Review: The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris

As a young boy, Shanley Keagan made a living as an aspiring vaudevillian in Dublin pubs.  Always in the back of his mind was his wish to be reunited with his biological father, a Navy officer in the United States.  When tragedy strikes his family, his wish is granted.  Forced to survive in a foreign world alone.  It can be only fate that introduces him to an Italian family that takes him in as one of their own.  To do so, he must shed is Irish identity and take on a new one.

Two decades later, convicted bank robber Tommy Capello is a prisoner on Alcatraz Island.  An unlucky twist in fate has landed him on this island, yet a turn in luck has given him the opportunity to achieve freedom.

Two lives, one story.

I’m a long-time fan of McMorris’ work. A skilled author of historical fiction, she crafts world and characters so detailed and realistic that readers are drawn into the setting, both in time and place.  When I learned she was writing a novel featuring Alcatraz, I all but passed out in excitement.

In The Edge of Lost, we are presented with the story of an Irish immigrant, forced to survive in New York City on talent and the kindness of strangers.  A truly brilliant young boy, his life is altered not once, not twice, but three times due to random acts of fate. We are entrenched in his initial quest to be reunited with his father, his blood, his identity, only for him to ultimately assume another family in order to survive.  Shanley is an individual who is able to survive only by a life full of second chances.  He’s dealt many blows, yet each time he finds a way to overcome what life has dealt him, not bitter but instead learning and growing from the experience.

McMorris has taken historical detail and woven into a beautifully and obviously extremely well researched novel. Obsessed with the history of Alcatraz myself, I was thrilled to see that she stayed true to the actual history of island, honoring it for its rich and powerful past.  I was instantly swept away by the beauty of the story, keeping me captivated despite mounting obstacles in my own life.

Fans of historical fiction should by now know that anything written by McMorris must not be missed. This is yet another example of her brilliant talent. A story of family, loyalty, forgiveness, and of overcoming obstacles that life throws in one’s way. Highly, Highly Recommended!