and everything came to light, I really had to fight back the tears. I am now adding Michelle Sacks to my list of Auto Buy Authors!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/3. This book was an interesting/ somewhat difficult read, since it’s told through the point of view of a 7 year old girl. At the same time this gives a unique perspective/ experience but the CAPS LOCK is distracting. Even tho at some point I struggled to deal with the structure, I just had to finish to see how this poor Dolly worked her young brain through this situation. A really sad ending too :/

[Kristi Lamont · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aw, man. That ending!!!

SPOILER ALERT, KINDA/SORTA


SCROLL, SOME


A BIT MORE

A BIT MORE

OK, GONNA SAY SOMETHING THAT MIGHT GIVE SOMETHING AWAY NOW.....

After I finished this book I did a lot of googling about Michelle Sacks and her personal life, and couldn't find anything. At. All.

This book is dedicated to her father, so of course I have to wonder how much real life was in these pages....

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was told by Dolly, a 7 year old girl who thinks she is on an adventure with her dad. As a reader we quickly start getting pieces to the puzzle and realize they are not on a happy go lucky trip. The story was pretty unique in its telling. Even though you could guess pretty early on what happened there were still pieces of the puzzle you needed to pick up along the way. This was a heart wrenching story. The only downfall was that there were parts where I felt like skimming because I wanted to get on with the story.

[Val Wallich · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a compelling story but I was left feeling let down by the end.

This is simply not well written.

I finished the book due to my strong desire to see how it ends and what happens with the characters.

I wish this had been a library book or a Kindle unlimited one and not one I had paid for.

[Emma Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a phenomenal book. What I thought would be an interesting book, turned out to have so many plot twists. Poor dolly had no idea what was going on, but wow! I’m still in awe from reading the book. An interesting read from a child’s perspective. Amazing. 5/5.

[Sadeem · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writer amazed me with her fascinating 7 year old narrator, her imagination, her witty responses, and her internal monologue were fantastic. She reminded me so much of my daughter which made me more wrapped up in the story.

[Amber Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narration style was unique, the story was riveting and the writing was fantastic.

At times, the pace slowed down and could be considered SLIGHTLY redundant but regardless it was a quick and enjoyable read that i’d certainly recommend.

[Stephany · Rating 4 out of 5]

****4.5 stars***

[ines_abdh · Rating 5 out of 5]

C’est définitivement un coup de cœur, l’innocence de Dolly mélangé au mystère qui plane sur ce qu’il s’est passé entre ses parents réussissent à créé une histoire à la fois touchante et troublante.

[Florence Witt]

The main character is a child and the entire book is narrated in that voice. It gets old. Moreover, it is not clean....how many times can the word b&^%$ be said in ONE chapter? A lot apparently. Not for me.

[Marcy Aman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Gillian Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book. The narrator being a child didn’t seem like something I would like. Most definitely did not like “Room” at all! This though! Beautiful and powerful! Couldn’t put it down! This is a must read!

[Teesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devastating. Had me invested fully.

[Paige G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never thought I'd tear up over a 7-year old girl and her plastic toy horse.

I've never read a book with the perceptive of a child, and it was difficult to get into in the first 1/4 but afterwards, I was hooked.

[Chrystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the plot pegged after the first quarter, but my God did I bawl when the truth was finally set free.
-------------

When Hachette (HBG Canada) asked if I was interested in this book, I knew I couldn't pass it up. I loved a good domestic and psychological suspense story. And this gave me both.

Told from the POV of seven-year-old Dolly, we follow her through her first adventure alone with her Dad. He packed a bag, grabbed her hand and told her they were going on an adventure while Mom was away on her girls trip. Dolly was over the moon excited to have alone time with him since he generally works too much and is grumpy all the time.

Dolly has a magical toy horse, Clemesta, that speaks only to her. This horse is like the voice of reason and tries so hard to get Dolly to see that things don't seem to be adding up and this adventure is not really all the fun that Daddy promised. Clemesta tries so many times to open Dolly's eyes to what is right in front of her if she would just let herself remember - this leads to her thinking about the secrets she has locked away.

The story is written in exactly the way you would think a seven-year-old processes things. How her mind tucks away details into her NOT NOW box for recalling later. She is a smart cookie and always wanting to learn so during her trip she shares the fun facts that she knows with her Dad and random people they meet along the way. She distracts herself in this way to avoid the truth of her situation.

It's sad to me that this little girl knows the promises being broken when her Dad drinks the amber liquid he loves so often. How her anger towards him about it brings him to tears and apologies. I can empathize with her so much with this aspect of her relationship with her Dad.

The entire time through the novel my gut kept telling me what it thought had caused the impromptu road trip, but at the same time I tried to talk myself out of it. That it wasn't what it seemed. The ending still surprised me a little only because I didn't expect Dolly's father to do what he finally resolved to do when he realized Dolly needed more than just him in her life.

This was a very quick read, but has big impact. There was a chapter near the end that had me in tears, bawling while laying in bed next to my toddler. She grabbed my face to ask why I was crying and I told her that my story was making me sad. She told me not to be sad, it's just a story. I needed that so much right then, because dramatic stories that centre are around children always have big impact on me.

"Brave was good. Better than anything else you can be, like beautiful or famous or rich. Brave is the best of all because you can't ever lose it or have it stolen from you or leave it behind. It can follow you to the end of the world."