Boy, Lost: A family memoir

By Kristina Olsson

Kristina Olsson's mother lost her infant son, Peter, when he was snatched from her arms as she boarded a train in the hot summer of 1950. Young and frightened and trying to escape a brutal marriage, she was not prepared for this final blow, this breathtaking punishment. She would not see her son again for nearly forty years. Kristina was the first child of her mother's second, much gentler marriage and, like her siblings, grew up unaware of the reasons behind her mother's sorrow, though Peter's absence resounded through the family. Yvonne dreamt day and night of her son, while Peter grew up a thousand miles and a lifetime away, dreaming of his missing mother. Thirty-six years later he arrived at her front door. Boy, Lost tells an unforgettable story of the legacy of grief and loss across generations, and is a tribute to the power of memory and faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: University of Queensland Press
• Release date: Jan 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9780702267086

Kristina Olsson

Kristina Olsson is a journalist and the award-winning author of the novels Shell, In One Skin, and The China Garden, and two works of nonfiction, Boy, Lost: A Family Memoir and Kilroy was Here. She lives in Brisbane, Australia.

Reviews for Boy, Lost

[philipjhunt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The amazing aspect of this book is the depths to which the author explores the minds of her characters. She relates so much of what is going on the head and heart of each person, that I began to wonder if I was reading a novel. Indeed, Kristina Olsson would forgive me, I hope, for thinking she was making it up. But towards the end of this family memoir, we glean a little of the many hours she has spent with each person, undoubtedly probing and feeding back what she was hearing. As a result we have profundity as well as drama. The story is titled "Boy, Lost" but its span is much wider. A memorable read.