Katherine Marsh is a 48-year-old author of children's books, which include Nowhere Boy (2018), The Door by the Staircase (2016), Jeep, Who Defied the Staircase (2012), The Twilight Prisoner (2009), The Night Tourist (2007), and The Lost Year (2023), which is the latest.
The Lost Year (2023) is about a tormented 13-year-old boy called Mathew. Mathew's father is a journalist trapped overseas, and he does not know the day he will ever return. The boy's mother has relocated to live with his grandmother in the village until the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Consequently, Mathew is isolated and miserable. Later, Mathew visits his grandmother to find company. While living with his grandmother, he finds a book with several chapters about the family's history. One of the hidden chapters in the book reveals the family's deep secrets. Mathew learns that most of his family members died during the horrific famine in Ukraine in the 1930s. Millions of people died, but the Soviet Union kept it a secret because the exact number of people who died during the famine is unknown.
The Lost Year (2023) novel received several positive reviews. For instance, The Night Diary states that Katherine Mash's novel is a mesmerizing magnum opus that connects the past and the present. The novel reveals the dark secrets of the 1932 famine in Ukraine and covers the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. According to Kirkus Review, The Lost Year (2023) is a poignant presentation of a long censored bit of history.
