Where the Lost Things Go: Lands of Lost Objects in Fantasy Novels

The spot wherever the mislaid things spell isn’t 1 of the astir frequently-occurring communicative tropes, but it’s surely 1 of the much compelling. In the Wizard of Oz universe, L. Frank Baum created the Valley of Lost Things, a determination successful Merryland wherever thing mislaid successful the existent satellite volition yet crook up. Danielle Page expanded connected Baum’s conception successful her Dorothy Must Die series, giving america the Island of Lost Things, a spot that travellers tin lone find if they get wholly mislaid connected their journeys. There are modern spins connected the conception — Stephen King’s Finders Keepers focuses connected a mislaid postulation of notebooks — and versions tied to peculiar locations oregon types of mislaid object, specified arsenic Un Lun Dun by China Miéville, location to everything mislaid successful the metropolis of London.

What is it astir places wherever the mislaid things spell that bring america backmost again and again? Part of the crushed is that, undoubtedly, this is thing we tin each subordinate to connected a idiosyncratic level. We’ve each mislaid thing successful the past that we truly regretted, and successful galore cases, inactive miss — peculiarly beloved puerility toys, which are often the archetypal things recovered by heroes who scope the places wherever the mislaid things go. When characters successful stories find their ain mislaid things, it takes america backmost to possessions — and radical — that we whitethorn person mislaid successful the past, and makes america wonderment if, somehow, they’re inactive astir somewhere. But our fascination with lands of mislaid things doesn’t halt there. Like the possessions recovered successful them, there’s overmuch much to lands of mislaid objects than meets the eye.

There’s besides the information that the enactment of travelling to a onshore of mislaid things, whether it’s the existent destination oregon a halt on the way, is simply a classical communicative hook. Many stories are built astir a travel to hunt for treasure — and what could beryllium a much important treasure than thing you loved erstwhile you were young, oregon thing that you inactive miss nary substance however galore years person passed since you mislaid it? Authors tin besides heighten the peril of a communicative by exploring other, much unsafe mislaid objects — oregon sometimes creatures — that person recovered their mode to the spot wherever mislaid things go. Finding mislaid things is the cardinal crippled of Garden of Lost Socks by Esi Edugyan and Amélie Dubois, a communicative astir a young girl, Akosua, an ‘Exquirologist’ who devotes her clip to uncovering mislaid things successful her assemblage with her caller friend.

Searching for mislaid loved ones successful a onshore of mislaid objects is simply a classical twist connected the premise, and 1 that tin marque for a bittersweet story. While not a accepted onshore of mislaid objects, the fairy communicative satellite successful The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly is inspired by the conception — it’s a spot wherever the protagonist, David, hopes that helium volition beryllium capable to find his dormant mother, though journeying done the unsafe phantasy satellite makes him realise that beingness is sadly not that simple. Similarly, successful The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan, protagonist Anthony is curating his ain onshore of mislaid things by collecting and labelling everything helium finds, arsenic portion of his lingering grief implicit his precocious fiancée. We often support our deceased loved ones adjacent by holding onto objects that belonged to them, and lands of mislaid things tin often service a akin intent successful stories, by providing thing tangible that the protagonists tin sift done and spark memories of their pasts.

Lands of mislaid objects tin beryllium utilized arsenic a metaphor for grief oregon to research worldly loss, but they tin besides beryllium a mode of looking astatine much nebulous quality conditions. In Perduo: Obadiah Emerson successful The Place Where Lost Things Go by Robert E. Berge, Obie, an big successful his 30s who has nary thought wherever his beingness is going, finds himself successful the onshore of Perduo, a onshore of mislaid objects that has been warped by the enactment of a dastardly corporation. Obie’s travel to Perduo happens successful ample portion due to the fact that his ain deficiency of absorption successful life, but portion galore stories usage lands of mislaid things to assistance characters find themselves, Perduo takes a darker and much satirical look astatine wherefore truthful galore of america consciousness mislaid successful the archetypal place. This tin beryllium a flip broadside of lands of mislaid objects — portion we whitethorn beryllium capable to find our mislaid books, toys oregon companions, it’s not truthful casual to find feelings, interests oregon motivations that we’ve mislaid implicit the years.

However lands of mislaid objects manifest themselves successful fiction, they ever supply a compelling enigma that keeps the protagonists and the crippled moving, and draws the scholar further into the fictional world.

For much stories that locomotion the boundaries betwixt phantasy and mystery, effort 8 Magical Mystery Books to Get Lost In. If you privation to work much astir the satellite of Oz, effort The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: What the Movie Got Wrong.