Lost Lambs is an irresistible small-town family drama worth the read

💡 Dysfunctional families often find themselves at the heart of great stories. In her hit debut novel Lost Lambs, Madeline Cash places the Flynn family at the center of a messy, character-packed, quick-witted yet warm tale of small-town malaise disrupted by b’naire-led conspiracy of corruption and the moral tension between doing good and simply being happy.

The plot: Bud and Catherine Flynn are a once-young-and-in-love couple turned husband and wife navigating a midlife crisis and a one-sided open marriage. Their three daughters — Abigail, Louise, and Harper — are starkly different from one another, though each brings her own kind of trouble to the family. Abigail, the eldest, is a rebellious high-school beauty, dating a man in his twenties who works security for the town’s b’naire Paul Alabaster. Louise is the unnoticeable middle child who escapes her mundane reality through an online relationship with an Islamic fundamentalist who talks her into extreme action. Harper is a wonder child who is “too smart for her own good.”

Where the story took us — and why we enjoyed it. The author builds an absurdist drama, infused with addictive humor and subtle irony. She adds a distinctive touch to her prose through playful wording. The story is big and expansive, drawing readers in through painfully honest yet oddly charming character perspectives.

Still, she manages to keep it intimate and easy-to-read through relatable tensions and sharp, humorous dialogue. She cleverly expands the troubled family drama into a broader small-town mystery, fueled by crazy circumstances and kept engaging through a believable surrealism and self-aware, likeable narrators.

The verdict: Lost Lambs offers a familiar portrayal of dysfunctional family dynamics, yet keeps things fresh with humor, heartfelt moments, mystery, crime, and modern societal afflictions. If you’re drawn to compellingly toxic characters and a plot that takes you on a messy but intentional ride, Lost Lambs, in just over 200 pages, is a hard-to-put-down next read.

WHERE TO GET IT- You can find Lost Lambs as an eBook on Kobo.