Member Review

The Things That We Lost by Jyoti Patel

Thank you Netgallery and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an arc for an unbiased review.

This is a debut novel, and like the previous 2 debut novels I've read, it absolutely delivers in an extraordinary way.
The prologue had me hooked. Avani is introduced, and while I immediately had a sense of where the story of her past might be headed, it still grabbed me in, as I wanted to not only know if my instinct was right, but the details to be filled in.

We then immediately move to Nik, trying to find his grandfather in hospital, as he had been moved. You sensed the closeness they had from the off. We then move through various points in time. Some are present day, some scenes are from the past. It melds into a story that is done beautifully well in my opinion.

We see all kinds of themes tackled. Some are small, some larger. Some obvious, others less so. Yet I felt they not only made sense within the context of the story, it allowed us to see love, loathing and family dynamics play out in many realistic ways.

I'm more than happy to give this 5/5 stars. As I said, another recent debut novel that is great in its execution and leaving me wanting more in the future by Jyoti Patel.

Oh and were my instincts right? Yes, although the details were far richer than I imagined, and at least once made me sit back and utter, "wow."

I highly recommend this book.