Book Review: Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

I read Sara Zarr's new book, Once Was Lost, in a day. I didn't mean to. It was one of those stories that was so strong, so streamlined, that the force of it yanked me out of my Saturday.

Books about young girls in youth group wrestling with their faith are enormously tricky to write. The world of evangelicalism, the world of youth group--with its guitar-playing leaders, community-building circle time, tear-streaked prayer vigils, and sexually-charged lock-ins--it's just begging to be ridiculed. It wears a flourescent pink target for any free-thinking woman in her 30s who struggled through those Wednesday night meetings to attack with snark, sarcasm, and disdain.

Sara Zarr doesn't do that.

It's astonishing: she takes on the struggles of a teenage girl--a pastor's daughter no less--and gives the girl depth, gives her struggles dignity.

Honestly, I was happy enough to wander through the personal and spiritual struggles of Sam, the main character, for a couple hundred pages. She was so relatable and so refreshingly honest that I enjoyed her company. However, page 35 shoves the reader--and the plot--into an agonizing search for another lost soul. How lame is it to say my heart raced? That I fanned the last few pages to see if I could catch a glimpse of the end? That I read after my eyes burned and begged for a break?

Lame or not, I think my reactions tonight indicate I was spending time with some fantastic writing. Sara Zarr is so very good at so many difficult things: handling the subject of faith with grace and sobriety; plotting a story in 13 life-changing days; never once making fools out of the wandering, the believing, or the cynics. (She takes shots at the media, and I can't help but give her a high-five for that.) Her dedication to detail is sharp but not overbearing. Her male characters are multi-dimensional--not always true in YA books for girls.

Zarr herself seems to be as relatable and honest as her main character. Spend some time with her on her website, http://www.sarazarr.com/. She shares tips for writers, info on her journey to publication (it took a full decade!). I look forward to checking out her other two novels, Story of a Girl (NBA finalist) and Sweethearts (Cybil finalist).

Isn't it delicious finding a new author? :)