The story
begins with an incident during those days in the house when his father tried to
stand up for him drunk, and his mother asks Dave to leave the house if he
thinks that's the best for him. He leaves the house, wanders around and when he is not able
to comprehend his next steps, he surrenders to a Policeman and goes back home. You
remember in the first book he got saved by his school, and the policeman takes
him to juvenile care. He gets his health checked up by a hospital, where we
find that his physical scars were too severe that even the doctor questions the
policeman about his further actions. Ms Gold, his guardian and a social worker, visits him in that juvenile care. She helps him understand that it wasn’t his
fault and prepares his case for the trial. When the trial is about to start, Dave's
mother visits the juvenile care and threatens him for letting out their secret.
Dave is so scared that he takes back all his statements and leaves Ms Gold
broken as she couldn't help this traumatised kid. The trial day involves a lot
of courage from this kid, as he accepts that he wants to stay with the judge, the court. He is transferred to a foster home and then begins a new journey. He
meets his new foster family, Rudy and Lilian Catanaze. He learns about new
house rules and tries to cope with other kids, but it is difficult to cope with
others for he couldn't tell them what made him be a foster kid. The trauma of
not having loved by his parents made him look for love everywhere else, even at
the cost of engaging in some bad activities. Lilian and Ms Gold try to
take him to a counsellor who wasn’t an expert in cases like child abuse, and
this complicates things for Dave. He got into stealing to impress his new group
of friends but gets set up by one. He almost participates in burning his school
down and gets framed as a culprit. He had to go to juvenile prison. His
father met him there, but instead of making him understand things, he looked
down upon him. Meanwhile, his mother tries to demonstrate him as an insane kid
and plots to send him to a mental hospital which meant receding those claims
on her in this society. It was due to his then foster parents, Catanaze and his warden,
Gordon in the prison that he came out without any red flags. This was a turning
point in his life. After this trial, he got into the regular drill of shifting homes.
Ms Gold wasn't his county guardian anymore. Gordon tried to look out for the
kid. Since there were very few foster parents, it seemed onerous to get a
new home. But what will he do next after getting a new home? Will he be able to avoid
his thirst for attention? Will he be able to guide himself towards a brighter
future? All these questions arrive until he visits a counsellor, again. Will
this counsellor help, or he too is prejudiced against foster kids?
The Lost Boy
is a sequel to A Child Called 'It'. In the first book, the author had discussed the
horrifying treatment subjected to him (Dave) by his mother. In this book, we
learn more about his life after getting rescued. The story discusses the
social stigmas related to the foster kids. This was a better read than the first
one because it explained the major expect of his life, the phases of growth
from trauma chronologically. Dave was surely courageous to have survived that
abuse. This book will tell you how rightful guidance matters in carving the
paths of the future. The author has justified the title again, and the writing
style deserves appreciation as it will keep you engrossed, provoking your
curiosity. I think I am going to keep this series as a recommended read for a
long time. Planning to read its last part, A Man Named Dave, soon. Even though he will be able to achieve what he wants to but absorbing that process, the problems yet to be offered to him due to cretinous prejudices sounds
fascinating.
