The Lost Boy

How it reads

The Lost Boy is thriller (psychological thriller, specifically), and its dominant mood is dark. It goes to difficult places and doesn't look away. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in several locations, in the present day, told in the first person by a single narrator. Its central concerns are family, secrets and loss and grief. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is dark — no rescue, no neat bow. At 254 pages it's a quick read. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.