Lost Property- Blog Tour

Author: Helen Paris
Publisher: Penguin Books/ Double Day Books 
Publishing Date: 14th April 2022

Many thanks to Random Things Tours and the publishing team for my copy of the book and a spot on the blog tour

Blurb 

One lost purse. One lost woman.
A chance encounter that changes everything.
Dot Watson has lost her way. Wracked with guilt and struggling with grief, she has tucked herself away in the London Transport Lost Property office, finding solace in the process of cataloguing misplaced things. It's not glamorous or exciting, but it's solitary - just the way Dot likes it.
That is, until elderly Mr Appleby walks through the door in search of his late wife's purse and Dot immediately feels a connection to him. Determined to help, she sets off on an extraordinary journey, one that could lead Dot to reclaim her life and find where she truly belongs...
Perfect for fans of Matt Haig, Rachel Joyce and AJ Pearce, this is a moving and uplifting novel about finding your place in the world.

My Thoughts 

This story sent me through a wave of emotions. 

We follow the journey of Dot and her quest to locate an item for Mr Appleby, however several years back Dots life was so different. She has devastatingly lost her family members over the course of time; her father to suicide whom she was very close with, mother has dementia and her sister got married and started a family of her own, therefore Dot has thrown herself into her job. When the book delves into these relationships and the devastating fallout, 

As much as she had a dream to become a librarian at the lost property office job became the closest as cataloguing and organising became the primary feature of the job role. I really loved the details and descriptions about her daily routine and job as it added that light-hearted element part to the book. 

As the story weaves over the course of 12 years and we get to learn so much about Dot and her journey, it made me so sad when certain circumstances would not work out for her.  As Dots mother is being nursed in a care home, ultimately her house and Dots home has to be sold, adding further pain and loss. 

This book is full of love, loss and touches on grief. Dots character was amazing, she was empathetic, questioned things and showed so much vulnerability.