The Saints of the Lost and Found
The Saints of the Lost and Found is a charged and gothic tale of love, murder, and revenge.
Everyone in the little Louisiana town of Saint Michael’s is on edge now that Avery Broussard has returned, despite her attempts to keep a low profile. In T. M. Causey’s dark and layered novel The Saints of the Lost and Found, nobody—not Avery or her troubled brother or her lost love, Jack, or anybody else once connected to their childhood tribe of Saints—is able to hide much.
Causey’s narrative illuminates a new South: one still steeped in ancient wisdom along with old formulas of deceit, but also modern in its ties to big-business pharmaceuticals and DC politics. The Saints of the Lost and Found is a charged and gothic tale of love, murder, and revenge.
Avery Broussard has a special ability that allows her to see other people’s losses. But she’s as fragile as she is gifted, and her unique abilities are anchored to her humanity. Extraordinary hardships cast shadows of sorrow between characters. Immediate problems are bad enough, but there are also plenty of old wounds to confront. These pages are full of good drama, imparted in prose that is muscular and lively, if the narrative sometimes seems overwrought, with pair after pair of characters at each other’s throats. How high can the temperature in Saint Michael’s rise?
Still, there is much that makes this a strong and entertaining work of fiction. Causey weaves together a number of story lines that push the novel away from simple thriller territory: romantic love, and the bonds between siblings, not to mention very bad parents. One of the most prominent themes is the reverberating consequences of lies, with many characters concealing the truth to protect others.
But good intentions don’t always save people from harsh consequences. This novel, in spite of its satisfying and partially restorative ending, seems to stand as an argument for being honest and direct. If people could air out the past, admit how they feel, and trust others with the truth, who might be saved—or even end up happy?
Reviewed by
Jennifer Williams
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
