I actually really loved this book. I don't give it five stars because there were parts of it that dragged on for a bit, but overall, I loved the shifting movements of all of the pieces.

As an academic who has worked in archives (and spent over 120 hours of in the National Archive in the course of a year), I relate so much to this idea of being almost haunted by the names and people whose lives you become engrossed in. It was beautiful to me to see that relationship portrayed in text--the words giving life to something that lingers as we work.

While the premise of a missing child is also one that normally draws us in to books like this, I really appreciated the mirroring that's done with the search for a missing name or puzzle piece in research. There is a sort of sorrow there as well as it feels like its going to be forever out of reach and no answers given because time has passed and so have the clues that can bring that person back into the light.

I found this to be a beautifully written, thought-provoking, quiet sort of book that I will be recommending to friends.

I also read this to fulfil the prompt for PopSugar 2022 Challenge: Book set in a Victorian era

To be honest, I tried pretty hard to like this book. The story really seemed like it was going to be interesting and really captivating. The writing style was nice, but I still found the book boring and felt that it dragged on and repeated events too often to keep my interest. It seemed like there was a bit too much detail. "Too much detail in a book?", you say? Yes. It's very possible for there to be too much detail in a book. I feel like the story was really lost in the fog of all the details. The entire narration of the book is done by a group of spirits who became quite annoying as the book went on.

I am sorry to say that this book completely lost me halfway into it.

Ambitious, challenging. A writer who constantly pushes boundaries.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. The premise intrigued me; however, the writing style and odd semi-omniscient voice just didn't appeal to me. A bit too over-the-top literary for my taste. Rather than post a negative review, since it was simply a matter of me not being the right audience for this story, I will not be posting a review at all.