Freddie was raised on faith. It’s in her blood. Yet when she loses her husband of many years, she can’t quite bring herself to seek solace from the Almighty, and enters a state of quiet contemplation, instead. Her solitude quickly ends when she meets a man roaming her neighborhood in search of his run-away wife, and later, when her daughter returns home to escape another unwise romance. Soon after, Freddie’s sister, Holly, visits and their thoughts turn to their wretched childhood at the hands of their neglectful and pious mother. Also present is their grandmother, Anna, known only through photographs and letters, who seems so different – strong, yet remote. Freddie feels she and Anna are connected, not just through blood, but through the raising of difficult daughters. This kinship makes Freddie see that she has been shaped by forces she doesn’t directly experience, which reminds her about the true basis of faith. With all that to hand, Freddie faces a family crisis that forces her to confront the same questions she’s asked all her life: What does it mean to believe in God? And does God even care?
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From the Publisher
Anne Leigh Parrish’s fine debut novel, What Is Found, What Is Lost, is a moving and graceful tale that delves deeply into the histories of two sisters, Freddie and Holly. The women reinvent their lives and fortunes as adults, but despite new identities, find they must learn to navigate the complex network of family ties and family lies that bind them together. Parrish, in clear, deft prose, explores the meaning of motherhood, faith, loyalty, and tenderness; effortless, she carries her readers through four generations of one family’s checkered history of love.”—Mary Akers, author of Bones Of An Inland Sea
“In What Is Found, What Is Lost, Anne Leigh Parrish ruminates on faith and lack of, as well as family and love. With writing akin to the comfort of a conversation over a familiar kitchen table, she takes us on a journey through the years—both skeptical and believing, both hard and bright—to get at the hearts of these women, marriages, mothers and daughters, these relationships. Parrish isn’t afraid to let us drift to the darkness, but we can trust that we will find her on her hands and knees, looking for the lost flashlight to guide our way. What Is Found, What Is Lost, is a deft novel full of rich characters and even richer emotions that will leave a pleasant ache in your bones.”
—Leesa Cross-Smith, author of Every Kiss A War
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