Blog Tour: 'Of Things Gone Astray' by Janina Matthewson

Mrs Featherby had been having pleasant dreams until she woke to discover the front of her house had vanished overnight …
On a seemingly normal morning in London, a group of people all lose something dear to them, something dear but peculiar: the front of their house, their piano keys, their sense of direction, their place of work.
Meanwhile, Jake, a young boy whose father brings him to London following his mother’s sudden death in an earthquake, finds himself strangely attracted to other people’s lost things. But little does he realise that his most valuable possession, his relationship with his dad, is slipping away from him.
Of Things Gone Astray is a magical fable about modern life and values. Perfect for fans of Andrew Kaufman and Cecelia Ahern.
Today I’m really excited to be part of the blog tour for Janina Matthewson’s debut novel ‘Of Things Gone Astray’, which was released as a hardback and e-book on the 28th of August! I am really thankful that I was contacted by the lovely people from Lightbrigade PR to review this book, because as soon as I read the blurb I had a feeling this would be quite a special book, something different from anything I’ve read before. The description says that this novel is perfect for fans of Cecelia Ahern, who is one of my favourite authors, so I looked forward to checking it out!
On an average morning in the city of London, a group of various individuals all somehow lose or have lost something in their lives: Delia loses her sense of direction; Robert loses his place of work; Marcus loses the keys on his piano; Mrs. Featherby loses the front of her house; young boy Jake is trying to deal with the loss of his mother and Cassie is in the process of coming to terms with the loss of her one big love. Each and every single one of these people has to find their own way to deal with what they have lost in their lives, what it might represent and what they can do to get it back or decide the change might actually be for the better.
With ‘Of Things Gone Astray’ Janina Matthewson has managed to write a captivating debut novel; a book that is unlike anything else I’ve read before. The novel consists of numerous relatively short chapters told from the perspectives of six different characters. Each of them has his/her own story to share with the reader and I enjoyed each and every single one of these stories and how the author managed to connect these in certain ways as well. I don’t want to give too much away about the characters and their specific losses, because I think it would ruin the reading experience, but I was personally specifically touched by Cassie’s and Jake’s stories.
The theme that runs throughout the book in different forms is loss. All of the characters have lost something important in their lives and now they are trying to find it or finding a way to live without it. Janina Matthewson really envisioned the concept of loss in different and creative ways which definitely added something special to the book. It is a rather quick read thanks to the relatively short chapters, but this didn’t make the reading experience any less special. I understand the fact that Cecelia Ahern is mentioned in the book description, because I do think fans of her books will enjoy this as well. However, Janina Matthewson definitely has her own unique style and I can’t wait to see what else she will come up with in the future. ‘Of Things Gone Astray’ is a simply stunning and unique read; a book filled with characters and stories I will not forget for a long time to come.  Rating:

8,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.