Even Carter Meland confessed that this book was an accident. A colleague asked for a collection of Meland’s essays and instead got four distinct pieces that are clearly linked. “True to character,” joked Meland, “he never got my essays.” Yet, even after this mistake, he didn’t realize that what he had sent was to become a book; Meland said he never thought those four pieces were all a part of the same story, at least not yet, until he accidently sent them to be edited.

Stories for a Lost Child begins and ends with Fiona, a young woman who knows that she has ancestors but knows nothing more about them. Her mother and grandmother were abandoned by Fiona’s grandfather, and over the years her mother had worked hard to forget him. Until one day that is, when Fiona gets a mail delivery that contains story after story and a letter—all from her unknown grandpa. Within his stories, Fiona’s grandfather confesses a less than perfect life and tries to rationalize his previous actions.

There are parallels drawn in the story Meland’s own life and Fiona’s. In the story, Fiona is suddenly being flooded with memories, anecdotes, and history lessons pertaining to the culture she is a part of but knows nothing about. Meland, too, did not find out until later in life that he is of Native American heritage. As things develop in the story, Fiona’s situation is seen as an internal struggle more than anything else. She has questions, she has concerns, she has doubts and fears, and she is a bit displeased with her grandfather for his actions, and with her mother for trying to hide him.

The writing itself is good, but never quite reaches great.  By the book’s end, it feels more like a template for individual reflection and contemplation than it does a door to a new world that lets the reader escape the real one. Underneath it all is a sense of worry, sure, but also laziness. Things are changing, decisions are being made by everybody, but what if Fiona just goes along with whatever happens and sees how things work out? Doing nothing but sharing the reward simply because of her presence.

3 out of 5 Spurs.