A predictable debut about a 30-year-old go-getter whose life is put on hold when she's diagnosed with breast cancer. Natalie Miller is senior aide to a Hillary Clinton-like New York senator-the job is tough, demanding and a bit underhanded. And so is Natalie. But the identity she's carefully cultivated is no match for the big "C," especially when the two things she depends on-the power of her job and her unchallenging boyfriend-disappear after her diagnosis. Although Natalie will admit she and Ned were hardly inseparable, no one wants to be dumped, especially at such a tumultuous time. And though Natalie would like to tough it out, Senator Dupris insists she take some time off during chemotherapy (of course, in her absence, Natalie loses her swank private office). Adrift without her professional position, Natalie decides to uncover why her past romances have failed. Disappointingly, the sections devoted to tracking old boyfriends are in diary form. The feedback from the beaus is the same: Natalie has always had priorities other than romance. Now afraid of dying, and that her chance for love may be over, she longs for both the one who got away (burgeoning rock-star Jake) and the one who may be Mr. Right, her second-best friend's ex, Zach. In the midst of the expected boyfriend trouble and work trouble (she is being usurped by an underling) is Natalie's battle with cancer, her chemotherapy, the loss of her hair and then both her breasts, the reaction of her friends and finally Natalie's own growing ability to ask for help. The writing is chatty, often funny, but the obviousness of the plot-by the end, Natalie may have found true love-detracts from any poignancy derived from Natalie's battlewith illness. Amiable gal stuff, aiming for, but not quite reaching, a higher plateau.
“Allison Winn Scotch is the real deal and The Department of Lost & Found is one you absolutely won't want to miss.”
-Johanna Edwards, author of The Next Big Thing
“Funny, touching, tender, true....I loved it.”
-Pamela Redmond Satran, author of Suburbanistas
A Redbook Magazine Editor's Choice, Allison Winn Scotch's sparkling debut novel, The Department of Lost & Found, is a story that makes you laugh and cry in equal measure. This funny and uplifting tale of a young woman overcoming bad odds and changing her life, as she discovers unexpected truths about her friends, her family, and herself, is one that Julie Buxbaum and Jennifer Weiner fans will not soon forget.
“Allison Winn Scotch is the real deal and The Department of Lost & Found is one you absolutely won't want to miss.”
-Johanna Edwards, author of The Next Big Thing
“Funny, touching, tender, true....I loved it.”
-Pamela Redmond Satran, author of Suburbanistas
A Redbook Magazine Editor's Choice, Allison Winn Scotch's sparkling debut novel, The Department of Lost & Found, is a story that makes you laugh and cry in equal measure. This funny and uplifting tale of a young woman overcoming bad odds and changing her life, as she discovers unexpected truths about her friends, her family, and herself, is one that Julie Buxbaum and Jennifer Weiner fans will not soon forget.

The Department of Lost & Found: A Novel

The Department of Lost & Found: A Novel
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Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940173803450 |
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Publisher: | HarperCollins |
Publication date: | 02/01/2012 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
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