The unreal pressure cooker of reality TV is the framework for breezy adventure in Carolyn Parkhurst’s second novel, “Lost and Found.” Unlikely pairs of contestants take part “in a scavenger hunt that will cover all the corners of the Earth.” But while they are unraveling the clues that point them to their next destination, they are also grappling with issues much larger than the $1 million prize that is waiting for the last team standing.
The show’s rules seem straightforward. Each leg of the competition takes the teams to an exotic locale. At each stop, they unravel clues that lead to a particular item. Each found item must be carried for the rest of the game, and the last team over the finish line is sent home, but not before the ice queen host of the show, Barbara Fox, asks “You’ve lost the game, but what have you found?”
By the sixth leg of the game, seven teams remain, and each carries an unwieldy collection of souvenirs: “a ski pole, a bishop from a crystal chess set, a sheet of rice paper, a trilobite fossil, an aviator’s helmet, and a live parrot.” Even more burdensome than these props, though, are the contestants’ secrets. These are the reasons they are part of the show. The producers hope that the pressure of the pace and the unrelenting presence of the cameras will force the kind of prime-time confessions that drive good ratings.
Parkhurst focuses on seven competitors, each of whom confides his or her experiences in alternating first-person narratives. Laura says she joined the show to reconnect with her daughter Cassie; the producers hope the mother-daughter secret (Cassie’s illegitimate baby, born at home and given up for adoption) will come to light. Justin and Abby are newlyweds with a message to share. Self-described recovering homosexuals, they credit religion with turning them away from destructive lifestyles. Juliet and Dallas are former child-stars hoping that their roles on the show will restore flagging careers. And Carl is half of a team of brothers, both divorced, and the father of a toddler with a congenital liver disorder.
“Lost and Found” may not be a true picture of reality shows and the people who inhabit them, but it is an entertaining one. Parkhurst’s characters are alternately self-serving, self-deprecating, humorous and, often, anything but self-aware. The difference between the public persona revealed to the camera and the thoughts revealed in the narrative drive the story. And while some of the plot twists are simply predictable, they are not disappointing.
Following Parkhurst’s first novel, “The Dogs of Babel,” is a challenging task, and “Lost and Found” is very different from its predecessor. Both use first-person narrative, but “The Dogs of Babel” concentrated on a single character and point of view. The resulting novel was much more introspective than the newer work.
In addition to creating a more diverse set of characters, some more deliberately endearing than others, she has taken a clear stand on issues involving sexual identity.
Settling on which is the better book is going to come down to individual preference.
“The Dogs of Babel” is a tightly focused novel; “Lost and Found” is a kaleidoscope that is funny and edgy. Fast and light, it is a good summer book.
Robin Vidimos is a freelance writer who reviews books for The Denver Post and Buzz in the ‘Burbs.
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Lost and Found
By Carolyn Parkhurst
Little, Brown, 304 pages, $23.95
