What Was Lost

Connelly offers a debut novel about a woman who revisits the site of a life-changing trauma. In 1971, Martha "Marti" Farrell was a 14-year-old living her hometown of Chatham, Vermont, when she fell under the spell of 27-year-old high-school art teacher Spencer Douglas, who would let students hang out at his house to smoke cannabis and listen to music. With some of the female students, however, Spencer behaved inappropriately, and his interactions with Marti involved statutory rape, which led to her getting pregnant. Marti's teenage neighbor and friend Peter Colganoffered to help her cover up what happened by claiming that the baby was his, but Marti decided to have an abortion instead. The narrative jumps forward to the year 2000, and Marti is back in Vermont with her 14-year-old daughter, Tess. Marti hasn't been back home in years, and she finds out new things about her old town, including what became of Peter and other people she knew. She also must contend with ongoing conflict with Tess, who had wanted to spend the summer back in Brooklyn, New York, where she and Marti now live. Meanwhile, she gathers the courage to confront Spencer face-to-face, as she continues to struggle with the damage that he caused. Over the course of the narrative, Connelly paints a realistic, distinct and disturbing picture of the abusive relationship between Spencer and Marti, and as Marti's experiences difficulties in life, reader will feel the sting of what she goes through. The earlier scenes set in 2000, however, are less affecting, due in part to awkward exposition in dialogue, as when Marti sketches out her family situation to a stranger: "My parents passed away, and my sister lives in Burlington." That said, the revelations are more subtle as the plot progresses to an ultimately satisfying conclusion. A vivid examination of how troubles from the past affect an unfolding future.

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August 12, 2024
Connelly centers the generational impact of childhood abuse and the adult urge toward reconciliation in this novel of facing trauma and taking steps toward healing. As Marti Farrell’s daughter Tess’s emerging interest in boys rekindles her own unsettling memories of being sexually pursued by a compelling art teacher at 14 years old, Marti impulsively takes Tess on a summer trip to the hometown she long ago fled, hoping after decades to make things right with Mrs. Colgan, the kind matriarch of the family across the street. (What exactly transpired long before is, at first, a mystery.) But Marti discovers the old woman has just died and instead finds herself engaging more directly with Mrs. Colgan’s son, Peter, seeing how his life has turned out in the wake of the chaos of their youth—and perhaps trying to get closure with the teacher who mistreated them both.
The story is told entirely from Marti’s perspective, interlacing Marti’s early years with her adult perspective at the turn of the millennium. The childhood scenes display an innocence amid the tragedy that scars her face and psyche, leaving her with a raw understanding of the cruelty of others. Scenes of predation by her teacher are sensitively presented, as Marti’s desperate urge to be accepted—and her honest confusion about what she wants—feel appropriate for her age. It’s easy to see how the teacher’s attention and counter cultural ethos would appeal to her even as it is obvious how terribly she’s being used.
Adult scenes are less urgent, examining complex relationships between damaged characters struggling to connect. The withholding of key plot details from the past, like the nature of the accident that scarred Marti’s face and exactly why Mrs. Colgan deserves an apologetic revelation, is at times frustrating. But a strong sense of humanity and compassion powers the novel, and a late heart-to-heart between a mother and daughter offers welcome hope and feeling.
Takeaway: A compassionate portrait of facing past abuse and conflict.
Comparable Titles: Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, Cheryl Rainfield’s Scars.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B