What Was Lost

Reminiscent of Hello Beautiful and The Lying Life of Adults, this powerful narrative delves into social changes from 1970 to 2000 and captures a woman’s journey in a pre-#MeToo era via the tale of a mother who returns to her hometown to face the perpetrator of her childhood abuse.

When a young girl feels complicit in her own abuse, how does that thwart her attempts to build a happy life as an adult woman?

When disturbing memories begin to surface, Marti returns to the small Vermont town she ran away from thirty years ago to face her demons. She drags her unwitting teenage daughter along on the journey—heightening already existing tension between mother and daughter. But Marti is determined to achieve what she’s returned home for: forgiveness for lies told, and revenge for secrets held.

Exploring the vast social changes that took place between 1970 and 2000 and turning a critical eye on times before language such as #MeToo helped give voice to these all-too-common occurrences, What Was Lost is a raw, powerful tale of one woman confronting the ghosts of her past.

Melissa Connelly dropped out of high school at age fifteen. In spite of this, she went on to receive a BSN in nursing, an MA in special education, and an MFA in creative writing. She’s had a long career working with children in a variety of roles in schools, hospitals, psychiatric clinics, and day cares. Her work has been published in American Heritage Magazine and the anthology It’s All About Shoes, and she was a finalist for the 2019 Montana Prize. Connelly has a home in the mountains of Western North Carolina but lives most of the year in Brooklyn, New York.