The Lost Bookshop

The Lost Bookshop (2023) by Evie Woods is a magical realism novel that intertwines three characters’ stories and first-person points of view; the novel centers around books and the search for a lost manuscript. Evie Woods is the pseudonym for Irish author Evie Gaughan, who has published three other novels (The Heirloom, The Story Collector, and The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris) under her real name. Her books often incorporate historical and contemporary settings as well as elements of magical realism. The Lost Bookshop has appeared on several bestseller lists. The novel is an homage to books and the love of reading as well as an exploration of what people will do to find love and a sense of belonging.

This guide uses the 2023 paperback edition published by One More Chapter, a division of HarperCollins. Direct quotes retain the British spelling of the original text.

Content Warning: The book and this guide include depictions of spousal abuse, parental abuse, alcoholism, outdated language surrounding mental health (“asylums”), forced hospitalizations, and death by suicide.

Plot Summary

The story is framed by a third-person Prologue and Epilogue. The Prologue introduces a mysterious bookshop and its owner, Martha.