The Finder of Forgotten Things by Sarah Loudin Thomas

The Finder of Forgotten Things
by Sarah Loudin Thomas

ISBN-13: 9780764238352
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: December 7th 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
It's 1932 and Sullivan Harris is on the run. He promised the people of Kline, West Virginia, that he would find them water, but now he's failed and disappeared with their cash. Although he's determined to stay a step ahead of pursuers--like Jeremiah Weber--his resources are running low.

Gainey Floyd is suspicious of Sulley's claim to be a dowser when he appears in town but reconsiders after he finds water. Rather, it's Sulley who grows uneasy when his success makes folks wonder if he can find more than water--like forgotten items or missing people. He lights out to escape such expectations and runs smack into something worse.

Hundreds of men have found jobs digging the Hawks Nest Tunnel--but what they thought was a blessing is killing them. And no one seems to care. Here, Sulley finds something new--a desire to help. As Jeremiah--and now Gainey--pursue him, Sulley becomes the unexpected catalyst for finding what even he has forgotten. Hope.


My Review:
The Finder of Forgotten Things is historical fiction set in 1932 in West Virginia. Sulley grew up in an orphanage and never knew his parents. He feels like he doesn't belong anywhere, so he wanders around offering his services as a water-finder. When he encounters Gainey, he wants to make her reconsider her impression that he's a fraud.

Jeremiah and Gainey were also viewpoint characters and were the romantic pair. Gainey had to give up her newborn son for adoption but never told anyone. When she found an object indicating a dead man might be her son, she asked Jeremiah and Sulley for help. Sulley half hoped that Gainey was his mother, so he helped track down the truth. Jeremiah and Gainey admired each other and grew closer as they worked together.

The main characters were complex, realistic people. I cared about what happened to them, especially lonely Sulley. The historical details were woven into the story and brought the time period to life in my imagination. It's so sad what happened at the Hawks Nest Tunnel. Jeremiah and Gainey believed in God and that motivated them to treat others as valuable. There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I highly recommend this well-written historical fiction.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.