This is the sequel to The Book of Lost Things, and in it we return to Elsewhere with a different human protagonist. In the book of lost things, David had to work through his feelings of loss and resentment, in this, Ceres (named after the goddess of motherhood, among other things) is a mother whose child is in a coma and her quest involves saving children.
Interestingly, Ceres reverts to her teenaged self when in Elsewhere – maybe to appeal to the intended young adult audience, or maybe because it is the child in us who uses stories to work through life’s problems?
It was nice to revisit some of the characters from the first book, and again there are some quite nasty scenes as well as a smattering of humour, and no simply happy ending as life is filled with both light and dark.
I somehow didn’t feel as gripped listening to this book as to the first one, and I found my mind wandering a few times. Still good though.
Sarah Wray Writer 