Book Review: ‘The Lost Ones’ by Anita Frank

The Lost Ones was author Anita Frank’s debut novel back in 2019. It falls into the mixed genres of a historical haunted house ghost story.

Set in 1917 our protagonist Stella Marcham is suffering from ongoing depression following the death of her fiancé during The Great War. Although never specifically stated it is also likely that Stella has lingering post-traumatic stress disorder from both her time as a nurse during the war and from her youngest sister’s death following a house fire several years previously.

Stella’s mental health is crucial to the plot as, during this period, depression was not well understood. Stella’s condition is seen only as hysteria and she faces repeated threats throughout the novel from people trying to send her to an asylum. Her cause is not helped when she goes to stay with her pregnant sister Madeleine at the imposing Greyswick Manor and the two women encounter ghostly goings on. Apparently it’s just more hysterical nonsense from the feeble female mind. But Stella knows better and together with Madeleine and mysterious servant Annie, she vows to uncover the truth behind a historical tragedy that still haunts the house.

The Lost Ones has many elements of a classic haunted house mystery. There are unexplained noises in the night, footsteps and footprints when no one is there, objects that move on their own, a ghostly voice of a child, and an unwelcoming country estate. All of these elements help to set the scene of Greyswick as a truly foreboding place. It is immediately clear that the house and its residents, with their disdain for Stella, should be treated with extreme caution.

With Stella’s sanity in question, Anita Frank parallels this by having the reader question whether the hauntings are real or not. As the novel is told from Stella’s point of view we know that she believes everything she has experienced is real…but is there another explanation for what is happening at Greyswick? Enter war veteran and paranormal investigator Tristan who is determined to find a rational and real world reason behind every strange going on. The battle of wills between Stella, Tristan and their two investigations add another layer to this detailed mystery.

Anita Frank’s clear writing style and narrative lead to a wonderful twisting plotline which spans generations of Greyswick residents. The Lost Ones is a thoroughly enjoyable ghost story which, at its core, focuses on the strength of family and an unshakeable bond between two sisters.

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