An unsuspecting artist uncovers her late mother’s secrets and unravels her own hidden past in a beguiling novel by the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.

Months after her mother passes away, artist Tillie Morrisey sees a painting in a gallery that leaves her inexplicably lightheaded and unsteady. When a handsome stranger comes to her aid, their connection is so immediate it seems fated, though Liam is only visiting for a few days.

Working on her own art has always been a refuge, but after discovering a document among her mother’s belongings that suggests Tillie’s life has been a lie, she begins to suffer from a series of fugue states, with memories surfacing that she isn’t even sure are her own. As her confusion and grief mount, and prompted by a lead on the painting that started it all, Tillie heads to a seaside village in England. There, she hopes to discover the source of her uncanny inspirations, sort out her feelings about Liam, and unravel truths that her mother kept hidden for decades.

The fluidity of memory, empowering strength of character, beauty of nature, and love of family braid together in this artful tapestry of a novel.

 
 

Praise for Memories of the Lost

“Just when I thought Barbara O’Neal couldn’t get any better…she does. Memories of the Lost is a study in pitch-perfect storytelling; an intriguing mystery and a tender love story, meticulously woven around a pair of protagonists who feel so wonderfully real I suspect I’ll miss them for a very long time. I couldn’t read this novel fast enough and yet the story never felt rushed, and ends just as beautifully as her characters—and her readers—deserve.”
— Barbara Davis, bestselling author of The Keeper of Happy Endings and The Echo of Old Books
“Memories of the Lost is everything I love about Barbara O’Neal’s novels—dreamy, artistic, hopeful, magical. Its dash of mysticism boldly explores the power of art, the power of love, and discovering who you really are. Barbara has a poet’s touch, an artist’s eye, a chef’s palate, and a romantic soul. She truly makes the book world a better place.”
— Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times Bestselling author of Other Birds
“Magnificent! The writing is lyrical, the story is mesmerizing. Perfection from start to finish.”
— Susan Mallery, New York Times bestselling author of For the Love of Summer.
 

For Book Clubs

Reading Memories of the Lost in a book club? Get a list of book club questions here.

Book Club Questions