Product Description

What do a suburban mom, her troubled daughter, divorced brothers, former child stars, born-again Christians, and young millionaires have in common? They have all been selected to compete on LOST AND FOUND, the daring new reality show. In teams of two, they will race across the globe--from Egypt to England, from Japan to Sweden--to battle for a million-dollar prize. They must decipher encrypted clues, recover mysterious artifacts, and outwit their opponents to stay in play.

Yet what started as a lark turns deadly serious as the number of players is whittled down, temptations beckon, and the bonds between partners strain and unravel. The question now is not only who will capture the final prize, but at what cost.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #768220 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Luckily, this novel about a reality-TV show is a satire, if an often muted one. Addressing the comedy and tragedy of missed connections, bestseller Parkhurst (The Dogs of Babel) uses the forum of Lost and Found, an Amazing Race–type competition, for a mostly somber (but occasionally very funny) set of character studies. As two-person teams journey from Egypt to Japan to Scandinavia, the carefully constructed, TV-ready personae of the competitors slowly unravel. Employing a constantly shifting perspective, Parkhurst admirably juggles a large cast of characters, with a number of competitors emerging as standouts: squabbling mother and daughter Laura and Cassie, tormented by a secret neither of them wants to publicly acknowledge; Justin and Abby, an "ex-gay" married couple wrestling with unruly desire; and Juliet, a former child star desperately angling for a return to the limelight. Parkhurst treats the game show as an opportunity for the contestants to decide, as the producer asks of them, "What have you found?" The answer for readers: heart and wit to spare. (June 13)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–Heres a fast-paced novel featuring a reality TV show that is like The Amazing Race and Treasure Hunt combined. Contestants have personal secrets and have been chosen specifically because producers hope that they will spill their guts for ratings. The action focuses on four characters. Justin and Abby are a married couple, a lesbian and a gay man who have renounced their lifestyles and proudly carry the banner of their newfound faith while they both struggle to remain straight. Although described as young, these two seem much older than their years in their pursuit of a traditional marriage. Meanwhile, the mother-daughter team of Laura and Cassie deals with the fact that the girl gave birth without anyone even noticing that she was pregnant. When she is given the chance to choose a different teammate–and does–emotions and rivalry ratchet up exponentially. Teens may well relate to Cassie, who feels alienated from her mother and unable to communicate about the most basic parts of her personality (most notably, that she is attracted to women). Lauras reaction is that of love and guilt. Despite being rejected, she keeps trying to find a way to connect to her daughter. An over-the-top, dramatic ending leaves some loose ends, but there is satisfaction in the resolution for a couple of the characters. Older teens may find that this book presses just the right buttons.–Charlotte Bradshaw, San Mateo County Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From The Washington Post
In Carolyn Parkhurst's debut novel, The Dogs of Babel, a widower tries to teach his dog to speak in hopes of hearing how his wife died. That irresistibly bizarre premise helped the unknown Washington author break through the publicity din and secure all kinds of enthusiastic attention in 2003. Her new novel, Lost and Found, has an equally risky plot, but this time the danger involves banality rather than freakishness. The title refers to the reality TV show of the same name, and the chapters are narrated by contestants racing around the world looking for clues to win a million dollars. You'd think that tired premise would be the first one voted off the island at a network retreat, but just last week NBC added "Treasure Hunter" to this badly worn genre, so somebody somewhere must think there's more life here. Parkhurst doesn't help her case by delivering all those familiar arguments about the cultural implications of reality TV: the self-consciousness of modern life, the demo cratization of fame, the artifice of contemporary reality. In the future, everyone will make these famous points for 15 minutes.

But fortunately, what really interests Parkhurst is quiet, private agonies of love and shame, and on this score she delivers several surprisingly moving stories. As on "The Amazing Race," the contest here is really just an excuse to bring together a diverse group of people who would otherwise never be thrown together. (Before reality TV, we had to rely on Lamaze classes or jury duty.) The contestants come in pairs, most of which are just background figures for the dominant voices that quickly emerge:

The two brothers from Boston are nice guys but not too interesting. The "young millionaire investors" are stick figures we never get to know. Same for "the former high school sweethearts who have recently been reunited after twenty years apart." But Juliet and Dallas, "the former child stars," add some bitter humor about the corrosive nature of fame. Having lived her entire life -- even in utero -- under the celebrity spotlight, Juliet views her appearance on a reality TV show as a chance to remake herself into a more "real" person, "good-natured and down-to-earth." She isn't merely vain; she lives in a vise of self-consciousness that renders her incapable of spontaneity or authenticity -- or friendship.

The darkest, most troubled couple on the show are Justin and Abby, "Team Brimstone." As they tell everyone, constantly, "the power of the Lord rescued them from homosexuality and delivered them into the loving grace of Christian marriage." They met in an ex-gay ministry called Redemption that trained them to discard homosexual thoughts and channel their affections to members of the opposite sex. How easily Parkhurst could have delivered the requisite liberal satire of homophobic evangelical Christians. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but she does something far more interesting and sympathetic. Determined to convince himself that he's straight, poor Justin has been living a kind of reality TV life long before "Lost & Found" -- always watching himself, tending his desires, correcting himself. He salivates over the cameraman's abs while hugging his wife in a desperate imitation of husbandly affection.

"If, for a moment, a wiggling fish of a thought should happen to skim the surface of my mind," he explains with faux confidence, "I simply stop it in its path. I scoop it up and hold it in the air until it suffocates." Parkhurst grasps the tragedy of his conflicted soul: the constantly renewed cycle of self-loathing and self-righteousness, the tragic misdirection of spiritual energy that eventually makes Justin a very dangerous character.

His wife, meanwhile, is more honest with herself about the challenge they're facing. She adores her husband and longs to be rid of the shame she feels, but, she confesses, "It's like teaching a plant to respond to the moon instead of the sun." In one of the most touching moments, she tells us that she can't wait to be very old, "when I can finally see myself at peace. . . . Seventy, eighty, ninety years old. None of this will matter then. Right?"

A mother-and-daughter team, Laura and Cassie, serves as the novel's central characters. They're ordinary people in a way the others aren't, which makes them useful foils and more reliable narrators, but Parkhurst also spends more time with them, exploring the currents of love and exasperation that run between them. Laura worries that she's been a shamefully inattentive mother, but of course the last thing 17-year-old Cassie wants now is her mother's chumminess. "No one else ever loves you the way your children do when they're young," Laura thinks in the wake of a typically sarcastic, frustrating conversation with Cassie. "I try not to spend too much time thinking about those days, because I know they're perfect only in memory, and I know I need to focus on the girl I've got in front of me right now. But sometimes I can't help but give in to it."

Beyond the cameras and the manufactured "encounters" of this TV show, Parkhurst catches us again and again with these moments of real tenderness. Long before the end, the million dollars doesn't matter; other things, far more important, are found here. And that's reason enough to tune in.

Reviewed by Ron Charles
Copyright 2006, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

Customer Reviews

This Book is a Real Find
It's a worldwide treasure hunt, and there are seven teams in the game. Lugging everything from aviator caps to parrots to fake sushi, the players are after a million-dollar prize.

The teams are as dynamic as the game, each with their own secrets. There's the mother and daughter with the strained relationship, the brothers who share all the jokes, the former child stars, the former high school sweethearts, a Christian couple, the millionaire buddies, and the flight attendants.

In true reality show fashion, nothing is as it seems, and secrets have a way of exploding in their keepers' faces. The question each player must answer is whether the prize is worth the journey.

Each chapter is told first person by a different character. This technique is effective from the standpoint that the reader gets hints into the key players' lives. It's reminiscent of the reality show trend of privately interviewing the players during the game, only more intimate. While rounding out the complete picture, it also helps the reader keep track of the game's progress.

Lost and Found is a fast pace take on American culture and how signing up for a reality show can ruin or mend lives. In truth, it becomes a parable for "what you want isn't always what you need."

Parkhurst delivers a clever, sometimes funny, sometimes heart-wrenching tale sure to leave its mark. This read is most definitely worth your time.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
5/22/2006

What A Clever Idea!
First off, Carolyn Parkhurst should get an award for most ingenious idea for a novel. Capitalizing on the craze and glut of reality shows on the air and taking a cue from most notably, 'The Amazing Race' she has created a clever and ultimately heart warming novel about a group of contestants on a world hopping reality entry called, 'Lost and Found'. What evolves is a kid gloved satire that pokes at among other things, the pursuit of elusive fame, the ex-gay movement, and the opportunity to be a millionaire at whatever cost.The novel's strengths and weaknesses are on par with the genre she's depicting. Some characters are severely underdeveloped to give more "air time" to the central characters and story lines that shape the backbone of the book. Additionally, towards the end the events have a literary manipulation to them, much like the producers of the shows are thought of to do to craft a neat and satisfying ending. I would've been even happier to read a longer novel that spent more time with some of the other characters who were quickly eliminated with a few choice words.The idea could span literally hundreds of contestant ideas. (Someone should adapt this into a tv show of it's own! ) It's a rather enjoyable and unique book, and for people who especially enjoy 'The Amazing Race' there is plenty here to identify with.

An Interesting Read with Each Chapter in the Viewpoint of a Different Character
You've lost the game, but what have you found? That is the irritating question by reality show host, Barbara Fox, when a team is eliminated from the game.

This scavenger hunt show takes contestants to all parts of the world in search of items that they must carry to the end of the show. Clues are distributed to the teams before each leg of the hunt.

The many twists and turns of the game bring out the best and worst in people. The two-person teams either get closer or can't wait to get away from their partner. The team that makes it to the end with all the items first wins a million dollars.

Laura is a widowed mother who hopes that Lost and Found will bring her and her daughter, Cassie, closer. Cassie had a baby in her bedroom by herself. Laura wasn't aware she was pregnant. The relationship is distant to put it mildly.

Carl and Jeff are brothers with different personalities. Carl is more serious and a very devoted father while Jeff is a comedian who's not afraid to go the extra mile for a laugh.

Jason and Abby are married to each other leaving the gay lifestyle. They have a message to give to the world that with God's help they can leave the sin of homosexuality behind and live in a heterosexual relationship.

Juliet and Dallas are both childhood stars that are trying to make it to the top of Hollywood again. The exposure on this show, they feel, will be the ticket to stardom that they once experienced. How far will they go to be in the limelight?

There are a few other teams involved in this race against time. Discover what can happen to people as they are under pressure in many ways, to make it through and win this game and what happens "behind the scene."

Lost and Found is an interesting read as each chapter is the viewpoint of a different character. Traveling with the contestants to different parts of the world leaves the reader with glimpses of what it's like to be at each place.