Araxi is 18 years old when she runs away from home with her friend Cecile. Her disappearance forces her Armenian relatives to reevaluate their lives and think about the past to determine what went wrong. Levon, Araxi’s father, has to deal with his anger towards his wife and his sister. Tamar, Araxi’s mother, is depressed because of her failed marriage and a lost love. Sophie, Araxi’s younger sister, feels lonely and is convinced everybody is abandoning her. While driving across the United States, Araxi is determined to have a brand new life and never to come back home. But will she succeed in reinventing herself? Will her relatives come to terms with her decision?
The Legacy of Lost Things is an interesting story about dark family secrets and the difficulty for immigrants to fit in a new country. Like Araxi and Sophie, Aida Zilelian is a first-generation Armenian being raised in America, and she drew a lot from her experiences while writing this book. She aptly describes how most immigrants want to embrace their new country without compromising their culture. However, I found that the many characters and flashbacks in the story could be confusing. In addition, the author left some loose ends when the story concluded: for example, what happened to Cecile after she met Casey? I must say though that this novel motivated me to know more about the Armenian genocide, and I would have been curious to see what happened to Araxi’s ancestors during these dark times. Maybe this could be the basis for another book…
The Legacy of Lost Things was sent to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
About the author and her work: Aida Zilelian’s Website.
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