Tolog Review: Once Was Lost

Once Was Lost
by Sara Zarr
reviewed by Paris Davis

Have you ever been in a situation where everything seems broken and unable to fix? In the novel Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr, not only is Samara Taylor’s A/C broken, but so is the tiny string of faith that keeps her going. While her mom is in rehab for a drinking problem, her father seems to be more interested in his job as a pastor than keeping his family together. When a local girl goes missing, this doesn’t just add on to Samara’s disastrous life, but also the towns. As Gandhi once said, “strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” I feel like this quote has a lot to do with what Samara is going through, in the way that when everything in her life was a mess she did not whine or complain. She decided to never give up and through everything she became independent and found strength within herself.

After reading the back cover, I set high expectations for this book that were successfully achieved. This realistic fiction novel serves its genre well, by giving the readers a sense of who Samara Taylor is and how her everyday life isn’t so ordinary. Everyone goes through tough times in their lives, but this book gives us a sense that if Samara Taylor, a fifteen year old can make it through tough times, so can we. All we have to do is to never give up and have strength. I would highly recommend this book if you are searching for a good read that will leave you with a desire to turn the page.