The Book of Lost Hours
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK!
For fans of The Ministry of Time and The Midnight Library, a sweeping, “astounding debut” (Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author) novel following two remarkable women moving between postwar and Cold War-era America and the mysterious time space, a library filled with books containing the memories of those who bore witness to history.
One fateful evening, eleven-year-old Lisavet Levy finds herself trapped in the time space—a vast, enchanted library where memories of the dead are bound into books. As she grows up among the stacks, she discovers that government agents are infiltrating and destroying books to maintain their preferred version of history. Determined to salvage what seh can, Lisavet creates her own book of memories...until an American agent, Ernest Duquesne, arrives to stop her, setting off a battle over memory and truth that could change history itself.
In 1965, sixteen-year-old Amelia Duquesne is mourning the disappearance of her uncle Ernest when an enigmatic CIA agent seeks her help in tracking down a book of memories her uncle had once sought. But as Amelia visits the time space for the first time, she realizes that the past—and the truth—might not be as linear as she’d like to believe “in this intriguing novel” (Booklist).
- Pages
- 391
- First published
- August 26, 2025
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ebook
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Shelved by 5 Litcadians
Reviews
Finished April 15, 2026
*☆3stars☆* I really wanted to love this book—the premise immediately pulled me in, and for a while, I thought it was going to be a new favorite. Unfortunately, while it had moments I enjoyed, it didn’t fully capture me the way I expected. The Book of Lost Hours centers around a fascinating concept: a hidden time-space library filled with the memories of those who have passed, accessible only through specially made watches. These watches, traditionally passed down through patriarchal lines, have now fallen into the hands of the government. From there, we follow two women from different timelines who enter this space in an effort to protect the sanctity of these books—and the histories they hold—until their paths inevitably cross. The question becomes whether that meeting is coincidence or something more intentional. On paper, this has everything I love. A mysterious library, timey-wimey elements, and women stepping into roles traditionally held by men? I was completely sold. That said, I found myself a bit underwhelmed in execution. For a premise that feels so rich and atmospheric, the actual setting didn’t live up to that potential for me. We spend a significant amount of time in this “time space,” and I was expecting vivid, immersive descriptions that would bring it to life. Instead, it often felt vague—like dark hallways suspended in a void—without the depth or detail I was hoping for. The writing itself isn’t bad by any means, but it lacked the level of atmosphere that I think this story really needed to shine. Character-wise, I was initially very invested. In the first half, I enjoyed seeing where these women were headed—their development, their motivations, and how their stories might eventually intertwine. However, as the story progressed, one character in particular began making decisions that felt out of character and somewhat forced. That shift pulled me out of the story a bit and ultimately made the ending feel less impactful than it could have been. I can absolutely understand why this book works for so many readers. The concept alone is compelling, and there are definitely elements here worth appreciating. It just didn’t fully come together for me in the way I had hoped. [Find my reviews on Bookstagram too!](https://www.instagram.com/literarily_laurynn?igsh=aTh6eTZ6dGwxMXpy&utm_source=qr)