Book of Lost Threads

by Tess Evans 

REVIEWER – ANNA KASSULKE

‘Read it. Love it. Or your money back’. That is Allen & Unwin’s first ever guarantee about this debut novel. The pledge prompts a number of questions: how much is a reading experience worth? Would you really ask for your money back if you didn’t love a book? How many people have asked their $27.99 back after they’ve read Book of Lost Threads? And: when will books become more reasonably priced in Australia?

The chances are that most readers would positively love Tess Evan’s novel. So it is unlikely that A&U will be issuing thousands of refund cheques. And on the other question, there is always the Coalition of Cheaper Books.

The title, ‘Book of Lost Threads’ is exactly what this book is about literally and metaphorically – the friends, lovers and relationships people have but which often drift apart. Lover’s tiffs, family upsets and even death can cause rifts, some of which seem beyond healing. But many people who have been wounded or cast off, return to pick up the lost thread and discover that human beings can be filled with integrity, kindness and hope.

Moss (what a fantastic name) turns up at the doorstep of a reclusive mathematician in the small town of Opportunity. Once he has half-heartedly welcomed her in, she starts unravelling various tightly held secrets that are the fabric of Opportunity. But each of these threads is connected to another, and to another, until the story embraces England, Kosovo, a Benedictine monastery, the UN and a forlorn graveyard for stillborn babies.

Moss unwittingly sets of a chain of events which force people to confront their demons. But most realise ‘It’s time to move on…the rest is just self-indulgence’. The book is very tragic at times, but at others tender and observant; it celebrates humanity in its best sense. Evans has a knack of observing people and bringing their inner struggles onto the page in a simple, unassuming way. At times though she is a little formulaic, but this is easy to overlook. Particularly when one gets carried away with figuring out different uses for tea cosies. Or what the ‘Book’ is from the title – an aspect that does not unfold until the end.

Unfortunately it is impossible to say too much without giving things away. So, take the challenge: love it or your money back!

Book of Lost Threads by Tess Evans, Allen&Unwin, RRP $27.99