Freya, Harun and Nathaniel, three teenagers who have never met, find themselves in the same spot, connected to one accident in a park in New York City. From completely different backgrounds, with seemingly dissimilar values and attitudes, they connect, albeit with different motivations at first.
Freya, an up-and-coming singer, has lost her voice, Harun has made a choice and lost the person he loves and Nathaniel has lost hope.
What draws the three together, is the major upheaval in life they are facing at the same time and regardless of their differences, they are drawn to one other's loss. By understanding the pain the others feel they are able to make sense of and slowly process their own life-altering moment in time.
The characterisations are superbly drawn, the New York setting buzzes with life and the dialogue is cracking. Forman's method of drip-feeding information about each character's loss, in the midst of the current narrative, ensures the right amount of tension, ambiguity and hope.
The strength of this novel lies in the vastly unrelated personalities and prior experiences of the three main characters and the premise that their common experience of grief and loss not only surpasses their backgrounds and appearances, but binds them together in an unbreakable bond. Although the themes of grief and loss are strongly portrayed, an undercurrent of hope runs through the narrative the moment Freya, Harun and Nathaniel's worlds collide.
This is one book you won't be able to put down.
Title: I Have Lost My Way
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, $19.99
Publication Date: 5 April 2018
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781471173721
For ages: 12+
Type: Young Adult Fiction