Book Review:The Department of Lost and Found

I got my copy of The Department of Lost and Found, by Allison Winn Scotch, on Monday afternoon.  By Tuesday evening, I had finished reading it.  That may not sound like much to some of you, but considering I'm at my parents' house, where "me time" is next to  impossible to find (I share a room with my 2 year old while I'm here, and since I visit so rarely, my family always has a million things that we want to get done).  This book was good enough that I had a hard time putting it down, though, and I stayed up much later than I should have just so I could read it after my son went to sleep.

The Department of Lost and Found is a very touching story.  Even though the main character is a cut throat politician, it's hard not to like her as you get into the book.  At the beginning of the book, she has just been diagnosed with cancer, but it's not a book that sets out to make you cry.  Even when she is feeling sorry for herself because of the disease, you can see how strong she is, and that she has it in her to become a survivor.

The story's focus isn't the cancer, though it does play a critcial part.  The main thing I got out of the book was that sometimes you need to look at your past, and see how that can help you in the future.  In The Department of Lost and Found, Natalie learns from her past relationships, and finally starts to understand what she is looking for in a future one.   She tracks down the five loves of her life, and finally finds the closure she needs in order to move on. 

Even though it does hit on some really heavy subjects, it's a book that just about anyone can get something out of, whether you've faced such a life threatening disease or not.