The Lost Ticket

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis:  Libby Nichols arrives in London brokenhearted, unemployed, and with her dreams shattered. The first person she meets is Frank, an elderly gentleman on the number 88 bus, who tells her about another bus ride in 1962 when he met an unforgettable young woman with gorgeous red hair just like Libby’s. They made plans for a date, but Frank lost the bus ticket where the woman wrote down her phone number. He’s been riding the number 88 daily, hoping to find her ever since.

 

With lots of free time on her hands, Libby decides to take action and help Frank find his mystery woman. With the help of those she meets along the bus route, she hangs fliers about town and takes to social media to track down the Girl on the 88. But with Frank’s dementia progressing at a rapid pace, they must work quickly before it’s too late.

 

Sampson’s novels tap into the importance of our shared lived experiences – the ordinary, day-to-day outings and interactions that fill our lives with small pleasures and which may seem trivial, but which give our days purpose. The Last Chance Library celebrated the importance of libraries as community centers and safe havens during a time when libraries were closed due to funding cuts and the effects of COVID-19. Now, THE LOST TICKET recognizes the importance of chance encounters and random gestures of kindness that result from public interactions – while riding a bus, for instance – and Sampson again shines light on the world of difference that public spaces and services can make in the lives of their users. Sampson began writing the story in March 2020, just as the UK began enforcing pandemic restrictions and social interactions became more limited.

 

THE LOST TICKET is perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and The Authenticity Project.

Freya Sampson works in TV and was the executive producer of Channel 4's Four in a Bed and Gogglesprogs. She studied History at Cambridge University and in 2018 was shortlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize. She lives in London with her husband, two young children and an antisocial cat.

Freya Sampson is also the author of last year’s popular debut The Last Chance Library (August 2021), which was a great read. Click here for my review.