Novel Writing
Almost ten years ago I wrote a novel inspired by Fitzgerald's "This Side of Paradise." Fitzgerald I am not, but it was a cathartic experience writing just the same.
Part Michael Chabon's The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and part Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise, Lost and Found will appeal to anyone who's experienced the push-pull nature of love and the thrill of self-discovery.
Lost and Found is partly a story about loss: of love, innocence, childhood, and parental bonds. But it is perhaps more a story about finding those same things, if in different forms. The novel centers around two men--Jacob, a father-less freshman entering college, and Yuri, Jacob's aging but devilish music history professor. Yuri discovers a mysterious, unsigned piano score that he is convinced has great historic, and likely monetary, value. He shares it with Jacob, but the two learn quickly that someone else is onto their discovery.
On the outs with a cunning and vengeful university dean, Yuri insists on pushing forward in order to save his career. But Jacob, in addition to exploring his new-found collegiate freedom, has his doubts about whether the escapade will be worth it. Nevertheless, he has grown close to Yuri, and decides to leap before looking, a decision that will impact his academic, social, and romantic well-being in unexpected ways. Their lives now entwined, Yuri and Jacob attempt to uncover the score's origins, along the way discovering much about life, loss, and ultimately, love.