All the Lost Places

 Book by Amanda Dykes

Beautifully written, dual-timeline, Christian mystery. I loved both storylines (one with nods to the prodigal son, and the other with nods to Moses) and the themes of redemption, identity, worth, being found, and being loved. The language is rich and might be difficult to parse for younger readers, but there is no objectionable content, so I would recommend this for age 12+.

Some quotes:

“Courage keep, and hope beget; The story is not finished yet . . .”

“And isn’t that the way of miracles? Something extraordinary because of the faithful ordinary.”

“It was the brokenness that caught the light.”

“A person never knows how far their life might reach.”

“Who are you? You are loved. You are you. You are full of good purpose. You were made for this, your time, and this, your life. There is none like you, and I see the fingerprints of a mighty and good, kind, loving God in your good, kind, loving soul. You are full of honor and goodness. There is no one in this world with such a big heart as you. I see it in the way you tend to each of us, always watching, always helping. You, Sebastien, are a man who loves well.”

“Though life had taught them hope was a dangerous and fragile thing . . . Faith sang a different song: hope was as necessary as breath, and so strong that it carried its own heartbeat. A heartbeat that drove them when they were tempted to give up.”

“Whatever else our lot—whatever our legacy, our history, our burdens to bear—we have all been given time. And we must spend it well, spend it like it is gold, or better.”

“He determined to live on as he always had. Setting his hand to whatever lay in front of him and giving his all to it. It was a simple life and a good life.”

“Life is still life! I may be confined to these four walls, but do I not have breath to breathe? Do I not hear the bells and the birds, just as I would if I were walking the streets? I have a very full life. I just move less.’”

“She is your mother. How she must long for you! Do you not think she would take you while your holes are not yet filled? She does not want perfection. She wants you. From how you speak of her, I am certain of it. To meet you where you are and to help you fill the holes and mend the tears.”

“There is no myth greater than that of perfection.”

“Mosaic . . . it is the art of empty spaces. Broken things, harvested as treasure and pieced together into something entirely . . . different. Old, but new. Broken, but whole…. The edges of those broken pieces, moved by a master’s hand, until they uncannily matched together.”

“The wondering . . . If I let it, it could swallow me up, and then where would I be? Still here, but blind to all I’ve been given.”

“Hands that worked in ways that did not steal and did not strive—but gave, and gave thanks.”