Already some months ago, I found out about Cathy Glass’ new foster care memoir, A Life Lost. It didn’t come out till February 18 though and I never pre-order books. I waited for the release date and then immediately bought the eBook on Apple Books. Even though I was reading several other books, I gave priority to this one. I finished it yesterday. Today, I’m ready for a review.
Summary
Jackson is aggressive, confrontational and often volatile. His mother, Kayla, is crippled with grief after tragically losing her husband and eldest son.
Struggling to cope, she puts Jackson into foster care.
Cathy, his carer, encourages Jackson to talk about what has happened to his family, but he just won’t engage. His actions continue to test and worry everyone.
Then, in a dramatic turn of events, the true reason for Jackson’s behaviour comes to light …
My Review
This is a remarkable story. I had already read several of Cathy Glass’ other foster care memoirs, so already knew I liked her writing style. However, some of the books are a bit too predictable for my liking. This one wasn’t. It wasn’t too suspenseful for my liking either. In fact, Cathy used the exact right balance between tension and predictability. For this reason, I had some idea of the reason for Jackson’s behavior, but it still came as enough of a surprise.
This story is not just about Jackson, but also about Tilly, another child in Cathy’s care. I hadn’t read Cathy’s previous book, A Terrible Secret, which introduces Tilly, but I didn’t feel I was missing information. Cathy takes care to explain enough that each memoir can be read as a standalone and yet keeps her explanations brief enough that it doesn’t get boring if you’ve read many of her other books.
One thing that made me feel a little uncomfortable, but in a good way, was the story’s ending. It is sad, but then again sadness is part of life.
I totally loved this story and gave it five stars on Goodreads. I really hope this isn’t Cathy Glass’ last memoir.
Book Details
Title: A Life Lost: Jackson Is Haunted by a Secret from His Past
Author: Cathy Glass
Publisher: HarperElement
Publication Date: February 18, 2021
A Multitude of Musings 
I totally agree with you in terms of the balance in this book between predictability and suspense. A lot of Cathy’s books are very predictable in my opinion – that’s not a major problem but just makes them a bit less absorbing – and this one wasn’t like that at all.
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Oh, I haven’t read that many Cathy Glass books yet, but I agree some are pretty predictable. Thank you for commenting.
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Thanks for the nice review, it does sound really good.
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It is, although I must say I love all of her books I’ve read so far. Thank you for commenting.
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I’m reading it now. I am only going on to chapter 5 now. I always rate her books a 5 out of 5 on goodreads! xo
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I do, too, but then again I don’t read her books that I expect to be less than excellent.
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Sounds intriguing.
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