The Edge of Lost
The Edge of Lost
By: Kristina McMorris
[Fulfilling “A book with a blue cover” as part of the 2021 Spring/Summer Reading Challenge]
“Memory is a collection of scraps, pieced together one by one. Whether useful or comforting, rough or sharp-edged, combined as a whole they provided a semblance of security. Identity even. Until wiped away.”
The book opens on the island of Alcatraz in 1937. An inmate on work detail in the warden’s greenhouse. An island-wide search party in the middle of the night for a missing little girl.
“The plan could work,” he thinks, “So long as they didn’t find the girl.”
We flash back to 1919 in Dublin, Ireland where we meet a young orphan, Shan, living with his drunk and abusive uncle who uses him to perform comedy acts at local pubs for a little money.
The chance comes for Shan and his uncle to venture to America. The land of hope and opportunity. Shan, armed with a photo and letter from his biological father, sees more than just new business prospects. He sees the potential for a new home— a father who would love him and care for him, a way out of his miserable existence. His uncle dies on the voyage over leaving Shan alone in a foreign country to figure out how to eke out a living.
The lives of the mysterious inmate on Alcatraz and the immigrant boy on a quest for a home in New York are inextricably tied together. As the book progresses we discover how these two people are linked and how the little girl has influenced their fate.
Most of the story takes place in New York City circa the Roaring 20’s—Prohibition, speakeasies, flappers, Jazz, cars, and radio. The author did a fantastic job painting the scene by incorporating references to timely people and events and using era-specific lingo. It was easy to picture Shan discovering the new city and way of life.
A good chunk of the book is more narrative, covering the span of years between 1919 and 1937 as we see Shan grow up and become close to an Italian family with a boy (Nick) and girl (Lina) around his age. The friendship that blossoms between Shan and Nick must weather the storms of jealousy, lies, betrayals, and the dangerous underbelly of New York City club life.
Shan, a boy ever searching for his identity and his home is on the edge of lost. Can he find something or someone who can keep him from going over the edge and living a life of lonely self-fulfillment?
Though I thought it dragged a little bit in the middle, I found this to be an engaging story and very historically interesting. The author did a lot of research on Alcatraz and the time period. The Q&A section at the back of the book provided a lot of insight as to what parts were history or based on historical people/events and what were exaggerated. Alcatraz is a mysterious prison with a lot of intrigue and I thought it was a nice touch to include it in this story!
I would recommend this book if you like historical fiction. There is some nice mystery as you wonder how the prologue connects with the rest of the story, and some suspense at the end as everything comes to a head. It’s hard to see the physical changes in Shan as the story progresses, but you definitely see his character development.
A good, fast, and entertaining read.
[Parental Discretion: There are a few risqué bits as part of Shan’s employment journey involves doing his comedy act as part of the burlesque industry. We learn a little about some of the other acts that take the stage.]
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