What Was Lost - Catherine O'Flynn

Every character in this story, however minor some may be, is experiencing loss of some kind. For some it is the physical and emotional loss of a loved one, lost through a debilitating health issue or a death. Other have lost their way in their career or personal life. A relationship that's coasting and going nowhere or a job which is mid numbing and depressing. There is also a sense of people being trapped, having trapped themselves creating false barriers which keep them locked in their current predicament because of lost confidence and self esteem. 

There are lots of issues that everyone will be able to relate to in this novel. We all have that feeling from time to time that we may be treading water. O'Flynn's acute observations come across so well especially her descriptions of working in a record shop. How it makes people feel and behave and the kind of people that work there. These experiences are drawn from her personal previous experience of working in that environment. 

I hadn't come across her before and only discovered this book through my Book Club. It's a hard book to categorise as there are elements of all sorts of genres - mystery, detective, thriller and a little supernatural. Is what i would refer to as one of those slices of life that give you an insight how different people live and are affected by a common event. I'll definitely look out for her other books now and would recommend this to anyone who is perhaps between books and unsure what to pick up next.