Lost For Words is definitely a page turner. Loveday Cardew is a completely believable heroine, and I liked the cast of characters around her. We live through Loveday's inner monologue for the most part, and so it was important for her voice to be sympathetic, but she had her faults and was a fully rounded person which showed Butland's skill.
This is a lightly written novel which covers some very dark issues. I thought that Loveday's family was dealt with very well. I was not so convinced by the character of Rob who seems to have his own unresolved issues. I think that when writing characters with mental health conditions they should be treated sensitively and I felt there was a failing here. In fact, I did find that because Loveday does mainly present her story in a very internal way, many of the characters were a bit thinly drawn. I would have liked more time getting to know Nathan, in particular. Also, writing a half-Asian character (Melodie) as tiny and speaking in a 'pirate patois' is problematic for me.
I think this is a good read, but the issues above make it only a 3 out of 5 for me.
This is a lightly written novel which covers some very dark issues. I thought that Loveday's family was dealt with very well. I was not so convinced by the character of Rob who seems to have his own unresolved issues. I think that when writing characters with mental health conditions they should be treated sensitively and I felt there was a failing here. In fact, I did find that because Loveday does mainly present her story in a very internal way, many of the characters were a bit thinly drawn. I would have liked more time getting to know Nathan, in particular. Also, writing a half-Asian character (Melodie) as tiny and speaking in a 'pirate patois' is problematic for me.
I think this is a good read, but the issues above make it only a 3 out of 5 for me.