The Lost Story: A Novel

The novel lists the elements of a fairy tale, such as an unlikely hero and a quest. In which ways does it adhere to the conventions of a fairy tale, and how does it subvert or reinvent them? Support your answer with example from the text.

References to C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia occur throughout the text. What is the significance of these allusions? How do they function in the text?

Rafe tells Jeremy that he fell in love with him in Shanandoah because he remembers wanting to in the real world but also “being too scared, so it had to have been here” (391). How does the novel explore the challenges and power of love? How does Rafe and Jeremy’s love aid their self-discovery in the novel?

The novel plays with the differences between magical realms and mundane, day-to-day reality. How are these two spheres of experience contrasted with one another? In what ways do they overlap?

Although Skya calls Rafe the hero of the story, other characters also go on heroic quests or perform heroic actions. How do each of the protagonists learn to confront and overcome challenges? How does each one evolve over the course of the narrative?

Analyze the role of art and storytelling in the text. How does The Lost Story explore the many facets of creativity and its impact on the characters’ lives and identities?

While Rafe and Jeremy’s relationship forms a central thread in the narrative, the novel also explores the power of other interpersonal connections. How does the novel explore the nature of friendship and/or familial ties?

All major characters in the book deal with loss and grief. How do these experiences shape the protagonists’ character arcs? How do their attitudes toward loss and grief change over the course of the narrative?