A review by ashenlar
Lost and Wanted by Nell Freudenberger

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I picked this up for book club after reading a review in the NYTimes ('The mysteries of friendship, illuminated by spooky quantum physics') and deciding its themes of friendship and lost possibilities sounded right up my street. Unfortunately it wasn't as good as I'd hoped - some of the scientific writing felt unnecessarily dense (I can accept that perhaps this was a deliberate choice, to portray how much physics is a part of the character of Helen, a professor of physics, but it took away from the flow of the book), and the storylines felt slightly underdeveloped - the

'ghost'

storyline regarding the deceased friend Charlie was redeemed at the end 

with the message in the logbook

, but after hints

of spookiness, e.g. Helen's son seeing Charlie in their home

in the first half, it seems missing for most of the second half of the book. (I do feel this expectation is perhaps an issue with the blurb, and also the review I read)
I did really like how the different relationships are developed - they felt very realistic and relatable, with a focus on friendships rather than romance

which I'm very glad for - I feel another novelist may have made Helen and Charlie's widower get together, which I would not have liked

 

Overall, it was a really interesting book and pretty well written, but I think I wanted more - especially more linking quantum physics to the relationships, as the premise of the book seemed to suggest would be significant.