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lost boy lost girl: A Novel
From the bestselling author of "Black House" and "Mr. X" springs a groundbreaking story of the persistence of evil, told with tantalizing ambiguity and structural audacity.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
249 people are currently reading
4950 people want to read
About the author
Peter Straub
259 books4,201 followersPeter Straub was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Gordon Anthony Straub and Elvena (Nilsestuen) Straub.
Straub read voraciously from an early age, but his literary interests did not please his parents; his father hoped that he would grow up to be a professional athlete, while his mother wanted him to be a Lutheran minister. He attended Milwaukee Country Day School on a scholarship, and, during his time there, began writing.
Straub earned an honors BA in English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1965, and an MA at Columbia University a year later. He briefly taught English at Milwaukee Country Day, then moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 1969 to work on a PhD, and to start writing professionally
After mixed success with two attempts at literary mainstream novels in the mid-1970s ("Marriages" and "Under Venus"), Straub dabbled in the supernatural for the first time with "Julia" (1975). He then wrote "If You Could See Me Now" (1977), and came to widespread public attention with his fifth novel, "Ghost Story" (1979), which was a critical success and was later adapted into a 1981 film. Several horror novels followed, with growing success, including "The Talisman" and "Black House", two fantasy-horror collaborations with Straub's long-time friend and fellow author Stephen King.
In addition to his many novels, he published several works of poetry during his lifetime.
In 1966, Straub married Susan Bitker.They had two children; their daughter, Emma Straub, is also a novelist. The family lived in Dublin from 1969 to 1972, in London from 1972 to 1979, and in the New York City area from 1979 onwards.
Straub died on September 4, 2022, aged 79, from complications of a broken hip. At the time of his death, he and his wife lived in Brooklyn (New York City).
Straub read voraciously from an early age, but his literary interests did not please his parents; his father hoped that he would grow up to be a professional athlete, while his mother wanted him to be a Lutheran minister. He attended Milwaukee Country Day School on a scholarship, and, during his time there, began writing.
Straub earned an honors BA in English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1965, and an MA at Columbia University a year later. He briefly taught English at Milwaukee Country Day, then moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 1969 to work on a PhD, and to start writing professionally
After mixed success with two attempts at literary mainstream novels in the mid-1970s ("Marriages" and "Under Venus"), Straub dabbled in the supernatural for the first time with "Julia" (1975). He then wrote "If You Could See Me Now" (1977), and came to widespread public attention with his fifth novel, "Ghost Story" (1979), which was a critical success and was later adapted into a 1981 film. Several horror novels followed, with growing success, including "The Talisman" and "Black House", two fantasy-horror collaborations with Straub's long-time friend and fellow author Stephen King.
In addition to his many novels, he published several works of poetry during his lifetime.
In 1966, Straub married Susan Bitker.They had two children; their daughter, Emma Straub, is also a novelist. The family lived in Dublin from 1969 to 1972, in London from 1972 to 1979, and in the New York City area from 1979 onwards.
Straub died on September 4, 2022, aged 79, from complications of a broken hip. At the time of his death, he and his wife lived in Brooklyn (New York City).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 506 reviews
January 6, 2022
Peter Straub has a way with words. Some people don’t like that. “Too wordy”, they say. Well, I don’t share that sentiment. I could immerse myself in beautiful prose all day long, thank you very much.
Now.
lost boy lost girl
A review.
Yes I am here, yes I was real. You denied me.
This is one of the finest examples of literary horror I have ever read. I would like to emphasize that Peter Straub does.not.spoonfeed.his.readers. The “literary” bit is just as important here as the “horror” bit so an appreciation of the art is just as essential as an open mind. This book is plenty creepy, but never resorts to shock tactics; it just sort of sneaks up on you. Although the story is different from, say,
Ghost Story, the same sense of inevitability seems to be present, simmering just beneath the surface. No, it isn’t fast paced, but it doesn’t need to be, because the story itself carries an unstoppable momentum. You just know it’s headed someplace.
Hasten hasten, night comes on.
lost boy lost girl is told through more than one viewpoint, and not chronologically. There is a reason for this, but it could conceivably throw some readers off the scent. The story is speckled with just enough hints for you to start forming your own conclusions along the way, irrespective of how right or wrong they may be. Straub’s stories are firmly rooted in reality, even the ones with supernatural elements. The horror he describes, even though palpable, is often subtle and surprising in form. We learn what we need to know about the characters in the way they treat each other, the things they say. This is a story about real people in the real world, and bad things happen; this is not a story about the bizarre, where reality takes a distinct back seat. There is a big picture and it’s the things scratching around at the periphery that rattles us, that eventually turns this story into a Horror novel.
Hurry hurry, little boy, do your worst, dark dark night approacheth.
It’s a rather clever story about the seductive nature of: (and here you can take your pick in accordance with your own interpretation of the story) The unknown? Evil?… and guilt… and whether the resolution of the events is to your taste or not, you’d have to agree that it is strangely hopeful and not exactly run of the mill.
Aren’t you afraid?
How good is it then?
Well, you don’t have to take my word for it, but surely Stephen King’s opinion carries a bit of weight around here. Also, lost boy lost girl won the Bram Stoker Award for best novel in 2003 and was nominated for the August Derleth Award.
It’s good!
Look at me, take me in, I am here.
Recommended
Added to Favourites
Now.
lost boy lost girl
A review.
Yes I am here, yes I was real. You denied me.
This is one of the finest examples of literary horror I have ever read. I would like to emphasize that Peter Straub does.not.spoonfeed.his.readers. The “literary” bit is just as important here as the “horror” bit so an appreciation of the art is just as essential as an open mind. This book is plenty creepy, but never resorts to shock tactics; it just sort of sneaks up on you. Although the story is different from, say,
Ghost Story, the same sense of inevitability seems to be present, simmering just beneath the surface. No, it isn’t fast paced, but it doesn’t need to be, because the story itself carries an unstoppable momentum. You just know it’s headed someplace.
Hasten hasten, night comes on.
lost boy lost girl is told through more than one viewpoint, and not chronologically. There is a reason for this, but it could conceivably throw some readers off the scent. The story is speckled with just enough hints for you to start forming your own conclusions along the way, irrespective of how right or wrong they may be. Straub’s stories are firmly rooted in reality, even the ones with supernatural elements. The horror he describes, even though palpable, is often subtle and surprising in form. We learn what we need to know about the characters in the way they treat each other, the things they say. This is a story about real people in the real world, and bad things happen; this is not a story about the bizarre, where reality takes a distinct back seat. There is a big picture and it’s the things scratching around at the periphery that rattles us, that eventually turns this story into a Horror novel.
Hurry hurry, little boy, do your worst, dark dark night approacheth.
It’s a rather clever story about the seductive nature of: (and here you can take your pick in accordance with your own interpretation of the story) The unknown? Evil?… and guilt… and whether the resolution of the events is to your taste or not, you’d have to agree that it is strangely hopeful and not exactly run of the mill.
Aren’t you afraid?
How good is it then?
Well, you don’t have to take my word for it, but surely Stephen King’s opinion carries a bit of weight around here. Also, lost boy lost girl won the Bram Stoker Award for best novel in 2003 and was nominated for the August Derleth Award.
It’s good!
Look at me, take me in, I am here.
Recommended
Added to Favourites
October 19, 2018
Not an altogether horrible horror novel. It's not, bless us all, the diarrheal trainwreck that was "Ghost Story," one of P. Straub's most strikingly overvalued works. No, this one has that Michael Myers-like phobia of the suburbs, of the persons lurking in the house next door. And if the biggest implausibility of a fifteen year old twink having sex with a salacious ghost girl doesn't strike you as too absurd, then the read is worthwhile. But if like me you had expected to come face-to-face with the Dark Man/the Shape/the Boogeyman at the end of this, well, this might not be your type of book.
August 7, 2022
Creepy and atmospheric, lost boy lost girl is the work of a gifted writer. A mother commits a horrific suicide and her sweet teenage son finds her body in Millhaven, a town going downhill fast. The boy's uncle, Tim Underhill, wants to help his nephew and solve the mystery of his sister-in-law's death. I was immersed from the start and didn't want it to end.
I dithered between 3 and 4 stars, because I loved this up until the ending. It is truly scary. The characters are fully realized people. I especially loved the boys, Mark and his best friend, Jimbo.The boy's father, Phillip, is particularly well drawn, and repugnant, a fool and a bully to his wife and son and brother. The murder house is tangibly evil, as are the creatures who work there.
.
I dithered between 3 and 4 stars, because I loved this up until the ending. It is truly scary. The characters are fully realized people. I especially loved the boys, Mark and his best friend, Jimbo.The boy's father, Phillip, is particularly well drawn, and repugnant, a fool and a bully to his wife and son and brother. The murder house is tangibly evil, as are the creatures who work there.
.
July 29, 2010
What's not to like in this book? An all male cast filled with one dimensional stereotypes. A major failing of the Bechdel test. A serial killer sub-plot that goes nowhere. An evil house that does nothing. A story about evil where the only person who dies is a suicide, and that's on page one. A story about a ghost where the ghost who finally shows up just wants to have sex...but "off screen," of course. Wouldn't want anything to actually happen in this book, would we?
In a book of dull and offensive characters, only Mark Underhill stands out as a decently memorable person. His uncle is a "famous writer," which means he needs no other personality traits, ever. His father Phillip is a walking steroetype of a racist and msyogonist who can't stop thinking of himself longer than five minutes. There's the stereotypical tough talking cop, the plot device super-private detective friend, in case Tim the famous writer needs an answer without actually performing any investigative work, the over confident but really stupid rich white male serial killer in his thirties, Mark's best buddy Jimbo, and Jimbo's equally annoying drunk dad, Jackie.
There are only two female characters who have more than a scene or two of dialogue, one of whom commits suicide, Mark's mother. She rarely talks in the flashbacks, and her presence in the book, even in flashbacks, serves no useful purpose. The other female bit character, Jimbo's mother, serves as a sex symbol for Mark, and a sidekick for grilling Jimbo with Tim. She coos and says nice things to Mark, and then when Tim needs Jimbo too talk, she wags her finger sternly and repeats the same lines over and over: "Now Jim, you tell Mr. Underhill everything you know!" But otherwise she stays barefoot and in the kitchen like a good little woman. There is also supposed to be a female ghost, but she is only mentioned in passing...having sex with one of the guys.
So Mark is the only reason to keep reading, simply because he's the only one presented with any personality and no negative stereotypes. In a book of assholes, he's the only who who doesn't stink. But that's really not saying much, and the story frequently proposes that Mark is a super-genius fifteen-year-old, and every cop who ever dealt with the house of a prior serial killer was retarded. And blind. And so is the current generation of cops as well. I frequently found myself snorting, rolling my eyes, or yelling "bullshit" at the sheer lack of logic in most every scene.
And the narration, oho ome-o my-o, what attempts at narrative emotions that pluck pluck pluck at the heart but fail to stir the organ itself. (And seriously, what did this guy's editor have against commas?) Like the sentence above, the narration FREQUENTLY tries over and over to be artsy, and instead it sucks up what little tension the book has left.
But then it never had much tension to begin with because nothing happens. What did happen is all narrated in the past tense in clinical terms. It's split between a third person narrator and Tim the famous writer's dull journal entries, and this whole story is relayed in such a jumbled way that there is never a sense of danger or dread.
The conclusion is a snoozer that frankly makes no sense. The killer claims to have been emulating The Dark Man to scare Mark, but that does not explain how he appeared in front of a cop and disappeared twice. The killer never mentions this either, so it feels like a loose thread that didn't get snipped out in editing.
This book was dull dull dull with a narrator oh me oh my who was oh-so-gosh darned irritating that I very much long to strangle him with typewriter ribbon. The only reasons I stuck with this story are that I liked Mark and I kept thinking "Any minute now, this is going to get scary." It never did. This book was a major disappointment. I give it 1 star, and I would not recommend it to anyone.
In a book of dull and offensive characters, only Mark Underhill stands out as a decently memorable person. His uncle is a "famous writer," which means he needs no other personality traits, ever. His father Phillip is a walking steroetype of a racist and msyogonist who can't stop thinking of himself longer than five minutes. There's the stereotypical tough talking cop, the plot device super-private detective friend, in case Tim the famous writer needs an answer without actually performing any investigative work, the over confident but really stupid rich white male serial killer in his thirties, Mark's best buddy Jimbo, and Jimbo's equally annoying drunk dad, Jackie.
There are only two female characters who have more than a scene or two of dialogue, one of whom commits suicide, Mark's mother. She rarely talks in the flashbacks, and her presence in the book, even in flashbacks, serves no useful purpose. The other female bit character, Jimbo's mother, serves as a sex symbol for Mark, and a sidekick for grilling Jimbo with Tim. She coos and says nice things to Mark, and then when Tim needs Jimbo too talk, she wags her finger sternly and repeats the same lines over and over: "Now Jim, you tell Mr. Underhill everything you know!" But otherwise she stays barefoot and in the kitchen like a good little woman. There is also supposed to be a female ghost, but she is only mentioned in passing...having sex with one of the guys.
So Mark is the only reason to keep reading, simply because he's the only one presented with any personality and no negative stereotypes. In a book of assholes, he's the only who who doesn't stink. But that's really not saying much, and the story frequently proposes that Mark is a super-genius fifteen-year-old, and every cop who ever dealt with the house of a prior serial killer was retarded. And blind. And so is the current generation of cops as well. I frequently found myself snorting, rolling my eyes, or yelling "bullshit" at the sheer lack of logic in most every scene.
And the narration, oho ome-o my-o, what attempts at narrative emotions that pluck pluck pluck at the heart but fail to stir the organ itself. (And seriously, what did this guy's editor have against commas?) Like the sentence above, the narration FREQUENTLY tries over and over to be artsy, and instead it sucks up what little tension the book has left.
But then it never had much tension to begin with because nothing happens. What did happen is all narrated in the past tense in clinical terms. It's split between a third person narrator and Tim the famous writer's dull journal entries, and this whole story is relayed in such a jumbled way that there is never a sense of danger or dread.
The conclusion is a snoozer that frankly makes no sense. The killer claims to have been emulating The Dark Man to scare Mark, but that does not explain how he appeared in front of a cop and disappeared twice. The killer never mentions this either, so it feels like a loose thread that didn't get snipped out in editing.
This book was dull dull dull with a narrator oh me oh my who was oh-so-gosh darned irritating that I very much long to strangle him with typewriter ribbon. The only reasons I stuck with this story are that I liked Mark and I kept thinking "Any minute now, this is going to get scary." It never did. This book was a major disappointment. I give it 1 star, and I would not recommend it to anyone.
May 6, 2022
"What was at stake here, he thought, was the solidity of the world.”
4.5 ⭐
Initial Thoughts
My love affair with Peter Straub continues. At this rate we’ll be moving in together! I’ve read five books by the guy so far and loved them all. The last one was only two weeks ago when I tackled The Throat, which was absolutely fantastic, and I just couldn’t hold off from having another romantic interlude with perhaps the most talented author that’s writing in the horror genre today.
I, like almost everyone else, became aware of Straub when I read The Talisman, which he co-wrote with Stephen King. Well what made the most famous man in the horror genre want to write a book with him? Let me just say that Straub, much like King himself, is a master of bringing the horrific and supernatural stuff into narratives about real people. His stories are packed with drama and character, giving them a real literary feel that you just don’t get with most other horror authors.
So more about my current read, Lost Boy Lost Girl. This book is part of his Blue Rose series, which centres around the character of Tim Underhill and his connections with a series of murders committed by the Blue Rose killer. After completing the original trilogy, I just couldn’t help reading more of this superb collection of work. Particularly when I discovered it was the prestigious winner of the coveted Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel.
The Story
So what type of story is Lost Boy Lost Girl? I can best describe it as a haunted-house story wrapped up in a mystery that’s got elements of a ghost story in there, with a good dose of family drama. Again, we have an appearance from successful novelist and recurring character, Tim Underhill, who first made an appearance in the brilliant Vietnam infused, murder/mystery Koko.
The story commences when Underhill returns to his hometown of Milhaven for the funeral of his sister-in-law, after she was found dead in the bathtub by her son Mark. He naturally wants to get to the bottom of this and begins to investigate the sudden and unexpected death.
"All at once, Mark felt that the house’s very emptiness and abandonment made up a force field that extended to the edge of the sidewalk. The air itself would reject his presence and push him back. And yet . . ."
Things get even more tense when Mark disappears a week later and the local police department suspect the work of the Sherman Park Killer who has been abducting teenage boys. In the middle of this mystery is a creepy house that has sat abandoned in the neighbourhood for years. This house quickly becomes an obsession for young Mark. So it’s all down to our favourite novelist to once again find out exactly what the hell is going on.
The Writing
Straub’s writing is always one of my favourite things to talk about, other than myself. He has an elegant style that contains a subtle intensity that takes hold of me at the very core and won’t let go. I’ll keep on saying that his prose are potentially the best of anyone in the horror genre and possess a clarity and richness that enables him to paint a vivid portrait of real life that can take your breath away. Straub imposes a tangible atmosphere through these fantastically crafted sentences that provides a very psychological experience.
"When you were with him, you felt like you were carrying a tremendous weight. Of what, I can hardly say. Hostility. It was like a black cloud surrounded him. When you were with him, it surrounded you, too. You felt all that stifled anger and hostility and depression even when he was telling you that he would pray for you. I’ve often thought that’s what evil feels like. That the evil in him poisoned the atmosphere and made it awful to be around him.”
He also has a superb ear for dialogue that really helps to give his characters personality and bring them to life. We're not quite on Stephen King level here, but we are in that ball park.
The narrative is divided into five parts, and they move back and forth in time, presenting different points of view. Tim Underhill provides one perspective thats written in the third person. We then have another focusing on Mark, Tim's nephew, and it also provides both current events with flashbacks, experienced and presented through a number of characters’ viewpoints. It sounds convoluted, but it really does work. That's testament to the skill of Straub as an author that he can juggle so many competing aspects and bring them all together in a way that really works.
The Characters
I wouldn’t say that character development is Straub’s number one quality, but he is amongst the elite in his ability to create a completely believable and realistic cast that you care about. At this point in the Blue Rose series, I am fully invested in the main protagonist Tim Underhill and the town of Milhaven, which is a character in itself.
With much of Lost Boy Lost girl being told from the viewpoint of Tim Underhill, we get to spend a lot of time in his head space. As I’ve said before it is apparent from watching interviews with Straub that this character closely mirrors himself and as a result makes for fascinating reading. But there’s a fine selection of supporting characters in this one and each has a purpose that brings a little something to the narrative.
Underhill’s brother, Philip, is an intriguing individual who has very few redeemable features and extremely limited social attributes, despite not being an evil person. There’s a clear sense of disharmony within his family unit and its evident that his emotional disassociation is having a clear negative impact. His teenage son, Mark Underhill, adds an extra perspective and dimension as he explores Milhaven with his friend Jimbo in search of the Sherman Park killer. At certain parts his behaviour lacked congruency, but only slightly, and his relationship with his uncle Tim was compelling and gave added depth to both characters.
Final Thoughts
Lost Boy Lost girl, while not being Straub’s best piece of work, is a very good story and that puts it well above almost all other stuff that’s available in the horror genre. If you’ve already read the original trilogy and enjoyed them then I one hundred percent recommend it.
"He understood why the neighborhood had silently agreed to forget about the empty house in their midst, to let their eyes go out of focus when they happened accidentally to find themselves looking at it. There were things you shouldn’t look at, things better not seen."
My only sticking point was that it was resolved a little too fast as it came to the end.
Straub, like his good friend Stephen King, is well known for his doorstop novels and I think there was more room to explore certain aspects. But this is certainly a minor complaint. Wait a second, did I actually criticise Peter Straub? I’ll be flogging myself to death right after I finish this review.
To sum things up, this is a disturbing, immersive and emotional experience that’s intelligently written with some quirky and funny aspects that make for a very entertaining read. The actual ending is not packaged up and is left somewhat open, which I really liked. Straub has a fantastic ability to engage and involve his reader and really got inside my head with this one. Give it a try and I’ve no doubt he’ll get inside yours, That’s if you can handle a more subtle and nuanced approach to your horror.
Fantastic work once again from a true legend of modern horror! 4.5 well deserved stars. Thanks for reading. Cheers!
Good work from one of modern horror’s undoubted greats!
A very dapper looking Peter Straub
August 13, 2021
“A sentence from his uncle’s book popped into his mind: ‘What was at stake here, he thought, was the solidity of the world.’
The house looked exactly the same, but it had altered itself nonetheless. In some internal fashion he had no hope of identifying, the house had adjusted to his presence. Mark waited. Chill drops of sweat glided down the sides of his chest. Unconsciously, he had balled his hands into fists, and the muscles in his calves and upper arms became unbearably taut. His eyes seemed to grow hot with the concentration of his staring. Mark’s entire body felt as if he were straining against an immovable force…”
Sick people who do sick things leave ripples that echo through time in the lives of everyone they touch. What if these echoes could manifest themselves, to pop through a rip in the fabric to cast judgement?
A trip from the bizarre and always original mind of Peter Straub back to Millhaven with Tim Underhill. This is sort of a continuation of Straub’s fantastic and legendary Blue Rose Trilogy (KOKO, Mystery, The Throat), but not really as they stand on their own. There were a few tenuous references to Koko, and one to Mystery that I picked up on, but nothing that a new reader would even bat an eye at. This is a book about a suicide, a psychopathic pedophilic killer, a haunted house, a writer, a young boy who’s finally found someone to love, and how they all tie in together, told in a gloriously non-linear style. Like all of Straub’s books however, it is more than what the narrative may suggest. It’s not about the mystery however; what happened, etc. it’s about WHY this all happened, which I found very thematically satisfying. People looking for a more traditional mystery will likely be disappointed though—this is no traditional whodunnit, nor is it a traditional haunted house story.
As is the norm with Straub, there are so many passages of poetic prose here, it’s hard not to get lost in it sometimes. His writing is similar to King’s, once again I can’t help but draw that comparison, but Straub is not a genre writer (not that King is just a genre writer; he’s not), but there’s no doubt that Straub puts a little more into every sentence than your average writer, and when he’s on, his words flow like music. He also has a creepy psychological aspect to his horrors that can range from subtlety creepy to leave-the-hall-light-on-scary. As I’ve said before, there are very few writers that are able to get in my head the way he can.
“In one way or another, Mark had awakened the Kalendars. Now they all had to live with the consequences, which would be unbearable but otherwise impossible to predict. A giant worm was loose, devouring reality in great mouthfuls. Now the worm’s sensors had located Nancy, and it’s great, humid body oozed ever closer, so close she could feel the earth yield beneath it.”
So how does this rank next to his bigger works? His Kokos, Ghost Storys, or Floating Dragons….well, the scope is smaller, and this is one of the things that worked against it. I think Peter intended this to be a smaller scale story, and it worked, and that’s fine, but that also means that it doesn’t quite reach the heights of some of his bigger works. I see that many find the end of this book unsatisfying, but like I stated above, I think they might be looking for this book to be something that it isn’t. The end, in my opinion, is totally par for the course for what this book, and the previously Tim Underhill books, are. Tim has always been a bit of an unreliable narrator in a sense, yet he always gets to the truth of the matter in his own way, even when the truth is sometimes too hard to face. Powerful stuff.
One negative that I have to mention is the teenage dialogue. This is common in books in general honestly, but some of it here was pretty funny. The teenagers in this book are about exactly my age-they’re high schoolers and this book came out in the early 2000s (2003 I think?), right when I was in high school. Peter tried to get the dialogue of kids at the time, but ooo boy did he miss the mark, bro. Yo, it just wasn’t accurate.
But that is ok, this comes up all the time, and I forgive it. Shit, I’m in my mid thirties and am so out of touch with teenagers today that I shutter to think of how bad it may read if I tried to write teenage dialogue. All things considered, he probably got much closer than I would.
4/5
The house looked exactly the same, but it had altered itself nonetheless. In some internal fashion he had no hope of identifying, the house had adjusted to his presence. Mark waited. Chill drops of sweat glided down the sides of his chest. Unconsciously, he had balled his hands into fists, and the muscles in his calves and upper arms became unbearably taut. His eyes seemed to grow hot with the concentration of his staring. Mark’s entire body felt as if he were straining against an immovable force…”
Sick people who do sick things leave ripples that echo through time in the lives of everyone they touch. What if these echoes could manifest themselves, to pop through a rip in the fabric to cast judgement?
A trip from the bizarre and always original mind of Peter Straub back to Millhaven with Tim Underhill. This is sort of a continuation of Straub’s fantastic and legendary Blue Rose Trilogy (KOKO, Mystery, The Throat), but not really as they stand on their own. There were a few tenuous references to Koko, and one to Mystery that I picked up on, but nothing that a new reader would even bat an eye at. This is a book about a suicide, a psychopathic pedophilic killer, a haunted house, a writer, a young boy who’s finally found someone to love, and how they all tie in together, told in a gloriously non-linear style. Like all of Straub’s books however, it is more than what the narrative may suggest. It’s not about the mystery however; what happened, etc. it’s about WHY this all happened, which I found very thematically satisfying. People looking for a more traditional mystery will likely be disappointed though—this is no traditional whodunnit, nor is it a traditional haunted house story.
As is the norm with Straub, there are so many passages of poetic prose here, it’s hard not to get lost in it sometimes. His writing is similar to King’s, once again I can’t help but draw that comparison, but Straub is not a genre writer (not that King is just a genre writer; he’s not), but there’s no doubt that Straub puts a little more into every sentence than your average writer, and when he’s on, his words flow like music. He also has a creepy psychological aspect to his horrors that can range from subtlety creepy to leave-the-hall-light-on-scary. As I’ve said before, there are very few writers that are able to get in my head the way he can.
“In one way or another, Mark had awakened the Kalendars. Now they all had to live with the consequences, which would be unbearable but otherwise impossible to predict. A giant worm was loose, devouring reality in great mouthfuls. Now the worm’s sensors had located Nancy, and it’s great, humid body oozed ever closer, so close she could feel the earth yield beneath it.”
So how does this rank next to his bigger works? His Kokos, Ghost Storys, or Floating Dragons….well, the scope is smaller, and this is one of the things that worked against it. I think Peter intended this to be a smaller scale story, and it worked, and that’s fine, but that also means that it doesn’t quite reach the heights of some of his bigger works. I see that many find the end of this book unsatisfying, but like I stated above, I think they might be looking for this book to be something that it isn’t. The end, in my opinion, is totally par for the course for what this book, and the previously Tim Underhill books, are. Tim has always been a bit of an unreliable narrator in a sense, yet he always gets to the truth of the matter in his own way, even when the truth is sometimes too hard to face. Powerful stuff.
One negative that I have to mention is the teenage dialogue. This is common in books in general honestly, but some of it here was pretty funny. The teenagers in this book are about exactly my age-they’re high schoolers and this book came out in the early 2000s (2003 I think?), right when I was in high school. Peter tried to get the dialogue of kids at the time, but ooo boy did he miss the mark, bro. Yo, it just wasn’t accurate.
But that is ok, this comes up all the time, and I forgive it. Shit, I’m in my mid thirties and am so out of touch with teenagers today that I shutter to think of how bad it may read if I tried to write teenage dialogue. All things considered, he probably got much closer than I would.
4/5
September 9, 2016
For some reason I avoided Peter Straub like the plague until one day in my twenties whilst stuck in Penn Station without a book I happened upon a copy of "Lost Boy Lost Girl" and out of desperation bought it. I have never looked back and as soon as I finished it I ran out and read everything else the man has written in something like a month.
"Lost Boy Lost Girl" is a ghost story but its also a story about surviving unspeakable loss.
Successful novelist Tim Underhill (a featured player in several of Straub's other works though its not necessary to have read anything else ahead of time) leaves his comfortable NYC loft and artsy friends to return to his childhood home in Millhaven to come to the aid of his horrible brother Mitchell who's wife has just killed herself. Shortly after his return to NYC his beloved nephew Mark goes missing and he returns to his hometown to help in the search. Mark had lately become obsessed with the derelict house that once belonged to a serial killer and had become convinced that a young girl was living there. At the same time its become increasingly apparent to the citizens of Millhaven that a new serial killer is stalking the teenage boys of the town.
Tim's search for his missing nephew leads him into the dark history of Mark's obsession with the house and its mysterious occupant and scares the holy hell out of the reader along the way.
Straub is like a more lyrical Stephen King. His stories are imaginative and frightening but also lovely to read. You can see why they've worked together so often.
"Lost Boy, Lost Girl" is a great first Straub novel (it was mine) and if you like I can't recommend the rest of his works highly enough.
"Lost Boy Lost Girl" is a ghost story but its also a story about surviving unspeakable loss.
Successful novelist Tim Underhill (a featured player in several of Straub's other works though its not necessary to have read anything else ahead of time) leaves his comfortable NYC loft and artsy friends to return to his childhood home in Millhaven to come to the aid of his horrible brother Mitchell who's wife has just killed herself. Shortly after his return to NYC his beloved nephew Mark goes missing and he returns to his hometown to help in the search. Mark had lately become obsessed with the derelict house that once belonged to a serial killer and had become convinced that a young girl was living there. At the same time its become increasingly apparent to the citizens of Millhaven that a new serial killer is stalking the teenage boys of the town.
Tim's search for his missing nephew leads him into the dark history of Mark's obsession with the house and its mysterious occupant and scares the holy hell out of the reader along the way.
Straub is like a more lyrical Stephen King. His stories are imaginative and frightening but also lovely to read. You can see why they've worked together so often.
"Lost Boy, Lost Girl" is a great first Straub novel (it was mine) and if you like I can't recommend the rest of his works highly enough.
February 25, 2020
Novelist Timothy Underhill, seeks unravel the tragic circumstances of the suicide of his sister, and the disappearance of his nephew which lead to a paedophilic killer and a haunted house. And anyone that reads my reviews (anyone?) knows that I just don't feel haunted house or ghost stories, and unfortunately this tales joins the others in my snooze bin. This is also yet another Straub book that does little for me. 3 out of 12.
May 15, 2016
This book was electric.
A ghost story, but not quite a ghost story.
Mysterious, but not quite a mystery.
This is a tough book to pigeonhole under a single genre title and, in truth, I found it more literary fiction than anything. (Though of course Straub is known as a horror author). This book accomplished what so few do in the genre however, and was a carefully crafted rubix cube puzzle that continued to unlock a square at a time in a delightfully fulfilling way. The characters were fully realized, dialogue crisp and realistic, but the two things that really made this book stand out were Straub's exquisite prose and the way he played with the timeline.
This year I've read far too many novels with a present storyline and a past storyline where the two come together at the end. In this novel, the storylines are interwoven to such a degree that they're constantly traipsing over each other but in a much more complex puzzle. With journal entries and competing point of views, it makes for an intimate journey. To give an idea of the complexity of the storylines and the way this novel is revealed, here's a great quote:
"After reading a section of an early journal of mine, Maggie Lah said, 'You write your journal like it was fiction.' I said, 'What makes you think it isn't?'"
The plot is extremely simple. A boy goes missing after his mother commits suicide. There's a mysterious, perhaps haunted, house. And the boy's uncle, a successful writer, who comes to play a major role in the unraveling of the mystery. We've seen variations of this a thousand times over to the point that the story itself almost sounds cliche. Straub proves he's a master of his craft, however, and it's no wonder this was a Bram Stoker Award Winner.
Don't expect in your face scares or huge momentous twists, but if you're looking for a subtly nuanced story where tension and atmosphere bleed off the page, you've found your next read. By far one of my favorites of the year.
A ghost story, but not quite a ghost story.
Mysterious, but not quite a mystery.
This is a tough book to pigeonhole under a single genre title and, in truth, I found it more literary fiction than anything. (Though of course Straub is known as a horror author). This book accomplished what so few do in the genre however, and was a carefully crafted rubix cube puzzle that continued to unlock a square at a time in a delightfully fulfilling way. The characters were fully realized, dialogue crisp and realistic, but the two things that really made this book stand out were Straub's exquisite prose and the way he played with the timeline.
This year I've read far too many novels with a present storyline and a past storyline where the two come together at the end. In this novel, the storylines are interwoven to such a degree that they're constantly traipsing over each other but in a much more complex puzzle. With journal entries and competing point of views, it makes for an intimate journey. To give an idea of the complexity of the storylines and the way this novel is revealed, here's a great quote:
"After reading a section of an early journal of mine, Maggie Lah said, 'You write your journal like it was fiction.' I said, 'What makes you think it isn't?'"
The plot is extremely simple. A boy goes missing after his mother commits suicide. There's a mysterious, perhaps haunted, house. And the boy's uncle, a successful writer, who comes to play a major role in the unraveling of the mystery. We've seen variations of this a thousand times over to the point that the story itself almost sounds cliche. Straub proves he's a master of his craft, however, and it's no wonder this was a Bram Stoker Award Winner.
Don't expect in your face scares or huge momentous twists, but if you're looking for a subtly nuanced story where tension and atmosphere bleed off the page, you've found your next read. By far one of my favorites of the year.
August 26, 2017
A haunted and inspired tale as only Straub can weave.
July 9, 2017
Even at the very beginning of my read of this short novel, I was on the road to a five-star review. In the middle, I was just as enthralled. Oh, the places this could go! A little further, and things began to unravel, and by the time I finished the last sentence, we had lost a couple of stars.
First a quick detailing of the premise, no spoilers yet.
Lost Boy Lost Girl is about many things. A mother that commits suicide, her husband who is a jackass, her son whose curiosity about the house next door is becoming an obsession, the crime fiction writing uncle who has come back home to attend a funeral and figure out why his nephew is now missing. Also, a kid named Jimbo.
Different aspects of the plot play out masterfully through different character’s eyes, and the writing here is top notch. The only part of the writing I balk at is the “adolescent” dialog between the two friends, Mark and Jimbo. Try as anyone might, it always seems to ring untrue when adults write modern (at the time) kidspeak.
The story also has many different elements: a ghost story equipped with a haunted house, a serial killer story – 2 actually, and things more literary, like broken families, loss; all teamed up with a who-dun-it type of feel, albeit a shallow one.
So, you may have guessed that the issue lies in that none of these aspects play out well; or I should say – to my own satisfaction. The “ghost story” ends up being a few pages of nothing spooky. The serial killer is just – whatever. Nothing is really resolved with the family, and what little closure is given seems pointless.
Now, Spoilers: The ghost, Lucy, is the daughter of a serial killer from long ago, who was the cousin of Mark’s mother. When the ghost shows up, all she wants to do is fuck Mark, and bring him into her world. Mark says ok. The End. And, unless I got confused – and I don’t think this is really said in the book – but Mark is banging his own ghost cousin – once removed, of course.
His mother kills herself, and that is one of the two main mysteries. The explanation of that seems to be that she couldn’t face knowing what she knew about what happened in the house, and that didn’t seem – real. So, in the end, the ghost story has no scares, and the serial killer story just kind of, ends. We have a pretty decent backstory on what happened in the house before, and that was undoubtedly the most satisfying part of the book. Then, we have an ending of two young people banging throughout time and space, sending poorly written emails, and badly shot videos to an uncle that I was never convinced was necessary to the story.
Still, the book gets three stars based off of Straub’s writing alone. He is one of the best, there is no doubt about that, and in the hands of a lesser writer, I would never have finished this book. I feel like there is some underlying level of clarity here that I just didn’t find. After doing a bit of research, I discovered that In the Night Room is actually a direct sequel, so maybe that adds something, and I will probably give it a whirl at some point. Also, Timothy Underhill, the writer uncle, is in some of Straub’s other books (that I also haven’t read), So maybe that justifies his placement in this book somehow.
From the back page, “[A] wonderful webwork of a book…It’s funny, and heartwarming, and genuinely scary.” -Neil Gaiman.
Sorry Mr. Gaiman, I love everything that you and your wife do, but none of that is true.
First a quick detailing of the premise, no spoilers yet.
Lost Boy Lost Girl is about many things. A mother that commits suicide, her husband who is a jackass, her son whose curiosity about the house next door is becoming an obsession, the crime fiction writing uncle who has come back home to attend a funeral and figure out why his nephew is now missing. Also, a kid named Jimbo.
Different aspects of the plot play out masterfully through different character’s eyes, and the writing here is top notch. The only part of the writing I balk at is the “adolescent” dialog between the two friends, Mark and Jimbo. Try as anyone might, it always seems to ring untrue when adults write modern (at the time) kidspeak.
The story also has many different elements: a ghost story equipped with a haunted house, a serial killer story – 2 actually, and things more literary, like broken families, loss; all teamed up with a who-dun-it type of feel, albeit a shallow one.
So, you may have guessed that the issue lies in that none of these aspects play out well; or I should say – to my own satisfaction. The “ghost story” ends up being a few pages of nothing spooky. The serial killer is just – whatever. Nothing is really resolved with the family, and what little closure is given seems pointless.
Now, Spoilers: The ghost, Lucy, is the daughter of a serial killer from long ago, who was the cousin of Mark’s mother. When the ghost shows up, all she wants to do is fuck Mark, and bring him into her world. Mark says ok. The End. And, unless I got confused – and I don’t think this is really said in the book – but Mark is banging his own ghost cousin – once removed, of course.
His mother kills herself, and that is one of the two main mysteries. The explanation of that seems to be that she couldn’t face knowing what she knew about what happened in the house, and that didn’t seem – real. So, in the end, the ghost story has no scares, and the serial killer story just kind of, ends. We have a pretty decent backstory on what happened in the house before, and that was undoubtedly the most satisfying part of the book. Then, we have an ending of two young people banging throughout time and space, sending poorly written emails, and badly shot videos to an uncle that I was never convinced was necessary to the story.
Still, the book gets three stars based off of Straub’s writing alone. He is one of the best, there is no doubt about that, and in the hands of a lesser writer, I would never have finished this book. I feel like there is some underlying level of clarity here that I just didn’t find. After doing a bit of research, I discovered that In the Night Room is actually a direct sequel, so maybe that adds something, and I will probably give it a whirl at some point. Also, Timothy Underhill, the writer uncle, is in some of Straub’s other books (that I also haven’t read), So maybe that justifies his placement in this book somehow.
From the back page, “[A] wonderful webwork of a book…It’s funny, and heartwarming, and genuinely scary.” -Neil Gaiman.
Sorry Mr. Gaiman, I love everything that you and your wife do, but none of that is true.
March 14, 2024
As with the other Peter Straub books I've read, you have to work a little harder, concentrate a little more than you do with some other authors. Everything is backside up and left side down, one minute you are in the kitchen baking cookies with auntie Jean, next you have the history of the Sasquatch followed by skateboarding with Eminem and then some journal entries from mysterious uncle Tim. Overall this book was 95% satisfying but man I wanted the baddie to suffer and he didn't and where the hell did Mark end up?
March 28, 2024
Peter Straub is truly a gifted writer! My enjoyment and appreciation of him grows each time I read one of his books.
This one was really good! It starts out a little slow but once it finally does pick up I was definitely hooked on the story and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the style of writing. The narrative switches between first and third person fairly seamlessly. The author's descriptions were thought-provoking and stimulating. I enjoyed the characters especially Tim and Mark. I don't know if I'd really call this a horror story. There are some paranormal aspects but nothing I'd consider scary or overly graphic. I felt like the ending was fulfilling and pleasing. I look forward to reading more Peter Straub books!
This one was really good! It starts out a little slow but once it finally does pick up I was definitely hooked on the story and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the style of writing. The narrative switches between first and third person fairly seamlessly. The author's descriptions were thought-provoking and stimulating. I enjoyed the characters especially Tim and Mark. I don't know if I'd really call this a horror story. There are some paranormal aspects but nothing I'd consider scary or overly graphic. I felt like the ending was fulfilling and pleasing. I look forward to reading more Peter Straub books!
June 30, 2016
A creepy, entertaining read. Had me hooked from the beginning and didn't let me go until the very end.
Highly recommended to any horror fan.
Highly recommended to any horror fan.
August 13, 2007
The unsettling account of the connections between a suicide, a missing boy, a missing girl, a serial killer and a haunted house, Lost Boy Lost Girl is a strange amalgam of parts. Even its narrative is scattered for such a short book, with a heavy emphasis on the uncle of the missing boy. His presence is so dominant (despite him being removed from nearly all of the plot, mostly learning of events after they happen) that the more intimate perspectives that come later feel out of place. Straub summons some truly creepy notions, like a ball of various victims' hair and an MPEG from the afterlife, but a good deal of the book is either unatmospheric and removed from substance (like the needlessly long introduction) or racing to make up for the boring parts. It might have made a better short story if it had just followed a couple of characters and focused on examinations of the haunted house and the spurious sightings. Straub's prose is the standard stuff found in crime fiction, except when he tries too hard to seem modern, namedropping people and things like J-Lo, Everybody Loves Raymond, cellphones and skateboarding in awkward ways that are often even phrased so clumsily that they come off as a desperate ploy to appeal to younger readers. But despite any shortcomings, Straub delivers a solid (if inconclusive) ending that's so interpretable that it might just warrant the book a second read-through.
December 31, 2011
I was hugely disappointed in this book. It is the story of a young teen that becomes obsessed with an empty house on the other side of the alley where he lives. It is a house that horrible murders took place many years prior. His mom knows the secret of the house and she ends of committing suicide and then the boy disappears. There is a serial killer on the loose and the assumption is he was now a victim of this man. There were parts of the story that were quite interesting but it did jump around a bit and I just, honestly, was not impressed with how this one went.
July 3, 2022
We’re reacquainted with the writer Timothy Underhill (Tom Pasmore makes an appearance as well) as he tries to help his brother Philip & his nephew Mark deal with the death/suicide of Philip’s wife Nancy.
At the same time, there’s boys mysteriously disappearing, a neighbouring house where the dark past seems to bleed into the present & family secrets waiting to come to light.
I enjoyed this slow burn mixing crime with a ghost story reminiscent of the classics & I’m glad it was recommended to me.
At the same time, there’s boys mysteriously disappearing, a neighbouring house where the dark past seems to bleed into the present & family secrets waiting to come to light.
I enjoyed this slow burn mixing crime with a ghost story reminiscent of the classics & I’m glad it was recommended to me.
October 22, 2016
Great story with lots of unusual twists, and hints of past books. It has a little gore and a little romance, and some characters you love to hate or pity or both. Straub doesn't bludgeon the reader with sex or violence. He requires the reader to think about and visualize. The reader must draw their own conclusions, and different readers are bound to have different interpretations.
January 16, 2019
A ghost, a suicide, a serial killer, and a kidnapped teenager all come together in this novel, but not in the way you might expect. As the story follows the Underhill family, Straub shakes up the narrative by telling this non-linear tale through different characters' perspectives, and also uses different methods, such as email exchanges, diary entries, and flashbacks. There are a few points where this confused me and I wasn't sure whose view the details were coming from, but it always kept my interest.
I've always loved Straub's use of language and this book was full of passages I adored, like "Nancy's voice was soft, tennis-ball fuzzy." What a great line! It's those small details that add a layer of reality to this atmospheric horror tale. It's a book you know is a work of fiction, but the story is so full and engrossing that there were moments I fully believed everything that happened.
I've always loved Straub's use of language and this book was full of passages I adored, like "Nancy's voice was soft, tennis-ball fuzzy." What a great line! It's those small details that add a layer of reality to this atmospheric horror tale. It's a book you know is a work of fiction, but the story is so full and engrossing that there were moments I fully believed everything that happened.
October 30, 2012
Mark Underhill is a typical 15-year-old boy living with his mom and dad in a typical Midwest middle-class neighborhood. His dad is an emotionally distant public school vice principal and his enduring mom works the complaints desk at the gas company. Mark likes music, skateboarding, and hanging out with his best friend, Jimbo. But Mark’s regular life takes a turn when he discovers his mother has committed a gruesome suicide in their own bathtub. From this scene on, Straub’s story attempts to terrify readers with supernatural mystique, combining a present-day string of teenage boy abductions with a decades-old backstory of a creepy modified home where lived a serial killing monster. Rape, torture, murder and ghosts all figure in, and Mark’s uncle, Tim, arrives on the scene to assist with narrating the story. Conveniently, Tim is a publishing horror author, so he’s apparently treading familiar ground...
I’ll admit now that this story really disappointed me. It started well -- the writing style had a certain sophistication I don’t often find in the mass market horror genre, and Straub wastes little time in preparing the setting and jumping to some action. But the plot construction was weak, some answers he gives up too easily and some he completely ignores, and the climax was overlong and unsatisfying. I’m not happy with his conclusion of Mark’s character -- without spoiling I can say that Mark has “disappeared”, but remains able to communicate (albeit elusively) with Tim via email, though he has no domain name to his e-address. This just bothered me all kinds of ways -- mostly because, upon entering this book I agreed to let Straub haunt me with ghosts and gross me out with maniac serial killers, but I did not agree to impossible technologies and emails from the afterlife. It felt like a breach of contract. I also have to point to the glaring lack of female characters -- the most robust one of three is a nympho-ghost, and the other dies on page one-- and the preponderance of misogynist males, not just the serial killers, that people this story. I’m guessing the reason we don’t really ever learn what happened to Mark is because he was the only likable character, and Straub knew he couldn’t get away with any bloody finality for that guy.
One-third through this book I thought I might get a genuine spook, but it didn’t pan out this time. Someday I’ll find a horror title that not only creeps me out throughout the read, but long after the last page, a story that doesn’t crumble in it’s resolution. One of the best I’ve found so far is John Dies at the End by David Wong. It’s certainly the scariest book I’ve read, and at the same time, amazingly, laugh-out-loud hilarious at the very same time. How does he do it?
I have a number of horror novels in my own collection -- of all the genres it is a perennial favorite I return to every fall for easy, creepy leisure reading. But I chose this one from the Coralville Library since I’d seen it mentioned several times in readers’ advisory materials, and I’ve been curious about Straub’s style, noting that he’s collaborated several times with Stephen King. I’m kind of King-ed out at this point in my life, and after this read I don’t expect to rush out for any King/Straub co-works. Perhaps a true crime reader with a soft-spot for the supernatural might enjoy this book, but don’t push it on your horror fans without fair warning.
I’ll admit now that this story really disappointed me. It started well -- the writing style had a certain sophistication I don’t often find in the mass market horror genre, and Straub wastes little time in preparing the setting and jumping to some action. But the plot construction was weak, some answers he gives up too easily and some he completely ignores, and the climax was overlong and unsatisfying. I’m not happy with his conclusion of Mark’s character -- without spoiling I can say that Mark has “disappeared”, but remains able to communicate (albeit elusively) with Tim via email, though he has no domain name to his e-address. This just bothered me all kinds of ways -- mostly because, upon entering this book I agreed to let Straub haunt me with ghosts and gross me out with maniac serial killers, but I did not agree to impossible technologies and emails from the afterlife. It felt like a breach of contract. I also have to point to the glaring lack of female characters -- the most robust one of three is a nympho-ghost, and the other dies on page one-- and the preponderance of misogynist males, not just the serial killers, that people this story. I’m guessing the reason we don’t really ever learn what happened to Mark is because he was the only likable character, and Straub knew he couldn’t get away with any bloody finality for that guy.
One-third through this book I thought I might get a genuine spook, but it didn’t pan out this time. Someday I’ll find a horror title that not only creeps me out throughout the read, but long after the last page, a story that doesn’t crumble in it’s resolution. One of the best I’ve found so far is John Dies at the End by David Wong. It’s certainly the scariest book I’ve read, and at the same time, amazingly, laugh-out-loud hilarious at the very same time. How does he do it?
I have a number of horror novels in my own collection -- of all the genres it is a perennial favorite I return to every fall for easy, creepy leisure reading. But I chose this one from the Coralville Library since I’d seen it mentioned several times in readers’ advisory materials, and I’ve been curious about Straub’s style, noting that he’s collaborated several times with Stephen King. I’m kind of King-ed out at this point in my life, and after this read I don’t expect to rush out for any King/Straub co-works. Perhaps a true crime reader with a soft-spot for the supernatural might enjoy this book, but don’t push it on your horror fans without fair warning.
May 27, 2011
Picked this book up in the library because the title intrigued me and I had nothing with me to read. Couldn't put it down. A fascinating story with an intriguing and satisfying ending.
There are many disturbing elements to this story, but for me personally, that simply adds to the overall effect. I know some people who hate disturbing books to the point where they will throw the book out in the trash, and while I don't like seeing mistreated books like that, it's your book so whatever. That's fine. But if you do like (or at least can tolerate) disturbing and sexual things, this is a great book.
There were a few things I didn't like about the book. The characters were relatively flat, which was a little disappointing as one of my favorite things about horror/thriller/disturbing stories is the characters' personal reactions to the things that happen to them. However, the small amount of depth they had was just enough to make this story enjoyable.
Also I didn't like the fact that
The ending also seemed a bit weak. I don't understand why anything at the end happened. Seriously, what the fuck? She sounds like a yandere psychobitch. Even if she was mentally the same age as her body, or even younger, nobody is that random. Total logical disconnect there.
That said, it was still an amazing book.
There are many disturbing elements to this story, but for me personally, that simply adds to the overall effect. I know some people who hate disturbing books to the point where they will throw the book out in the trash, and while I don't like seeing mistreated books like that, it's your book so whatever. That's fine. But if you do like (or at least can tolerate) disturbing and sexual things, this is a great book.
There were a few things I didn't like about the book. The characters were relatively flat, which was a little disappointing as one of my favorite things about horror/thriller/disturbing stories is the characters' personal reactions to the things that happen to them. However, the small amount of depth they had was just enough to make this story enjoyable.
Also I didn't like the fact that
The ending also seemed a bit weak. I don't understand why anything at the end happened. Seriously, what the fuck? She sounds like a yandere psychobitch. Even if she was mentally the same age as her body, or even younger, nobody is that random. Total logical disconnect there.
That said, it was still an amazing book.
February 2, 2013
Stephen King consistently recommends Peter Straub as one of the great horror writers of our time, so I've been meaning to sit down with one of his books for awhile. When King's cover blurb proclaimed "May be the best book of his career!" I figured Lost Boy Lost Girl was a good place to start. Unfortunately, I was completely underwhelmed.
It doesn't help that the premise is a muddled one: Famous writer Tim Underhill is called upon to help his brother investigate the disappearance of his nephew Mark. After his mother's suicide, Mark became obsessed with a possibly haunted house that definitely belonged to a dead serial killer who happened to be related to his mother. Also, there's a modern serial killer kidnapping boys. Got all that?
It's not that the different plot ideas are hard to follow. But at 336 pages, this just isn't a very long book and not enough time was given to any one plot line. I didn't have time to get heavily invested in what could have been very interesting goings-on.
The characters were also mostly flat. Tim Underhill is compassionate and also a writer, but that's where most of the character development ceased. Mark's father, Phillip, is there to illustrate what a terrible father is like. The teenage characters, Mark and Mark's friend Jimbo, are interesting but also clearly written by a middle-aged man who hasn't quite captured a 15-year old's voice. All in all, the characters go through the motions, but there's not much life in any of them.
To sum up, this book consists of a lot of elements that aren't *bad*, but just don't come together properly. I will give Straub another shot, if only because Stephen King is so adamant about it.
It doesn't help that the premise is a muddled one: Famous writer Tim Underhill is called upon to help his brother investigate the disappearance of his nephew Mark. After his mother's suicide, Mark became obsessed with a possibly haunted house that definitely belonged to a dead serial killer who happened to be related to his mother. Also, there's a modern serial killer kidnapping boys. Got all that?
It's not that the different plot ideas are hard to follow. But at 336 pages, this just isn't a very long book and not enough time was given to any one plot line. I didn't have time to get heavily invested in what could have been very interesting goings-on.
The characters were also mostly flat. Tim Underhill is compassionate and also a writer, but that's where most of the character development ceased. Mark's father, Phillip, is there to illustrate what a terrible father is like. The teenage characters, Mark and Mark's friend Jimbo, are interesting but also clearly written by a middle-aged man who hasn't quite captured a 15-year old's voice. All in all, the characters go through the motions, but there's not much life in any of them.
To sum up, this book consists of a lot of elements that aren't *bad*, but just don't come together properly. I will give Straub another shot, if only because Stephen King is so adamant about it.
April 13, 2013
It was not scary at all. There's just this millionaire, Ronald Lloyd-Jones, who was obsessed with a serial killer named Joseph Kalendar and looked up to him so much that he kidnapped boys and tortured them in Kalendar's house since he bought the property after Kalendar left.
I think that we have to give credit for Mark and Jimbo for finding out what crept out Nancy Underhill that led to her suicide. Jimbo too for being a loyal friend to Mark even though he left Mark alone to his search for answers to the mysteries presented.
Philip Underhill, on the other hand, is your typical father who did not care much of his family but for himself. He thinks he has already done good for the family and is enough but all of these were not felt at all by the family. Even his wife felt his coldness; she did not feel his husband's love and care. (so cliche, I know.) Well, you get the jist.
I'm new at giving reviews so please bear with me guys. I appreciate feedbacks or critiques as long as they're relevant. Thanks. Happy reading! :D
I think that we have to give credit for Mark and Jimbo for finding out what crept out Nancy Underhill that led to her suicide. Jimbo too for being a loyal friend to Mark even though he left Mark alone to his search for answers to the mysteries presented.
Philip Underhill, on the other hand, is your typical father who did not care much of his family but for himself. He thinks he has already done good for the family and is enough but all of these were not felt at all by the family. Even his wife felt his coldness; she did not feel his husband's love and care. (so cliche, I know.) Well, you get the jist.
I'm new at giving reviews so please bear with me guys. I appreciate feedbacks or critiques as long as they're relevant. Thanks. Happy reading! :D
April 11, 2021
I actually quite liked this book. I wasn't sure I would since so many people givr it a bad wrap in reviews but I was pleasantly surprised.
The beginning was a bit slow for me and I found myself drifting off in thought and having to read some things over again but it quickly picked up.
I particularly enjoyed how the book skipped around, you would find out some important details 2nd hand and then dive into the actual memories. It was a great way to tell the tale and keep you engaged.
I also liked how it was part serial killer and part supernatural, added some layered complexity and made you think.
One thing I didn't like was the sausage fest. Like no women at all except very small pieces of Mark's mother. The story really could have used a complex female character.
The beginning was a bit slow for me and I found myself drifting off in thought and having to read some things over again but it quickly picked up.
I particularly enjoyed how the book skipped around, you would find out some important details 2nd hand and then dive into the actual memories. It was a great way to tell the tale and keep you engaged.
I also liked how it was part serial killer and part supernatural, added some layered complexity and made you think.
One thing I didn't like was the sausage fest. Like no women at all except very small pieces of Mark's mother. The story really could have used a complex female character.
November 7, 2018
“May be the best book of his career.” –Stephen King-
Nancy Underhill commits suicide. Her son Mark disappears after developing an unhealthy obsession with a peculiar house on his street. Many boys of Millhaven are vanishing. Mark’s uncle and famous author Timothy Underhill arrives in Millhaven searching for answers.
A brilliant spider’s web of a work. On one thread is a family drama, on another is a murder mystery, on another is a crime thriller, on another is a haunted house story, on another is a ghost story with sins from the past returning to punish the present. All these threads are beautifully connected by Straub as he hangs dangling from the silk waiting for a nice and big juicy insect to become entrapped; the readers are that fly. Once we are captured within its web, Straub refuses to let go.
Nancy Underhill commits suicide. Her son Mark disappears after developing an unhealthy obsession with a peculiar house on his street. Many boys of Millhaven are vanishing. Mark’s uncle and famous author Timothy Underhill arrives in Millhaven searching for answers.
A brilliant spider’s web of a work. On one thread is a family drama, on another is a murder mystery, on another is a crime thriller, on another is a haunted house story, on another is a ghost story with sins from the past returning to punish the present. All these threads are beautifully connected by Straub as he hangs dangling from the silk waiting for a nice and big juicy insect to become entrapped; the readers are that fly. Once we are captured within its web, Straub refuses to let go.
February 11, 2011
This is a short story that could have worked at 20-something page count, but instead was stretched to 300. The best thing about it was meeting the familiar characters from Koko, but that's pretty much it.
Lost Boy, Lost Girl is divided into three parts - presentation of the mystery and introduction of the characters and setting - the investigation - the conclusion. Narrated in the third person, the narration constantly switches between the characters and sometimes parts are relayed through one character's journal.
That's the worst thing about the novel. The plot is relayed in such a jumbled way that it never allows for any dread or suspense to develop. Tension is practically nonexistant, and from the first page to last the book is ultimately unsatysfying.
The second worst thing about the novel is that not much happens. That in itself would be all right if the characters or the setting were compelling, but they are not. The same small town, the same small town people, the same cops, everything screams "we've been here before". Two teen protagonists are shown as inteligent, but when one of them sends an e-mail he speaks only in abbreviations...which he never does in real life. That's a small gripe, but a gripe nonetheless.
On the whole, I wouldn't really recommend this to anyone. Peter Straub is a great writer - Shadowland! - but this is far from his finest hour.
Lost Boy, Lost Girl is divided into three parts - presentation of the mystery and introduction of the characters and setting - the investigation - the conclusion. Narrated in the third person, the narration constantly switches between the characters and sometimes parts are relayed through one character's journal.
That's the worst thing about the novel. The plot is relayed in such a jumbled way that it never allows for any dread or suspense to develop. Tension is practically nonexistant, and from the first page to last the book is ultimately unsatysfying.
The second worst thing about the novel is that not much happens. That in itself would be all right if the characters or the setting were compelling, but they are not. The same small town, the same small town people, the same cops, everything screams "we've been here before". Two teen protagonists are shown as inteligent, but when one of them sends an e-mail he speaks only in abbreviations...which he never does in real life. That's a small gripe, but a gripe nonetheless.
On the whole, I wouldn't really recommend this to anyone. Peter Straub is a great writer - Shadowland! - but this is far from his finest hour.
June 4, 2017
Not that ghostly....
When a single tree fills your lens, the rest of the forest takes on a degree of abstraction.
- Chapter 15
This book was just ok. The ghost story was a bit weak and not that scary. In the first sentence, we find out that Mark's mother is dead. She killed herself, apparently over guilt for not helping someone when she could have. But, how could she? I mean, she left her son alone to face the ghosts she knew existed. I know it happnes, but I just don't get it. And Mark's father was just annoying; he didn't seem to care about his son at all.
The story is told through third person and occasional journal entries written by Mark's uncle Tim. It was a bit creepy and suspenseful, but nothing special. It ended so quickly that I didn't even realize it was the end of the book. I don't mind endings that leave you guessing, but this one just seemed rushed. It was like the author didn't know what else to write, so he just ended it.
I read this book for the Booklikes-opoly New Orleans 19 square - Ghost Story. The book is 340 pages, so it's worth $3.00.
When a single tree fills your lens, the rest of the forest takes on a degree of abstraction.
- Chapter 15
This book was just ok. The ghost story was a bit weak and not that scary. In the first sentence, we find out that Mark's mother is dead. She killed herself, apparently over guilt for not helping someone when she could have. But, how could she? I mean, she left her son alone to face the ghosts she knew existed. I know it happnes, but I just don't get it. And Mark's father was just annoying; he didn't seem to care about his son at all.
The story is told through third person and occasional journal entries written by Mark's uncle Tim. It was a bit creepy and suspenseful, but nothing special. It ended so quickly that I didn't even realize it was the end of the book. I don't mind endings that leave you guessing, but this one just seemed rushed. It was like the author didn't know what else to write, so he just ended it.
I read this book for the Booklikes-opoly New Orleans 19 square - Ghost Story. The book is 340 pages, so it's worth $3.00.
March 8, 2018
A boy becomes obsessed with a house on Michigan street, and with the girl inside. It used to belong to a serial killer and now the local kids are going missing. Time to wheel out some familiar characters - Underhill and Pasmore -for another outing in one of Straub's bizarre worlds that exist just a finger scratch beneath this one. The house is one of the best things in the entire book - Straub really brings it alive - and, also worthy of note, is the brief moment Ronnie Lloyd Jones has in the spotlight - electric. A good book but not a great one, certainly nowhere near the majesty of Ghost Story - but then so little is.
November 28, 2011
Okay,so I really don't know what to think about this book. The plot was very intricate, so points for that. And it kept moving, which kept me reading, but it took a little while for it to get going. At the end it seemed like there was some stuff that wasn't fully resolved. For example, does Mark really just vanish into some spirit world? I would have liked a tad bit more explanation on that front about how it happens. Or does he get killed? Or go crazy? And what about his mom's suicide? What was up with that little ghost girl she saw? Was that Lucy Cleveland in another disguise?
SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!! Normally I don't mind having a few at the end of a novel but this many? I don't know...
It was still a very enjoyable book overall, and the characters seemed very real to me. Other than all the unanswered questions, I loved it and I still highly reccommend it :)
SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!! Normally I don't mind having a few at the end of a novel but this many? I don't know...
It was still a very enjoyable book overall, and the characters seemed very real to me. Other than all the unanswered questions, I loved it and I still highly reccommend it :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2019
Lost Boy Lost Girl is an odd, disturbing and undeniably riveting book balanced ambiguously between being a serial killer thriller and a chilling ghost story. Much better than his most famous and over-praised Ghost Story, perhaps not quite as good as Koko but definitely more fun, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It moves much faster than Straub's usual work. There were some strangely unacknowledged loose ends - the ending was not entirely satisfying in regards to Mark (no spoilers), as well as his father Phillip, and Tim Underhill. Exactly what happened to Mark's mother (who kills herself at the start of the book) is never entirely explored. But these things aside, I had a blast with this one. It really is an easy book to get into, and I actually found it got under my skin a little. One of the creepier books I have read in a while.
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