HOW TO BE LOST by Amanda Eyre Ward

My Book Lover’s Page-a-Day calendar featured How To Be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward today. Here’s the description from the calendar:


Ward Caroline and Madeline Winters lost their five-year-old sister, Ellie, 15 years earlier, on the day they were going to run away from their home.  The parents were gone to drink and depression; the surviving daughters turned away from one another. Now Caroline, a cocktail waitress in New Orleans, comes upon a blurry photo from People magazine that she thinks might be Ellie and goes to Montana to search for her.


Curled Up With A Good Book says, “Beautifully written, the story builds precisely to its satisfying emotional climax, where the past must be put to rest in service of the future. Eyre’s prose is compelling, her eccentric characters familiar and believable. Caroline and Madeline learn that time is irrevocable, but forgiveness is not. By helping each other, there is always a way home.”


And from a Mostly Fiction review:


Amanda Eyre Ward’s beautifully written narrative unfolds as part suspense novel, part memoir, as Caroline is accompanied on her trip north by memories of a troubled childhood and reflections on her present circumstances. Hers is an intelligent voice, filled with wry observations. She is sharp, perceptive and seems to hide a world of hurt behind her cynicism. The author’s pacing is on target. The prose is spare, which accentuates the emotional intensity. This is a page turner, with twists that will keep the reader guessing. And the plot holds surprises right up until the final sentence.

Have any EDIWTB readers out there read this book? Care to comment?