Two books. Same underlying premise. But very different. The premise being woman’s husband dies, she has grief and the way to get over that grief is to move north, get a simpler job and fall in love again.
Jacqueline Sheehan’s Lost & Found takes place in Peak’s Island, Maine, where the protagonist, Rocky, a psychologist, moves to after her husband suddenly dies of a heart attack. This is obviously a big shock and unexpected and Rocky finds herself unable to help her patients, so she takes a leave of absence and heads north.
She keeps her tragedy to herself, looks for a place to live and for a job. The first friends she makes are Tess, a retired physical therapist with synthesia and her neighbors Elaine and her daughter Melissa. She is given a shot at being an Animal Control Officer for the island, a job she is not really qualified for. But with the friendships and the job, she begins to find a place of comfort and safety.
One day, she finds a black labrador with an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. She calls him Cooper, and takes him in instead of taking to the shelter. Cooper then becomes the main character, as he helps to heal Rocky and also Melissa, who has a secret of her own. Rocky looks for the owner, trying to determine who it was who hurt the dog. This mystery is also one of the themes of this book, and yes, the mystery does get solved and Rocky does fall in love again.
In Good Grief, Lolly Winston managed to describe grief so well that you felt it. If you’ve lost anyone close to you, you will FEEL this book. The main character in this book, Sophie, pretty much breaks down in a way we all fear we will if this would happen to us. I have to admit being close to shedding a tear. Although a book can affect me profoundly, I don’t usually cry openly when reading.
Sophie, a public relations executive in Silicon Valley, was no stranger to grief. Her mother died when she was 12, and now she had the unfortunate chance to watch her husband die, as he battled cancer. When he died, she couldn’t function. Before she actually got fired, she took a leave of absence and headed north to the small town of Ashland, Oregon, to stay with her best friend Ruth, and Ruth’s daughter, while she dealt with her grief.
Sophie struggled a lot more than Rocky, and after being unable to perform her job as a waitress in a cafe, she gets demoted to salad girl and then eventually to pastry, where she discovers her true passion. Sophie also, as a result of the loss of her mother and having those emotions resurface, becomes a Big Sister to Crystal, a troubled pre-teen. Their relationship changes both of them, which is surprising considering they are both a mess. And they don’t have a dog to help them!
It’s only a few weeks after Sophie moves to Ashland when she tries dating again. I cannot understand that part at all, as I cannot even imagine that in real life, Sophie would be ready to date again. She is really having trouble dealing with the death of her husband. Sophie does find love again at the end of the book, and it all takes place within a year. I guess because its a novel, we have to let go of rationality and allow the time frame to be as such. Although I do think it could have been written in two parts. Part two being “Three Years Later” or something that would be more realistic.
Lost & Found had mystery and Good Grief had humor. Both books were very good and very quick reads. I highly recommend them both. I give Lost & Found the edge, as I found Rocky’s “love story” a little bit more believable.
Verdict: Lost & Found A; Good Grief B+
