What would you do if you lost everything? Helen Chandler-Wilde experienced this situation in 2018. She had gone through a break-up with her boyfriend and moved back into her parents’ home temporarily, packing up her own belongings into a storage building. She was stunned when her mother broke the sad news that the storage company that she’d rented space from had suffered a devastating fire. Her belongings were all gone.

Chandler-Wilde decided, once the initial shock wore off, to study the role things play in people’s lives. Her work as a journalist had given her the tools to ask questions, collect information, and draw conclusions. She wondered what makes us crave, shop, choose, collect. And how might we have a healthier relationship with our stuff?

This is a topic I’d long been interested in due to family circumstances. When I retired and moved to this area, it was because my parents and youngest brother were living in the house in Trion, Georgia, where my grandparents and great-grandmother had lived since the early 1950s. Generations of family members had brought their worldly goods to that home. And when people moved out, died, or just wandered off, their stuff remained. My mother resisted discarding anything, a position that hardened as she slipped further into dementia.

I had dreaded the day when, inevitably, the responsibility for cleaning it all out would fall to me. I’d read several books about decluttering and the psychology of hoarding in preparation for the great clean out. When the time came in spring of 2020, the pandemic actually simplified the whole process. We kept a little, threw away plenty, and gave lots of things away to people who could use them. It wasn’t easy but it was manageable.

Still I was curious about Lost & Found. The book sounded intriguing, but I wondered if it would be able to give me more insight than I already possessed. The author was much younger than me, and I suspected she enjoyed shopping much more than I did. Would this book be worth my time?

It was.

Chandler-Wilde’s journalistic skills pay off as she describes the sadness she experienced at losing her belongings and then explores cultural trends and research into how humans express inner longings through the things they choose to own. Each chapter begins with an item she lost in the fire and the questions it leads her to ask about possessions. The first chapter addresses her shopping habit, how it arose and how the dopamine hits her brain experienced when she purchased something new reinforced the drive to shop more. After all, the pleasure is in buying something new, not the possession itself. Which soon leads to another purchase and another.

Additional chapters discuss the need to understand that we are more than our possessions, something that’s increasing hard to grasp in a materialistic culture. Science shows that while the trappings of wealth and taste may impress people who don’t know us well, true happiness comes from the respect and friendship of the people who know us best. Being kind and competent, it turns out, make it much easier to earn respect, increasing our odds of living happier lives.

Although Chandler-Wilde dives into topics like commodity theory as a way of thinking about scarcity and how it influences choices, the book is never dry. The author takes the science and breaks it down into easy-to-digest pieces, always referencing the very human implications of the conclusions. At 242 pages, it’s a relatively quick read that is full of information and thoughtful reflections.

Lost & Found is an excellent read for anyone who would like to better understand how we gather things around us, while becoming more intentional about those possessions. Its publication date is December 31, 2024. It will soon after be available for check out at Moon Lake Library. Patrons can also place a hold on the digital copy I’ve ordered for Camellia Net, the ebook collection accessible with the Libby app.

I absolutely loved this book because it was short, to the point, and really made you ponder upon your things. I now feel more ready than ever to do my pre-New Year purge, and although it will hurt, I have a better set of guidelines to look to than ever before. Highly recommend to anyone wondering why stuff means so much to us, how our collections fit into our identity, and when enough is enough.

I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting when I first picked out this book - I've met very few de-cluttering books that truly spark my interest, but something about it drew me in. And oh, am I thankful I gave it a chance.

Lost & Found is part memoir, part life advice, and part well-researched non-fiction on the ways in which consumption and material culture affect us all and our world. Chandler-Wilde is a journalist by trade and it really shines through in this book, setting her apart from the dozens upon dozens of books extolling the virtues of living with less.

Imagine the quintessential de-cluttering book.

Now, I assume you imagined a hardcover containing Instagram-worthy photos, creative fonts, pretty surface-level blurbs about how to get your life in order through the power of charts, checklists, and labeled bins. If you're anything like me who has perused many of these (for free, thank you public libraries) trying to find some answers, you can think of plenty of examples. I don't say this to knock the entire genre - there are a few authors I really do resonate with and do find their systems incredibly helpful - but more so to illustrate what this book IS NOT.

Where other books might give surface level snippets of advice on how to spend less money on stuff you don't need ( and usually placing the blame on your lack of self-control), Chandler-Wilde takes a hard look with evidence-based reasons WHY you feel this way and how there are entire jobs devoted to making you want to buy these things you don't really need. She uses marketing/economic current trends and psychological theories companies use to really take a hard look at our relationships with stuff and allows you to decide how you want to live your life.

I recommend it for anyone who has tried to get it together, but continues to fail miserably and wants to understand more of the WHY. WHY we go to the store looking for one item, but end up with a basket full of items which are going to end up in a donation bin in a few months. WHY you feel some nagging sense of dread or insufficiency every time you scroll through your phone. WHY we are quickly choking our environment with millions of pounds of trash we never really needed or broke so quickly we couldn't use it more than once.

Thank you so much to Chronicle Books for the free e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When the author loses most of her possessions in a storage room fire she starts looking at what we purchase and why we buy things.A memoir and a guide I really enjoyed the. authors writing her conversational style.There is a lot to think about I know I’ll really think before I make a purchase.#netgalley #chroniclebooks

This book timed out really well with my year-long quest to get rid of stuff. The author interwove her own story of losing all her belongings to a fire with research, recommendations, and musings on why we love our stuff and how we can choose not to be beholden to it. Some good practical tips on getting rid of things and downsizing too. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and give my honest thoughts.

I loved this book because literally, I am also struggle of finding my stuff because I constantly move from one place to another only in 1-2 years. This is a very good book with a lot of wonderful and very practical self-help advice.

I love the idea of exploring our unbelievable contemporary attachment to things. In an era in which everything is more disposable than ever before, people seem even more passionate about their belongings than ever before... It seems a conundrum, and Chandler-Wilde's exploration of what happens when she suddenly and inexplicably loses nearly everything was a fascinating journey into the minds and hearts of contemporary society. This was a very intriguing peek behind the curtain that led me to reconsider my own emotional attachment to objects!

I seriously need help when it comes to my attachment to things. This writer lost most of her things in a fire and this book is about how she deals with it. And even though time has passed, there will probably always be some amount of dealing with this kind of loss, where every now and then she remembers that she doesn't have something because of the fire.
But she goes through her emotions and studies and personal experiences of other people... She talks about buying new things, too, because losing everything helped her appreciate what things are important. Honestly, I've been reading this a little at a time and evaluating my own life. I haven't been buying all the junk I might have in the past, because it's on sale and I think I might want it later. When people die, the family has to get rid of all the stuff. Why make people go through that?
I hope these lessons stay with me. I'll probably read this again. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

"Lost and Found" by Helen Chandler-Wilde is a touching and beautifully crafted novel that explores themes of love, loss, and the redemptive power of human connection. Chandler-Wilde's storytelling is both heartfelt and compelling, drawing readers into a narrative that is rich with emotion and authenticity.

From the outset, Chandler-Wilde captivates with her elegant prose and keen eye for detail. Her writing brings to life the settings and characters in a way that feels both intimate and expansive. The story’s environment, whether it's a bustling city or a quiet countryside, is vividly depicted, immersing readers in the world she has created.

The characters in "Lost and Found" are deeply relatable and intricately developed. Chandler-Wilde excels in portraying their emotional journeys with nuance and sensitivity. Each character’s story arc is carefully crafted, revealing layers of complexity that make their experiences resonate on a profound level. The interactions between characters are genuine and heartfelt, providing a strong emotional core to the narrative.

Chandler-Wilde's plot is engaging and thoughtfully paced, weaving together moments of tension, reflection, and joy. The themes of the novel are universal yet handled with a personal touch that makes them feel fresh and impactful. As the characters navigate their struggles and triumphs, readers are invited to reflect on their own lives and the connections that shape them.

"Lost and Found" is a testament to Helen Chandler-Wilde's talent as a writer. It’s a novel that offers both an absorbing story and a deep, emotional experience. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates finely crafted fiction that speaks to the heart.

As someone with a love/hate relationship with all my stuff, I adore books that help me understand/redefine/change that relationship.

This quick read was a great dive into the many layers of thought, emotion, sensation we experience acquiring, shedding, losing our stuff.

I wished for more integration of the objects the author lost into each chapter. I expected the objects to be an organizing principle, but they felt tacked on sometimes.

Good read.

Thank you to Chronicle Books and the author for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

It seemed really good, right up my alley. Unfortunately, it could only be downloaded as a PDF which was very hard to read in my Kindle. Because of my poor vision, I had to give up around halfway through. I did not see that it was PDF before the request, and NG punishes your percentage if you request then say you're not giving feedback. So I have to give some because it really wasn't my fault that the PDF was so difficult to read. But I did like what I read so I give 4 stars for that.

I just reviewed Lost & Found by Helen Chandler-Wilde. #LostFound #NetGalley

A fascinating book with a unique concept. Haven't we all wondered what our lives would be like if we lost everything in a fire? What would we miss? What would we not even think twice was gone? When rebuilding, what would we replace and what would we forego? This book details how the author handled the aftermath of losing everything in a fire and how her life (and perspective) on material items changed afterward.

She uses FANTASTIC examples, statistics, studies, and real historical references to explain every facet of human consumption and desire to own and buy things. The research is fascinating, and her writing is excellently done.

I agree with her 100%. We have become way too okay with having absolutely excessive amounts of stuff. It is unnecessary and honestly kind of sickening. The author uses this book to show how we can not only live with less, but also not feel like we NEED or want excess things. A clutter free, simple life, peace in the soul.

After the author lost everything in a fire, she took stock and came to a new understanding about owning stuff. Combines memoir with self-help, including a look at why we buy and keep too much. Thoughtful.

Talk about having too much stuff, there is way too much information in this book. There were way too many little stories the author tells of either her or her friends having too much stuff or not enough. There was way too much psychology. This book became tedious after a while. I thank NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the advance read.

I have read a number of books about minimalism and simplicity and also practice this myself. I also enjoy memoirs, so this book was a good blend of both. The author became an unexpected minimalist when a fire destroyed virtually all of her belongings. This led her to explore her relationship with “stuff” as well as dig in to the research on possessions and its’ effects on people. The author is a journalist, so this book is a great mix of memoir and reporting on the topic. If you want to explore your relationship with possessions as well as discover one person’s journey to discovering what is enough for her, I recommend this book.
I received a complementary copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What sort of book would you write if you lost most of your belongings?
For this book, I was expecting essays about items she lost and the meanings, maybe also something about the breakup that had her put her stuff into storage. (A fire destroyed the Storage unit she had rented.)

I was so pleased and surprised by intellectualness of this book. Helen is a capable writer and she is exploring the 'big picture' of buying, owning, and (possibly) parting with your things. Topics include status, and scarcity, trends, and collections.

I loved a concept she introduced in the status section. That, if you think you're on the bottom rung socially---meaning people don't respect you--then your well-being is lowered. Helen says this is probably not a surprise to you, considering how many people use things as a way to achieve status. I include this example because I'm sure many of Helen's comments will give you pause for thinking.

A good, approachable book that features philosophies of things with straight forward writing.

I loved this book! I’m a person who has always struggled with having too much stuff. Books like The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up just don’t cut it for me. It’s not so cut and dry!

I really appreciate how this book considers the issue from so many different angles, in addition to sharing the author’s unique life experience. I’m obviously not happy that this happened to her, but hearing the results of this event are reassuring for packrats (like me).

I expect to return to this time and time again because frankly, I need the help.

I have ever lost many in my whole life. I lost my father when I was a teenager. I lost money when I start making new business. I lost my first love when I struggle in my financial crisis. I hope that this book help me to find again what I lost through my life and relationship with my belongings will change forever.

This book was an easy read for me. I think anyone who reads this will gain knowledge and insight into their stuff, how they think about that stuff, and why they feel the way they do about it. I think this book is well written, enjoyable, relatable, and well researched. I just really like how this information about all the stuff in our lives is presented in this book. I will be purchasing a physical copy of this book for myself once it has been released. I will be recommending this book to friends, and I will likely purchase this book for gift-giving. I look forward to reading any other books this author may write in the future. Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

"Lost & Found" is an easy-to-read book, told in a conversational style by Helen Chandler-Wilde. She has nice insights and helpful ideas toward curbing consumerism. It was definitely worth the time to read. Readers who are looking for advice on how to stop buying so much, appreciate what they already have, and realize what is truly valuable will appreciate this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
#Lost&Found
#NetGAlley