For Those Who Are Lost

For Those Who are Lost is a surprisingly suspenseful novel, fraught with the tension of intersecting lives in impossible circumstances. The literary momentum pulls the reader forward at an ever increasing pace toward a poignant ending. -- Audrey Blake, USA Today bestselling author of The Girl in His Shadow and The Surgeon's Daughter A sure bet for readers of personal war stories and those who want to know, 'What about the women and children?' -- Booklist Julia Bryan Thomas has ensured that readers of For Those Who Are Lost will never forget the children of Guernsey displaced during World War II. This is a captivating and complex story about family, about deception, about flawed characters in inconceivable circumstances, and about the power of love to both damage and heal. -- Kelly Mustian, author of The Girls in the Stilt House This richly layered story about losing, finding and forgiving unfolds when a Nazi threat to an innocent island off the coast of France is imminent. Desperate action is taken and children are sent into the unknown where destinies are altered. Then the isolation and pressures of a tedious war beget heartaches and heroes. For Those Who Are Lost is riddled with secrets and sins for the sake of survival. Kudos to Thomas for a poignant and compelling read. -- Leah Weiss, bestselling author of If The Creek Don't Rise and All the Little Hopes Thomas's extensive research realistically conveys life under Nazi occupation: harassment, isolation, medicine and food shortages, and constant fear of reprisal or impressment in a camp. Ava worries constantly about her children. One scene is particularly poignant as she picks up smooth rocks at the sea as Catherine does the same in Cornwall, not knowing why she collects rocks. And when the war ends, what then? I could empathize with the richly drawn characters, their grief and guilt. This is Thomas's second novel (see also Penhale Wood) featuring a grieving mother searching for truth. What a compelling story of love, courage and forgiveness. Highly recommended. -- Historical Novel Society