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The Lost Thumb
'What a find. Pacey and intense (I galloped through the last 160 pages today)... I had to stay and sit at Victoria station until I finished it.' Rónán Hession Lara and Luella Jeffreys lead isolated lives until the night they are left alone for the first time, and Luella decides to have some fun. That evening goes horribly wrong. After Luella wakes up in hospital, she’s kept prisoner at home with her mother acting as her warden. Lara is sent to school to keep up the pretence that she is fine, her sister is fine, and the world is fine. Except they aren’t. Sensing that something's wrong, the local storekeeper's son befriends Lara, but the results of his meddling are deadly...
- GenresFiction
270 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 2, 2019
12 people are currently reading
802 people want to read
About the author
Orla Owen
3 books56 followersOrla Owen's latest book, Christ On A Bike, was published by the award winning Bluemoose Books in January 2024, and has been longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award 2025.
Her writing focuses on the darker side of family life, the parts that go on behind closed doors.
Before she became a writer, she was an actress and drama practitioner, studying Theatre at Bretton Hall College of the Arts.
In 2016 she was picked to be mentored by Sarah Savitt at Virago, and in 2020 she won second place in the Sandstone Press Short fiction competition.
The Lost Thumb was published in March 2019, and PAH was published in July 2021.
Her writing focuses on the darker side of family life, the parts that go on behind closed doors.
Before she became a writer, she was an actress and drama practitioner, studying Theatre at Bretton Hall College of the Arts.
In 2016 she was picked to be mentored by Sarah Savitt at Virago, and in 2020 she won second place in the Sandstone Press Short fiction competition.
The Lost Thumb was published in March 2019, and PAH was published in July 2021.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 3, 2019
This is a literary fiction debut which absolutely astonishes in its maturity, depth and choice of subject matter. Lara has missed her thumb since she was small, jammed it in a door and lost it, good riddance too according to Mother who repeatedly tried to get her to stop sucking her thumb to no avail. After 16 years of being in a this stifling, suffocating and emotionally stunted environment, both Lara and Luella have lost the abililty to see themselves as the outside world see them,the way that school children and teachers treat them rolls off thier backs as what is waiting at home is so much worse.
Set in New South Wales, in an uncertain time frame, the girls are isolated by their Mother-she is not given a name through the entire book-who has very strict rules governing every part of their life. From the lack of colour to their lives to the lack of pictures of them as a family, Mother acts as though the two girls are born disappointments and no matter how tight she turns the screws to make them perfect, they are bound to let her down.
Until the night comes that they are left alone.
And Luella invites 2 boys over to party and everything goes horribly, horribly wrong.
Luella is punished and Lara takes on the weight of both twins, simultaneously knowing that what is going on is wrong yet unable to do anything to prevent it-she is ,after all, still a child!
The narrative is all told from Lara’s perspective as she desperately tries to rescue her sister from Mother, her voice an unflinching tone of someone so used to being treated like this, that the deviations from the norm-a taste of coke, home ec lessons where they get to make, and eat, cake-are heartbreakingg. As much as she sucks the marrow of joy from these seemingly tiny moments, your heart aches for her as she recouns the lessons that Mother has taught about sugar and caffeine and other malign influences on the growing body.
The emotional, and physical neglect that the twins suffer is horrendous. It does not need to be graphically described to be effecting and it is in the gaps that the reader joins different parts and increases the sense of distress about what is going on. People have noticed, especially after Luella is withdrawn from school, to the point where something so awful happens that Lara cannot hide what has been happening any longer. But she has spent so long thinking that this is her reality, that her recovery is slow, painful and heartbreaking.
As a reader you are urging someone to pick up on Lara’s cues, the teachers, a neighbour, anyone but the remote and isolated home that the 3 live in means that so much can be hidden from view. Especially as Mother is a nurse, and as such a respected professional.But Marjorie, the local shop owner and her son, Sean, are there when they are most needed to be and I was so invested in them seeing Lara and Luella, that I wanted to reach into the pages and shake them to move more quickly.
Orla has created a hyperreal environment which draws you in and you dare not let go until you know that Lara is safe at last. It has a quiet strength that draws all the emotion from the person reading it, torn between wondering what happened to make Mother this way, and what happened with the twins when they were younger. What made her such the abusive beast that she became? That would be my only complaint, that there was no resolution, I wanted the book to be thrown at her for what she inflicted on Lara and Luella, but as in real life, there are very rarely neat conclusions and defined retribution.
‘The Lost Thumb’ is a novel that deserves a slow and patient read, to soak in the nuances of all the communciation between a mother who does not know how to mother, and 2 girls who deserved a mother who did. It is brutal, tear-jerking, heart wrenching, bold and brave. Recommended for people who read and appreciated ‘‘The Lovely Bones’; (it seems wrong to say ‘enjoyed’ due to the themes employed in both books, therefore ‘appreciated’ feels more apt).
Set in New South Wales, in an uncertain time frame, the girls are isolated by their Mother-she is not given a name through the entire book-who has very strict rules governing every part of their life. From the lack of colour to their lives to the lack of pictures of them as a family, Mother acts as though the two girls are born disappointments and no matter how tight she turns the screws to make them perfect, they are bound to let her down.
Until the night comes that they are left alone.
And Luella invites 2 boys over to party and everything goes horribly, horribly wrong.
Luella is punished and Lara takes on the weight of both twins, simultaneously knowing that what is going on is wrong yet unable to do anything to prevent it-she is ,after all, still a child!
The narrative is all told from Lara’s perspective as she desperately tries to rescue her sister from Mother, her voice an unflinching tone of someone so used to being treated like this, that the deviations from the norm-a taste of coke, home ec lessons where they get to make, and eat, cake-are heartbreakingg. As much as she sucks the marrow of joy from these seemingly tiny moments, your heart aches for her as she recouns the lessons that Mother has taught about sugar and caffeine and other malign influences on the growing body.
The emotional, and physical neglect that the twins suffer is horrendous. It does not need to be graphically described to be effecting and it is in the gaps that the reader joins different parts and increases the sense of distress about what is going on. People have noticed, especially after Luella is withdrawn from school, to the point where something so awful happens that Lara cannot hide what has been happening any longer. But she has spent so long thinking that this is her reality, that her recovery is slow, painful and heartbreaking.
As a reader you are urging someone to pick up on Lara’s cues, the teachers, a neighbour, anyone but the remote and isolated home that the 3 live in means that so much can be hidden from view. Especially as Mother is a nurse, and as such a respected professional.But Marjorie, the local shop owner and her son, Sean, are there when they are most needed to be and I was so invested in them seeing Lara and Luella, that I wanted to reach into the pages and shake them to move more quickly.
Orla has created a hyperreal environment which draws you in and you dare not let go until you know that Lara is safe at last. It has a quiet strength that draws all the emotion from the person reading it, torn between wondering what happened to make Mother this way, and what happened with the twins when they were younger. What made her such the abusive beast that she became? That would be my only complaint, that there was no resolution, I wanted the book to be thrown at her for what she inflicted on Lara and Luella, but as in real life, there are very rarely neat conclusions and defined retribution.
‘The Lost Thumb’ is a novel that deserves a slow and patient read, to soak in the nuances of all the communciation between a mother who does not know how to mother, and 2 girls who deserved a mother who did. It is brutal, tear-jerking, heart wrenching, bold and brave. Recommended for people who read and appreciated ‘‘The Lovely Bones’; (it seems wrong to say ‘enjoyed’ due to the themes employed in both books, therefore ‘appreciated’ feels more apt).
July 25, 2020
In a small town in New South Wales, Lara and Luella Jeffreys lead isolated lives until the night they are left alone for the first time, and Luella decides to have some fun.
That evening goes horribly wrong....
After Luella wakes up in hospital, she’s kept prisoner at home with her mother acting as her warden.
Lara is sent to school to keep up the pretence that she is fine, her sister is fine and the world is fine.
Except they aren’t. The local storekeeper pushes her son to befriend Lara to see just what is happening but the results could be horrific....
This story really will leave you looking over your shoulder as you follow Lara trying to navigate this seemingly perfect life from the angle of anyone who sees her in the street.
However, her home life is miserable and abusive.
Their mother, an ex nurse and matriarch is nothing short of overbearing to the point of seeing pain as a form of love for her two daughters.
When their mother goes away for the evening, they decide to have a little fun with life changing results.
Lara helplessly watches Luella slip further from her grasp as her mother refuses to let the sisters be near eachother as a form of cruel punishment for their one night of fun.
Scolding, belittling, unforgiving and nasty, their mother constantly punishes both of them to ‘bring them up proper’
But when Lara starts to try and formulate some sort of mother-free future and the neighbours son befriends her, she has tough decisions to make all while having to keep a veneer of the perfect home life for her friends, her teachers and someone who is only trying to help.
Will Lara and Luella ever be free of their mother, or will her dominating ways keep them prisoners in their worn-down, dark home forever? 👁Dark, understated, and creepy. This book will leave you hoping you have done your homework and taken your pill.
Mother will know if you’re lying.
She always knows.👁
That evening goes horribly wrong....
After Luella wakes up in hospital, she’s kept prisoner at home with her mother acting as her warden.
Lara is sent to school to keep up the pretence that she is fine, her sister is fine and the world is fine.
Except they aren’t. The local storekeeper pushes her son to befriend Lara to see just what is happening but the results could be horrific....
This story really will leave you looking over your shoulder as you follow Lara trying to navigate this seemingly perfect life from the angle of anyone who sees her in the street.
However, her home life is miserable and abusive.
Their mother, an ex nurse and matriarch is nothing short of overbearing to the point of seeing pain as a form of love for her two daughters.
When their mother goes away for the evening, they decide to have a little fun with life changing results.
Lara helplessly watches Luella slip further from her grasp as her mother refuses to let the sisters be near eachother as a form of cruel punishment for their one night of fun.
Scolding, belittling, unforgiving and nasty, their mother constantly punishes both of them to ‘bring them up proper’
But when Lara starts to try and formulate some sort of mother-free future and the neighbours son befriends her, she has tough decisions to make all while having to keep a veneer of the perfect home life for her friends, her teachers and someone who is only trying to help.
Will Lara and Luella ever be free of their mother, or will her dominating ways keep them prisoners in their worn-down, dark home forever? 👁Dark, understated, and creepy. This book will leave you hoping you have done your homework and taken your pill.
Mother will know if you’re lying.
She always knows.👁
May 2, 2019
16-year-old twins, Lara (the narrator) and Luella, live in a closed world, dominated by their controlling, widowed, mother. They go to school, come home, do their chores and homework, and go to bed. That’s it. They went to a party once (when they were eight), but someone gave them cola, and their mother didn’t like that, so… no more parties.
Shut off from the world, and bullied at school, Lara and Luella have no perspective on life, no understanding of how other families operate (they’ve never been in any house but their own), and their mother, with her gaslighting skills, reins supreme.
Then when their mother goes away overnight, and Luella crosses a line, Lara finds herself their only link with the real world. People start to notice things aren’t right. People start to worry about them, and come forward with offers of help.
This book had me hooked from the first page. The girls’ mother is so convincing, and their subjugation so understandable, and yet so pitiful, the narrative hoovered me onwards. Owen’s writing-style matches the theme perfectly, and her refusal to gloss over the grimness of the girls’ situation adds a morbid fascination.
A stunning debut novel from Orla Owen. Her second novel Pah is out in 2020, and I can’t wait to read it.
Shut off from the world, and bullied at school, Lara and Luella have no perspective on life, no understanding of how other families operate (they’ve never been in any house but their own), and their mother, with her gaslighting skills, reins supreme.
Then when their mother goes away overnight, and Luella crosses a line, Lara finds herself their only link with the real world. People start to notice things aren’t right. People start to worry about them, and come forward with offers of help.
This book had me hooked from the first page. The girls’ mother is so convincing, and their subjugation so understandable, and yet so pitiful, the narrative hoovered me onwards. Owen’s writing-style matches the theme perfectly, and her refusal to gloss over the grimness of the girls’ situation adds a morbid fascination.
A stunning debut novel from Orla Owen. Her second novel Pah is out in 2020, and I can’t wait to read it.
April 1, 2019
Enjoyed this a lot.
After a disturbing beginning, the story developed in a way I didn’t expect with an engaging narrator. The lack of cultural references makes it difficult to place in time which I found refreshing - it could be set any time from the 1950’s to modern day really...there’s also very little to tie it down geographically, allowing the focus to remain on a story of a mother, her daughters and the rest of the world.
Really interesting debut novel...
After a disturbing beginning, the story developed in a way I didn’t expect with an engaging narrator. The lack of cultural references makes it difficult to place in time which I found refreshing - it could be set any time from the 1950’s to modern day really...there’s also very little to tie it down geographically, allowing the focus to remain on a story of a mother, her daughters and the rest of the world.
Really interesting debut novel...
July 29, 2019
Initially I wasn't sure about the book thinking it too dark. I kept reading waiting for the good to come out of it, which I guess you could say it ended well so maybe. I read into the characters, waiting for more at times. The story kept me interested enough to see it through to the end but I wouldn't say it is a book I would recommend.
September 5, 2019
If you like a story that will have you hooked from start to end, thoroughly invested in raw emotions and surprising turns of event, realistic Characters and scenarios that though not pretty are wholly realistic and believable, then this is the perfect read for you.
If you enjoy a book that looks at some of the darker sides to humanity and the hidden faces of family when behind closed doors, the emotions and changes to character that happen in privacy, then this is the perfect book.
If you’re wanting a light hearted, happy go lucky kind of read, perhaps then you should pick up something else for the time being, but this is certainly one that I will wholeheartedly be recommending to anybody to read. It’s dark at times, sometimes uncomfortable to read but in a strangely addictive way.
The Characters are complex, their lives are not easy and things only get more complex and surprising the further into this book you go. Although not a long story, the amount of raw emotion contained within it’s pages are a glorious surprise.
Lara and Luella are two very different people, they make for very addictive reading. Consider a life where you have to hide the way things are at home, a life where you both fear and hate the mother raising you, but you dare not show this to anybody else for fear of what may come of it... and then imagine an accident. One of you is now stuck with that mother, and the other has to keep up the image of a life that is fine, settled... and things are only getting worse at home.
The story is horrifyingly plausible, the changes to scenario and shocks that come about are heart wrenchingly believable and all the more addictive for it. This is certainly one to set aside a day to get stuck into, I didn’t want to look away as much as I also didn’t want to see what was coming!
This was an absolutely brilliant read, and I will certainly be looking for more from the Author!
April 6, 2020
BoozyBook Club March Pick
I found the beginning of the story really compelling. However, and I don’t know if my reading has been affected by the current times, I just couldn’t deal with the stress!
I found myself getting more exasperated than I normally would reading something like this.
Having only just finished this about 5 minutes ago, my thoughts are still a bit jumbled, but what the hell was with that ending? I thought this was going to be some sort of close knit introspective story about the 3 women and then BAM, all these characters appeared at the end. Like what? The aunt, the schools gardener? 🤨 Excuse me? No.
The fact the twins were separated, drugged, tortured and abused and there was NO repercussions on “Mother”? Not even any solid suspicion of what she was up to?
There were zero redeemable characters here. They were all trash. The sisters, mother, school, boyfriend, his mum, the aunt and the fucking gardener.
Time to digest might change my mind, but right now I’m still super frustrated. 😠😂
I found the beginning of the story really compelling. However, and I don’t know if my reading has been affected by the current times, I just couldn’t deal with the stress!
I found myself getting more exasperated than I normally would reading something like this.
Having only just finished this about 5 minutes ago, my thoughts are still a bit jumbled, but what the hell was with that ending? I thought this was going to be some sort of close knit introspective story about the 3 women and then BAM, all these characters appeared at the end. Like what? The aunt, the schools gardener? 🤨 Excuse me? No.
The fact the twins were separated, drugged, tortured and abused and there was NO repercussions on “Mother”? Not even any solid suspicion of what she was up to?
There were zero redeemable characters here. They were all trash. The sisters, mother, school, boyfriend, his mum, the aunt and the fucking gardener.
Time to digest might change my mind, but right now I’m still super frustrated. 😠😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2020
This is a wonderful book, an emotional rollercoaster, I could not put it down. Lara's story of a half life with her abusive mother and twin sister is heart breaking. Owen writes characters that are relatable and fleshes them out beautifully. If 4.5* was an option on here that would ve my rating because if I am being picky then I'd say the end was a little rushed. There is a teaser in the book for a second book that I think will pull the unknowns together nicely. I love Owen's writing, it sucked me in and then spat me out at the end and I can't wait to read more from her.
July 29, 2019
I received this as Goodreads giveaway. It was intriguing and kept me wanting to read.
July 15, 2019
I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
I couldn’t put this book down once I started so I finished it in one sitting. I won’t give away any additional details about the plot but it turned out differently than I expected (in a good way) and I can’t wait to read the second book.
I couldn’t put this book down once I started so I finished it in one sitting. I won’t give away any additional details about the plot but it turned out differently than I expected (in a good way) and I can’t wait to read the second book.
January 26, 2020
😕 Confused
I'm finding it very difficult to review this book. I really enjoyed it but then also found how it was written to be unusual. The story in itself was sad but I couldn't put it down.
I'm finding it very difficult to review this book. I really enjoyed it but then also found how it was written to be unusual. The story in itself was sad but I couldn't put it down.
July 9, 2019
Idk whats going on but i been reading a lot of dark gothic books featuring creepy twins and self mutilation. This one has both.
It was twisted in so many ways, but hopeful and resilient, and it kept my attention. The first third was duull and it took me a few weeks to get into but then i read the last 2 thirds in a single day because i could NOT put it down
It was twisted in so many ways, but hopeful and resilient, and it kept my attention. The first third was duull and it took me a few weeks to get into but then i read the last 2 thirds in a single day because i could NOT put it down
February 14, 2020
The notion of the plot was gripping but there were parts of the story that didn’t make any sense, the dialogue between the characters was extremely confusing. The characters themselves didn’t feel fully ‘fleshed out’ either. It just felt like reading a long chaotic diary entry.
September 9, 2019
The Lost Thumb by Orla Owen is a quirky book, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started it but it definitely wasn’t any of the options that I had thought about.
This is the author’s debut novel and it is a really impressive first novel in many ways. The story is set in Australia, although that is totally irrelevant because the setting has no part in the story. I only realised that the book was set in Australia when I was about half way through and I realised then that it is really unusual to read a book that is so insular that the outside of the story doesn’t matter.
The other unusual thing with this book is that I have absolutely no idea what year the book was set in. There were no mentions of mobile phones which could be an indication but other than that I really have no idea. I think it would be from the 1960s on, perhaps in the 80s but who knows.
Lara and Luella are twins who live with their mother who controls everything about their lives, the twins have no say in how they live, where they go, what they wear and what they eat. They have no friends and live a colourless life, both literally and figuratively, and this is why the outside world doesn’t seem to matter, because for Lara and Luella it is totally irrelevant.
At times the book was hard to read, the abuse from the mother is shocking and upsetting, the description of the characters emotions was also quite raw. I also felt as though some of what happened was somewhat predictable and that was disappointing, given how different the story and characters were I had hoped that the author wouldn’t follow some predictable storylines.
But that didn’t stop this book from being a very clever debut, one that I enjoyed reading even though at times it made me feel very sad. Orla Owen is an author to watch.
This is the author’s debut novel and it is a really impressive first novel in many ways. The story is set in Australia, although that is totally irrelevant because the setting has no part in the story. I only realised that the book was set in Australia when I was about half way through and I realised then that it is really unusual to read a book that is so insular that the outside of the story doesn’t matter.
The other unusual thing with this book is that I have absolutely no idea what year the book was set in. There were no mentions of mobile phones which could be an indication but other than that I really have no idea. I think it would be from the 1960s on, perhaps in the 80s but who knows.
Lara and Luella are twins who live with their mother who controls everything about their lives, the twins have no say in how they live, where they go, what they wear and what they eat. They have no friends and live a colourless life, both literally and figuratively, and this is why the outside world doesn’t seem to matter, because for Lara and Luella it is totally irrelevant.
At times the book was hard to read, the abuse from the mother is shocking and upsetting, the description of the characters emotions was also quite raw. I also felt as though some of what happened was somewhat predictable and that was disappointing, given how different the story and characters were I had hoped that the author wouldn’t follow some predictable storylines.
But that didn’t stop this book from being a very clever debut, one that I enjoyed reading even though at times it made me feel very sad. Orla Owen is an author to watch.
November 13, 2019
found this book fascinating. It was dark and deeply disturbing. The themes of coercive control, loss and breaking free were explored well, and I found it emotionally affecting, which is unusual for me.
The only reason it got 4 stars not 5 is because I felt it faded a bit towards the end. For so long it was tense and gripping, but I lost that sense near the end.
The only reason it got 4 stars not 5 is because I felt it faded a bit towards the end. For so long it was tense and gripping, but I lost that sense near the end.
January 13, 2024
3.5 stars
MAY CONTAIN SPOILER
I can't exactly say this was an enjoyable read, I'm still processing my experience od this book. It was well written and I was definitely invested in the character of Lara. The ending seemed a bit rushed but given Pah is a prequel (which I will read) that's forgivable.
MAY CONTAIN SPOILER
I can't exactly say this was an enjoyable read, I'm still processing my experience od this book. It was well written and I was definitely invested in the character of Lara. The ending seemed a bit rushed but given Pah is a prequel (which I will read) that's forgivable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2020
Such an expertly navigated exploration of harrowing themes that makes this a book you won't be able to put down.
Orla has a beautiful writing style that swallows you in and makes a couple of hours seem like seconds.
Really excited for PAH now!
Orla has a beautiful writing style that swallows you in and makes a couple of hours seem like seconds.
Really excited for PAH now!
September 22, 2024
This was my second attempt at finishing this book and for some reason it really gripped me this time. It’s a pretty heartbreaking story of childhood abuse. Main character Lara is interesting and flawed.
November 26, 2025
After reading 'Christ on a Bike' by this author, I was keen to read more of her books. This book is very well written, but it is haunting, dark, and deeply unsettling.....which is indeed the point. Explores physical and psychological trauma. The tension is quietly powerful.
August 14, 2019
I have mixed feelings about this novel. This novel was heartbreaking, you felt for the main characters. However, I did find this novel to be confusing at times.
February 5, 2020
2.5 stars
March 29, 2020
Great start but loses way. Weirdly abrupt/confusing ending.
January 13, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. Unexpected twists, quite dark, and a real page turner.
December 29, 2023
3.5 stars
Dark and disturbing but very readable
Dark and disturbing but very readable
November 14, 2024
What a rollercoaster of a ride this book is - once I started I couldn’t put it down. Frightening in its concept and so scarily realistic. A hard emotional read, brilliantly written.
January 28, 2025
3* just
April 28, 2025
I found this quite a difficult read, which had everything to do with the content and nothing to do with the excellent writing.
December 5, 2019
This was a Goodreads win.
Looking over some of the other reviews, most mention that this book is disturbing and unsettling. One mentioned poor punctuation. I didn't even notice due to the distressing storyline. To give you an idea, a birthday ritual for the twins is to visit their father's photo in the wine seller - it was taken while he was lying on a slab in the morgue.
Bizarre and disturbing but engrossing.
Looking over some of the other reviews, most mention that this book is disturbing and unsettling. One mentioned poor punctuation. I didn't even notice due to the distressing storyline. To give you an idea, a birthday ritual for the twins is to visit their father's photo in the wine seller - it was taken while he was lying on a slab in the morgue.
Bizarre and disturbing but engrossing.
October 16, 2019
I received The Lost Thumb through a Goodreads giveaway. It's a mixed bag. First, poor punctuation is an annoying distraction. I liked the main character, and the author did a good job portraying the complexity of her reactions to circumstances she encountered. However, the ending was abrupt and left the reader hanging in an unpleasant way.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews