"Lost and Wanted," by Nell Freudenberger

I almost didn’t read Nell Freudenberger’s novel, “Lost and Wanted” (Vintage, 2019), because the reviews and cover copy indicated that it had some spiritual-ish, semi-science fiction-ish aspects. Those who know my reading tastes know that I tend (with exceptions) to dislike and avoid both of these aspects/genres. However, something drew me to read the book anyway, and I am glad I did. The aspects mentioned above are embedded in a much broader context and story, where they make sense. In fact, the main character, Helen, is a professor of physics, and is very rational in her thinking. How she deals with what appears to be irrational and supernatural, in the time period after her best friend Charlie’s death, is the crux of this novel. But of course the true focuses are the friendship, the grappling with what a friendship means, and the coming to terms with grief and the finality of death. The novel also addresses romance, marriage, single parenthood, the relationships of young adults with their parents, career paths, and race (Helen is White and Charlie is Black). There is a little too much scientific exposition about physics, astronomy, and related matters for my taste. (I can frame this positively as my complete engagement with the arts and humanities and my comparatively lesser interest in science, or I can less positively but probably more accurately admit a kind of ignorance about such areas as physics.) This is an intelligent, thoughtful and engaging novel. For me, it was also a reminder that I should not dismiss too easily fiction that seems that it will be a little different than what I usually tend to read. In the case of “Lost and Wanted,” it had all the focus on relationships among family members and friends that I could ask for. And as for the other parts: well, it is good for me to stretch my reading choices.