Caffeinated Reviewer

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso is an atmospheric fantasy filled with historic moments, time travel and mystery. A young girl is pushed into the time-space library by her father, a watchmaker, to save her from the Nazis. Here, she discovers a library filled with books containing the memories of those who bore witness to history. Brilliant, engaging and suspenseful.

For fans of The Ministry of Time and The Midnight Library , a sweeping, unforgettable novel following two remarkable women moving between postwar and Cold War-era America and the mysterious time space, a library filled with books containing the memories of those who bore witness to history.

Enter the time space, a soaring library filled with books containing the memories of those have passed and accessed only by specially made watches once passed from father to son—but mostly now in government hands. This is where eleven-year-old Lisavet Levy finds herself trapped in 1938, waiting for her watchmaker father to return for her. When he doesn’t, she grows up among the books and specters, able to see the world only by sifting through the memories of those who came before her. As she realizes that government agents are entering the time space to destroy books and maintain their preferred version of history, she sets about saving these scraps in her own volume of memories. Until the appearance of an American spy named Ernest Duquesne in 1949 offers her a glimpse of the world she left behind, setting her on a course to change history and possibly the time space itself.

In 1965, sixteen-year-old Amelia Duquesne is mourning the disappearance of her uncle Ernest when an enigmatic CIA agent approaches her to enlist her help in tracking down a book of memories her uncle had once sought. But when Amelia visits the time space for the first time, she realizes that the past—and the truth—might not be as linear as she’d like to believe.

The Book of Lost Hours explores time, memory, and what we sacrifice to protect those we love.

In 1938, eleven-year-old Lisavet Levy finds herself trapped in the time-space library, waiting for her father, a watchmaker, to return to get her. He never returns, and she grows up surrounded by books and endless corridors. The tale that unfolds is fantastic.

In the time-space library, Lisavet experiences no hunger or thirst and meets specters who wander the aisles. She befriends one specter, whom she names Azrael. Azrael explains how the library works, and Lisavet spends her days opening books and walking through history. While wondering, she discovers that Men and women who possess watches like her father are entering the time-space library and destroying books to alter events, memories and history. Unlike time-walkers, who can only access the library and read or burn books, Lisavet soon discovers she can walk in memories and eventually touch things.

Lisavet is furious that memories/books are being burned and begins thwarting the time-walkers’ efforts. She saves what she can of the books and hides them inside another book. The world-building was intriguing, and while it took me a moment to understand how the time-space library worked, I found myself fully engaged.

The tale offers romance, intrigue, and plot twists. Lisavet meets a young American time-walker named Ernest, and the two develop a relationship. Ernest understands why Lisavet saves the burning books, but not before he tells his boss, Jack, about the mysterious young girl who is saving memories. Jack demands that he capture the girl and bring her in. After a romantic encounter, Ernest confesses and asks Lisavet to leave the library and run away with him. She makes a decision that impacts everything.

I laughed, cried, and wanted to slap Jack. The tale is told from multiple POVs. We have Lisavet, Ernest, a time-walker and romantic interest. Then we have Jack, the head of the US time-walkers; Moira, Jack’s secretary, who has a special gift; and Amelia, Ernest’s niece. The author does a splendid job of fleshing out each of them and twisting their fates together.

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About Hayley Gelfuso

Hayley Gelfuso is an author and poet who works in the environmental non-profit sector. As a writer, she is drawn to stories of the wild and wonderful that are rooted in real world history and science. Her poetry about her experiences working in the conservation field has been published in the Plumwood Mountain Journal. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband.

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About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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