Finder of Forgotten Things
It's one thing to say you can find what people need--it's another to actually do it.
It's 1932 and Sullivan Harris is on the run. An occasionally successful dowser, he promised the people of Kline, West Virginia, that he would find them water. But when wells turned up dry, he disappeared with their cash just a step or two ahead of Jeremiah Weber, who was elected to run him down.
Postmistress Gainey Floyd is suspicious of Sulley's abilities when he appears in her town but reconsiders after new wells fill with sweet 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. With it, he becomes an unexpected catalyst, bringing Jeremiah and Gainey together to find what even he has forgotten: hope.
"Sarah Loudin Thomas never disappoints! The Finder of Forgotten Things brings together a rich cast of characters, each at war with conflicting desires and ultimately destined to decide whether, even in the worst events, redemption waits to be discovered."--LISA WINGATE, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Friends
"In a hardscrabble 1930s setting, complex characters wrestle with justice, mercy, inequality, honesty, and the fact that they are all prodigals still searching for the way home. Loudin Thomas delivers a stunning tale of one of the worst industrial disasters in U.S. history, underlined with a moral imperative to love one's neighbor that still hits home today."--Library Journal
"Loudin Thomas introduces a multifaceted cast desperately trying to survive the Great Depression in 1930s West Virginia, in this strong historical. . . . The small-town plot's set against the real-life Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster. . . . giving Loudin Thomas impetus to underline the impact of acts of caring in a community." --Publishers Weekly
It's 1932 and Sullivan Harris is on the run. An occasionally successful dowser, he promised the people of Kline, West Virginia, that he would find them water. But when wells turned up dry, he disappeared with their cash just a step or two ahead of Jeremiah Weber, who was elected to run him down.
Postmistress Gainey Floyd is suspicious of Sulley's abilities when he appears in her town but reconsiders after new wells fill with sweet 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. With it, he becomes an unexpected catalyst, bringing Jeremiah and Gainey together to find what even he has forgotten: hope.
"Sarah Loudin Thomas never disappoints! The Finder of Forgotten Things brings together a rich cast of characters, each at war with conflicting desires and ultimately destined to decide whether, even in the worst events, redemption waits to be discovered."--LISA WINGATE, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Friends
"In a hardscrabble 1930s setting, complex characters wrestle with justice, mercy, inequality, honesty, and the fact that they are all prodigals still searching for the way home. Loudin Thomas delivers a stunning tale of one of the worst industrial disasters in U.S. history, underlined with a moral imperative to love one's neighbor that still hits home today."--Library Journal
"Loudin Thomas introduces a multifaceted cast desperately trying to survive the Great Depression in 1930s West Virginia, in this strong historical. . . . The small-town plot's set against the real-life Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster. . . . giving Loudin Thomas impetus to underline the impact of acts of caring in a community." --Publishers Weekly
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Community Reviews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
Today was book club at our library and this story made for a most wonderful discussion! The author has roots in our county and the historical aspect of the book, the Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster, took place here in West Virginia; so we were able to recognize many of the towns and locations.
For those not familiar with the Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster, it's the greatest industrial disaster in America's history. Men were digging the tunnel through silica without proper protection and it's estimated that anywhere from 500 to 1,000 perished from silicosis (tunnelitis) in the early 1930s. The numbers are estimated because many of the men who perished were either without family to claim them or they were black men and were often buried in unmarked graves without record or recognition.
Not only was the historical aspect to The Finder of Forgotten Things extremely intriguing, but the fictional story at the forefront was very enjoyable as well. It's romance and found family, with the hinting of a little magical realism that hits just right.
Today was book club at our library and this story made for a most wonderful discussion! The author has roots in our county and the historical aspect of the book, the Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster, took place here in West Virginia; so we were able to recognize many of the towns and locations.
For those not familiar with the Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster, it's the greatest industrial disaster in America's history. Men were digging the tunnel through silica without proper protection and it's estimated that anywhere from 500 to 1,000 perished from silicosis (tunnelitis) in the early 1930s. The numbers are estimated because many of the men who perished were either without family to claim them or they were black men and were often buried in unmarked graves without record or recognition.
Not only was the historical aspect to The Finder of Forgotten Things extremely intriguing, but the fictional story at the forefront was very enjoyable as well. It's romance and found family, with the hinting of a little magical realism that hits just right.
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