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Welcome to the reading guide for Lisa Wingate’s novel, The Book of Lost Friends!
This is a compelling story set in Louisiana during two different time periods: 1875 and 1987. The book interweaves the lives of characters from the past and present, creating a rich tapestry of stories that span generations.
In this blog post, we will analyze key characters and themes in this beautifully written and emotionally resonant novel to help keep you on track. ✨
Internet Resources
Following the story, Lisa shares three online resources for readers to explore further:
- Lost Friends Exhibition: A searchable database containing more than 2500 advertisements that appeared in the Southern Christian Advocate. These ads, published by the Methodist Book Concern in New Orleans, aimed to reunite families separated during slavery.
- Piecing Together Stories of Families Lost in Slavery: An insightful 30-minute audio interview with Heather Andrea Williams, the author of Help Me to Find My People. Williams discusses the “Lost Friends” ads, exploring the profound meaning of “help me find my people.”
- Purchased Lives Panel Exhibition: An online exhibit exploring the individuals involved in the domestic slave trade, with a particular focus on New Orleans’ role in that era of US history.
Discussion Topics
The novel touches upon thought-provoking discussion topics, inviting readers to reflect on important issues:
- History of the Lost Friends Advertisements: The story highlights the practice of families being forcibly separated during slavery and the subsequent efforts of freed individuals to reunite through the Lost Friends advertisements. Readers are prompted to consider modern-day instances of forced separations and how marginalized voices and stories are shared today.
- Finding People: The significance of the phrase “help me find my people” is explored, emphasizing the importance of family bonds and human connections. The book delves into the complexities of acknowledging historical atrocities without getting bogged down by guilt or shame, ultimately seeking ways to promote positive change and equity.
- Stories: The power of stories, both written and oral, is a central theme. The novel underscores how sharing personal narratives can bridge gaps, foster understanding, and shape our perspectives on others.
- Legacy: Legacy and the stories we leave behind are contemplated, urging readers to reflect on the stories they hold dear, the narratives of their ancestors, and the stories they hope to leave behind for future generations.
Memorable Quotes
Throughout the book, Lisa Wingate’s eloquent prose is peppered with poignant and evocative phrases that resonate deeply with readers, provoking smiles and introspection:
- “We ain’t been friends on this journey, her and me. Just two people in need of each other right now.” – page 208
- “Laughing carries you over a tough time.” – page 215
- “Ideas circle the room like honeybees, buzzing from landing place to landing place, gathering the nectar of inspiration.” – page 250
The Book of Lost Friends Characters
Characters in 1875:
- Hannie Gossett: formerly enslaved person on Gossett Grove, now a sharecropper, traveling with Juneau Jane and Lavinia
- Juneau Jane LaPlanche: Marse Gossett’s Creole daughter by his mistress
- Lavinia: privileged daughter of William and Maude Gossett
- Gus McKlatchy: boy whom Hannie meets on the Genesee Star, aspiring to be a cattle herder
- William Gossett (Old Mister): Slaveowner in Louisiana, owner of Goswood Grove
- Maude Loach-Gossett (Old Missus): William Gossett’s wife
- Young Mister Lyle: son of the Gossetts
- Mr. Washburn: Advisor to William Gossett, sought by Juneau Jane and Lavinia
- Jep Loach: nephew to William Gossett who sells Hannie and her family members
- Mary Angel: Hannie’s little cousin
- Tati: Freed former enslaved woman, now a sharecropper on Old Mister Gossett’s land
- Elam Salter (Moses): a deputy U.S. marshal tracking the Marston Men
Characters in 1987:
- Benedetta (Benny) Silva: new teacher in an under-resourced school in Augustine, Louisiana
- Lil’ Ray: student in Benny’s class who’s frequently hungry
- LaJuna: student in Benny’s class, a descendant of Hannie
- Tobias Gossett: young student
- Granny T: owner of the Cluck and Oink diner, granddaughter of Hannie
- Donna Alston (Aunt Sarge): LaJuna’s aunt and a capable woman
- Aunt Dicey: Sarge’s great aunt whom she lives with, granddaughter of Hannie
- Nathan Gossett: Judge Gossett’s grandson, owner of the big house, descendant of Gus McKlatchy
- Robin Gossett: Nathan’s deceased sister
Hannie Gossett
Hannie Gossett’s incredible courage is often overlooked, given that she is just 18 years old for most of the novel. Devastated by the loss of her family to the slave economy at the tender age of six, Hannie clings to her dream of reuniting with her stolen identity and finding her way back to her family.
As the trio of girls ventures into the treacherous Texas Outback, Hannie takes charge, defying cultural stereotypes by dressing like a boy and showing remarkable strength and resilience.
Throughout their journey, Hannie becomes a true superhero, fearlessly confronting corrupt lawmen, rogue Confederate outlaws, horse thieves, and mercenary lawyers. Inspired by stories of suffering and hope from the Lost Friends newspaper ads, she remains determined to uphold the importance of family, refusing to abandon her dream.
Her endurance is tested through physical hardships, long hikes through swamps, sleepless nights with predatory wild animals lurking, and intense hunger that haunts her dreams. She faces unjust imprisonment and even gets thrown from a moving boat.
Despite all the hurt and pain from her past, Hannie’s patient, generous, and courageous spirit eventually leads her to her stolen family in the closing pages of the novel, defying all odds. She transcends her past and is rewarded with a hopeful future—marriage to a former deputy federal marshal who admires her bravery and indomitable spirit.
Hannie’s journey is a testament to her strength and determination, proving that even in the face of immense challenges, the human spirit can rise above and find its way home.
Benny Silva
Benny Silva’s character is marked by the weight of untold stories and the refusal to engage with her own history. Granny T.’s words, “Sad thing… when stories die for the lack of listenin’ ears” (58), resonate deeply with Benny’s situation.
Unlike other principal characters, Benny’s story remains unheard and concealed throughout the novel. As a first-person narrator, she shares her experiences as a first-year teacher, presenting herself as accessible and honest.
However, she reveals only in the last page the chasm that exists between her and everyone, including the reader, in her revelation of the daughter she gave up for adoption.
In contrast to Hannie Gossett, Benny cannot transcend her past; it continues to haunt her, preventing her from embracing a hopeful future. For all her fascination with history and her curiosity about the stories all around her, as well as her belief that every story needs a sympathetic ear to keep it alive, Benny, as the first-person narrator, cannot bear to share even with her reader her darkest secret. More than ten years earlier, she gave birth to a daughter out of wedlock and immediately put the baby up for adoption.
It is only after she reveals that (literally in the last four paragraphs of the novel) that so much of her character becomes not only clear but unsettlingly ironic: her obsession with unearthing the stories of the ancestors of Augustine; her campaign to bring those stories to life in the Halloween pageant; her passion for the students that she comes to call “her kids”; her resilience and determination to help Nathan get to the bottom of his own family’s secret.
These are all strategies for handling, and perhaps avoiding, her own tragic story. Her insistence then that Nathan come to the Gossett library and read for himself the history of his family’s racism is ironic given her own resistance to confronting her past.
Benny’s journey highlights the emotional toll of keeping secrets and the consequences of avoiding one’s history. Her untold story speaks volumes about the impact of silence and the profound effect of unshared truths, reminding us of the importance of listening to the stories that long to be heard.
Juneau Jane
Juneau Jane stands as the novel’s tragic center, her fiery spirit and pluckiness concealing the weight of her past and the battles she faces. Emerging as a resilient and confident 14-year-old, she arrives alone at the Gossett farm, risking everything to claim her rightful place when William is feared dead. However, her past becomes her undoing, a history she had no part in creating but is bound to suffer from.
Juneau Jane is both a product and victim of history. Despite being William Gossett’s biological daughter and having a legal claim to inheritance, she is dismissed by his “real” family due to her Creole heritage.
In the eyes of Louisiana law and the disdainful treatment by Gossett’s family, she is seen as a mere “sham,” a regrettable result of his dalliance. Despite her resilience, determination, and ability to confront dangerous men throughout her journey, she is ultimately destroyed by the racist legal maneuvers and insidious gossip within the community.
The settlement offers her a meager forty acres of unpromising bottomland adjacent to the farm, a tragic dimension revealed later in the novel.
Benny’s investigation uncovers the 1887 newspaper article recording how, after years of litigation, Juneau is stripped of her inheritance. In a story centered on the emotional and psychological need for family, Juneau Jane tragically finds herself denied her rightful family and refused her true identity.
Her journey highlights the injustice she faces due to prejudice and discrimination, exposing the painful consequences of being a victim of history’s cruelties.
Nathan Gossett
Nathan Gossett embodies a carefree and detached life, initially freed from the burden of understanding the past in a novel that values its significance.
As the last descendant of the Gossett family, he witnessed the detrimental effects of delving too deeply into their dark history—his sister’s relentless pursuit of the truth about their family’s past ultimately led to her demise.
After her passing, Nathan emotionally and physically distances himself from his family and its complicated legacy. Preferring a bachelor’s life, he resides mostly on a shrimp boat in the Gulf, dedicating himself to the present moment and displaying a facade of indifference.
Observing the world from a distance, Nathan offers wry and often caustic commentary on the hypocrisies, ironies, and agonies of Augustine. His relationship with Benny, his absentee landlord, remains superficial, yet he gives her access to the mansion and its library without hesitation.
As he witnesses Benny and her students’ fervent passion for history and the stories of Augustine’s people, Nathan gradually begins his own journey of rediscovering his past and identity. When local politics threaten Benny’s pageant, Nathan flies back from North Carolina to help, breaking free from his indifference and emerging as a hero.
Working alongside Benny, they unveil the truth that his late sister fought to uncover—the Gossett farm is not what it seems. Through this process, Benny rekindles Nathan’s heart and encourages him to confront his complex past and consider a tentative plan for the future.
As Nathan becomes more engaged with the history he once sought to avoid, he begins to embrace the significance of understanding and acknowledging his roots, guided by the influence of Benny and her unyielding passion for the past.
Hope you enjoyed this character analysis for The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Happy reading! ❤️