Three teenagers, three very different stories. In Gayle Forman’s latest release, I Have Lost My Way, three teenagers navigate the complications of first love, the tragedy of life, and the odd coincidences that bring us all together. With a tragic yet hopeful story about family, loss, and friendship, I Have Lost My Way speaks to anyone who has ever felt alone, abandoned, or lost in the sadness and confusion of the world.
Freya is living in the shadow of her father’s abandonment. Harun is weighed down by the fact that he is gay. And Nathaniel is trying to deal with his unstable father. When the three find their lives intertwined, they must confront the darkness of their past and the hope found in their newfound friendship. Both in the present and in the past, Gayle Forman weaves together the lives of three teens, illustrating the beauty of friendship and the unexpected connections found in moments of tragedy. Though devastating, I Have Lost My Way follows the tradition of If I Stay, giving just the right amount of difficult material with a dash of wit and humor. Freya, Harun, and Nathaniel are lost, desperately searching for answers to their individual life circumstances and mistakes. But together, they just might find what they needed all along: one another.
I Have Lost My Way broke my heart. Each of these characters bleeds on each and every page, beautifully portraying realistic pain and struggles in the lives of teenagers today. But through this pain, Forman actually displays the simple wonder in friendship and how difficult life can be in isolation. While not as focused on romance as her previous releases, I Have Lost My Way is one of Forman’s finest — delivering achingly real narratives and a story about redemption and letting go of the past. This novel is stunning and nearly impossible to forget.
Freya, Harun, and Nathaniel have a long way to go. With secrets building up and family situations that are less than satisfactory, each has to confront what has happened in order to move on and pursue their own individual goals. But in between, they find friendship, redirecting their paths. This a novel that is brutal yet redeeming, one that presents teen life in an honest and challenging way. Pick up your copy of I Have Lost My Way and immerse yourself in the wonder of adolescence and the sorrows of life that make us stronger in the end.