**I received an advanced copy of Lost Book complimentary of
NetGalley***
Lost Boy provides a fictional insight into the life of Jon,
a polygamist escapee. Once a rule follower, he faces the possibility of
punishment or exile when he is caught with the love of his life. The choice to
escape is a difficult one as he leaves behind everything he knew. Luckily, his
ex-polygamist friends know of a place that takes in runaways. Everything
appears to be leading to a successful fresh start. But can Jon truly run from
his past when it’s been ingrained?
Throughout reading this book, I had the show Escaping Polygamy in mind. With
that show, it is usually through a woman’s perspective. Lost Boy offered the perspective through a teenage boy’s point of
view. That is what struck my interest. I felt a strong sense of sympathy for
Jon when he began to encounter troubles. We get to see what issues may arise
with those who escape from a polygamist community such as Unity. Challenges
such as educational, social, and emotional are witnessed.
Jon begins his journey with a head full of optimism. That
soon fades when he is thrown into school life. He starts to question if he made
the right decision to leave Unity. A time gap does occur to display his
struggles coping with the “gentile” lifestyle. Personally, I would have liked
more of an explanation into his decline. I would have liked to have seen the
reasons behind what made him choose his downfall, how his new family reacted,
and the struggle of finding someplace to live besides the simple explanation
given. The process to recovery is relatively short, that is another area where
I would have liked an expanded description.
Overall, Lost Boy
is a simple yet thought provoking book to read. Anyone who is particularly into
theological aspects should pick this book up. The insight it gave, although
brief, did provide a realistic view on what life is like for a polygamist
teenage boy. It was refreshing to read about compared to other novels that deal
with a woman’s perspective.
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