Lost in the Moment and Found
2023 fantasy novella by Seanan McGuire
| Lost in the Moment and Found | |
|---|---|
 Cover of first edition | |
| Author | Seanan McGuire |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Wayward Children |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Tor.com |
| ISBN | 978-1-250-21363-1 |
| Publication date | January 10, 2023 |
| Preceded by | Where the Drowned Girls Go |
| Followed by | Mislaid in Parts Half-Known |
Lost in the Moment and Found is a 2023 fantasy novella by American author Seanan McGuire. It is the eighth book published in the Wayward Children book series and follows Antoinette (Antsy) as she escapes her step-father's abuse and finds the Shop Where the Lost Things Go.
Plot
Lost in the Moment and Found follows Antoinette (Antsy) Ricci. At the beginning of the book, Antsy suddenly loses her father, and her mother soon remarries a man who mistreats Antsy and turns her mother against her. Before long, her stepfather 's actions go too far, and Antsy run away. She finds a door and enters it to find herself in an unknown world that turns out to be the Shop Where the Lost Things Go, which, like its name implies, is where lost things appear to be found.
While in the shop, Antsy works with an old woman named Vineta and a talking magpie named Hudson. Every day, she travels through magical doors to new worlds, trading goods. Given that Antsy isn't living with other children from Earth, she doesn't notice the changes rapidly taking place in her body: she ages three days every time she goes through a door, though she was never informed. When she finally realizes, she's lost years and confronts Vineta and Hudson for their lies.
Characters
- Antoinette "Antsy" Ricci: the protagonist
- Vineta: the very old keeper of the Shop Where the Lost Things Go
- Hudson: a talking magpie who cares for the Shop Where the Lost Things Go
Major themes
Lost in the Moment and Found covers topics related to "the loss of childhood innocence",[1] including grooming and child abuse.[1][2] However, the book depicts morals of "finding strength and belonging".[1]
Reception
According to School Library Journal's Kristi Chadwick, "McGuire's powerful writing shines here as do the courageous protagonist and intricate setting descriptions".[1] Booklist found Antsy to be "a pleasing addition to the lore of Wayward Children"[3]
Multiple reviewers discussed McGuire's handling of the abuse depicted in the book. Chadwick applauded McGuire for including a trigger warning at the beginning of the book, which also includes a "promise of escape".[1] According to Publishers Weekly, "McGuire manages to make some extreme tonal shifts work together beautifully."[4] Alex Brown, writing for Reactor, wrote, "I think it’s easy to look at a book like this and feel like the whimsy from the junk shop portions overwhelms the seriousness of the real world portion, but I think that’s missing the forest for the trees. The grooming and gaslighting don’t stop when Antsy crosses the threshold, they just take on different shapes and have different end goals."[2]
AudioFile reviewed the audiobook, describing narrator Jesse Vilinsky's performance as "versatile", highlighting how she "keeps pace as Antsy grows older, expertly adjusting her narration to the girl's maturation yet maintaining Antsy's essence."[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e Chadwick, Kristi. "Lost in the Moment and Found". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2024-07-28. Retrieved 2024-07-27 – via Chicago Public Library.
- ^ a b Brown, Alex (2023-01-18). "Something Old Yet New: Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire". Reactor. Archived from the original on 2024-07-28. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ "Lost in the Moment and Found". Booklist. 2022-11-01. Archived from the original on 2024-07-26. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ "Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire". Publishers Weekly. 2022-08-29. Archived from the original on 2024-04-14. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ "LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND by Seanan McGuire Read by Jesse Vilinsky | Audiobook Review". AudioFile Magazine. March 2023. Archived from the original on 2024-04-16. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- v
- t
- e
Works by Seanan McGuire
- Rosemary and Rue (2009)
- A Local Habitation (2010)
- An Artificial Night (2010)
- Late Eclipses (2011)
- One Salt Sea (2011)
- Ashes of Honor (2012)
- Chimes at Midnight (2013)
- The Winter Long (2014)
- A Red-Rose Chain (2015)
- Once Broken Faith (2016)
- The Brightest Fell (2017)
- Night and Silence (2018)
- The Unkindest Tide (2019)
- A Killing Frost (2020)
- When Sorrows Come (2021)
- Be the Serpent (2022)
- Sleep No More (2023)
- The Innocent Sleep (2023)
- Discount Armageddon (2012)
- Midnight Blue-Light Special (2013)
- Half-Off Ragnarok (2014)
- Pocket Apocalypse (2015)
- Chaos Choreography (2016)
- Magic for Nothing (2017)
- Tricks for Free (2018)
- That Ain't Witchcraft (2019)
- Imaginary Numbers (2020)
- Calculated Risks (2021)
- Spelunking Through Hell (2022)
- Backpacking Through Bedlam (2023)
- Aftermarket Afterlife (2024)
- Velveteen vs. the Junior Super Patriots (2012)
- Velveteen vs. the Multiverse (2013)
- Velveteen vs. the Season (2016)
- Indexing (2014)
- Indexing: Reflections (2015)
- Sparrow Hill Road (2014)
- The Girl in the Green Silk Gown (2018)
- Angel of the Overpass (2021)
- Every Heart a Doorway (2016)
- Down Among the Sticks and Bones (2017)
- Beneath the Sugar Sky (2018)
- In an Absent Dream (2019)
- Come Tumbling Down (2020)
- Across the Green Grass Fields (2021)
- Where the Drowned Girls Go (2022)
- Lost In the Moment and Found (2023)
- Middlegame (2019)
- Over the Woodward Wall (2020)
- Seasonal Fears (2022)
- Letters to the Pumpkin King (2014)
- Laughter at the Academy (2019)
- Dying With Her Cheer Pants On (2020)
| Newsflesh |
|
|---|---|
| Parasitology |
|
| Rolling in the Deep |
|
| Up and Under |
|
|---|
