Lost Property, by Andy Poyiadgi

When a mailman named Gerald gets a call from a local lost property office to remover a letter opener belonging to him, he had no idea what was in store.  And I had no idea what was in store when I read Andy Poyiadgi's beautiful story, Lost Property.  When Gerald arrives at the lost property office, he notes that the ship in the window is just like one he had as a child.  After he's escorted to the downstairs storage room, he comes to the realization that everything in this place used to be his!

I love the fact that Poyiadgi doesn't offer any explanation for this odd turn of events.  He just uses it as a springboard for Gerald to think about what might have been, to recover his dreams, and to rekindle some of what he thought was lost forever in the past.  Lost Property is a very simple tale, beautifully illustrated with Poyiadgi's lovely, muted, almost dreamlike painting.  But the story and pictures drew me into nostalgia, thinking about dreams I have lost, and wondering where my lost property office might be.


Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!