In The Book of Lost Friends, Wingate weaves the stories of seemingly unconnected characters, one set in 1875 and another in 1987. The stories, in alternating chapters, are narrated by Hannie Gossett and Benedetta (Benny) Silva. Hannie is a slave who was cruelly separated from her mother and Benny a teacher, who goes to Augustine, Lousiana to teach in a rural and poverty stricken area in order to help pay off student loans. Although at times confusing, the novel speaks to the racism that has existed throughout the history of our country.
The premise in Hannie's narration is a long and arduous journey to find her half-sister, Juneau Jane's father. It is a perilous trip in 1875 that involves kidnapping, stowaways, murder, and illness. Along the journey Hannie and Juneau Jane collect names of people who are searching for family members. These names come from a church newspaper that publishes letters. Before her mother, Mittie, was taken and sold as a slave she gave Hannie a necklace of blue beads that came from her grandmother. Each family member had been given a strand so that if they ever were to meet again, they would know each other as a family member. The inheiritance of the Gossett plantation - Goswood Grove is central to the plot and the journey.
Fast forward to 1987 and Benny's story. As an unwelcome outsider to the small town of Augustine, she tries to win over her classes who have a distrust of their teacher by interesting them in the stories of their town and heritage. She knows that many come to class hungry and she tries to win them over with cookies and treats. She notices that one of her students, LaJuna is interested in reading and learning and the two find themselves bonding as they organize the books in the old plantation home next to the cottage that Benny is renting. The story comes full circle as the owner of the plantation, Goswood Grove, Nathan becomes involved with their project of discovering the names of the slaves buried on the property. Through research the group discover the Book of Lost Friends hidden in a chest outside the town's library. In a newspaper article, Hannie and Juneau Jane were identified as the two women who played a significant role in the establishment of the library. As a culmination to this discovery and project, the school staged a pageant celebrating the history of the plantation in which LaJuna plays Hattie. Nathan, once disinterested in his family's history, is won over and establishes the plantation as a genealogy and history center.
Wingate's writing is rich, descriptive, and elegant even when describing the hardships of Hannie's journey. She introduces a copious amount of characters that at times can be difficult to place in the context of the novel. However, all play a vital role in Hannie's odyssey. The premise of knowing one's history comes through so many of the stories that are critical to the plot. One quote resonates loudly even today:
"Just because we’re not always happy with what’s true doesn’t mean we shouldn’t know it. It’s how we learn. It’s how we do better in the future. Hopefully, anyway.”
Wingate, Lisa. The Book of Lost Friends (p. 221). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
