If you’ve ever lost a single glove on a freezing train platform or found a random brass key at the bottom of a thrift store bin, you already understand the DNA of books by ruth hogan. She’s the patron saint of the discarded.
Ruth Hogan didn’t just appear out of nowhere, though it felt that way when The Keeper of Lost Things became a global phenomenon back in 2017. She’s a writer who found her voice after a life-altering cancer diagnosis and a lot of time spent observing the world from a bed. That perspective matters. It’s why her stories feel so fragile yet sturdy. Honestly, her work is basically a warm hug, but the kind of hug that happens at a funeral where you’re also kind of laughing at a memory of the deceased. It's messy. It’s British. It’s deeply, unapologetically sentimental.
What People Get Wrong About Ruth Hogan’s Writing
A lot of critics dismiss her as "up-lit"—that cozy, feel-good genre meant to be read with a cup of Earl Grey.
That’s a bit of a lazy take.
While her books are certainly life-affirming, they deal with some pretty dark, jagged edges. We're talking about dementia, profound grief, social isolation, and the terrifying reality of being forgotten. Hogan doesn’t ignore the dirt; she just finds the flower growing in it. If you go into her bibliography expecting a Hallmark movie, you’re going to be surprised by the sharp wit and the occasional gut-punch of reality.
Take The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes. It’s a story about a woman dealing with the unthinkable loss of a child. It isn't just "cozy." It’s a gritty exploration of how grief can make you feel like a ghost in your own life. Hogan has this specific knack for writing characters who are "eccentric"—a word people use for folks they don't quite understand—and making them the most grounded people in the room.
The Keeper of Lost Things and the Magic of Objects
You can't talk about books by ruth hogan without starting with Anthony Peardew. He’s the protagonist of her debut, a man who has spent forty years collecting lost objects to atone for a broken promise.
The premise is simple: every lost hair tie, every rusted biscuit tin, and every single puzzle piece has a story.
What makes this book work isn't just the whimsy. It’s the structure. Hogan weaves together the past and the present, connecting Anthony’s housekeeper, Laura, with a cast of characters that seem completely unrelated until the very last moment. It’s a literary jigsaw puzzle.
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- The Objects: A jigsaw piece, a beaded necklace, a set of keys.
- The Theme: Redemption and the idea that nothing—and no one—is ever truly lost.
- The Vibe: Bittersweet, like a rainy Sunday afternoon.
I remember reading this for the first time and looking at my own "junk drawer" differently. Hogan makes you realize that the things we carry are often placeholders for the people we’ve lost. It’s a heavy concept delivered with a light touch.
Why Madame Burova is the Underrated Gem
If The Keeper of Lost Things is the famous older sibling, Madame Burova (published in 2021) is the cool, mysterious aunt who knows all your secrets.
Set in Brighton, it follows a tarot reader and palmist who is retiring from her booth on the boardwalk. This book is much more atmospheric. It smells like salt air and old caravans. It’s about identity and the secrets families keep for decades.
Hogan uses two timelines here, too. We see the glitz and grit of the 1970s holiday camp scene and the modern-day quest of a woman named Billie seeking the truth about her heritage. It’s arguably Hogan’s most complex work. It tackles themes of racism and prejudice in a way that feels organic to the time period, never preachy.
Honestly, the character of Imelda Burova is a masterpiece. She’s flamboyant, sharp-tongued, and fiercely loyal. She represents a side of Hogan's writing that is less about "lost things" and more about "found truths."
A Quick Look at the Hogan Bibliography
- The Keeper of Lost Things (2017) – The one everyone knows.
- The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes (2018) – Known as The Particular Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes in some regions. This one deals with grief and a very colorful pair of shoes.
- Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel (2019) – A dive into 1960s nostalgia and complicated mother-daughter bonds.
- Madame Burova (2021) – Secrets, tarot cards, and the Brighton seafront.
The "Paradise Hotel" and the Complexity of Mothers
In Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel, Hogan shifts her lens toward childhood trauma. Tilly, the protagonist, returns to her childhood home after her mother’s death, only to find a box of diaries that completely rewrite her memories.
This isn't just a "secret diary" trope.
It’s an exploration of how children perceive their parents versus who those parents actually are as flawed, struggling adults. The "Paradise Hotel" itself is a sanctuary for misfits, a recurring theme in books by ruth hogan. She seems to have an endless supply of love for characters who don't fit into the "normal" boxes of society.
The book asks a difficult question: Can you forgive someone after they're gone?
Hogan doesn't give a simple "yes." She shows the work it takes to get there. The prose is peppered with 1960s references—Biba dresses, vinyl records, and the specific smell of a seaside hotel—making it a feast for anyone who loves historical fiction with a contemporary heart.
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Real Talk: The Hogan Writing Style
Hogan writes like she’s talking to you over a garden fence. Her sentences are often long and descriptive, then—snap.
A short one.
She uses sensory details better than almost anyone in the contemporary fiction space. You don't just see the "lost things" in Anthony Peardew's study; you smell the dust and the beeswax. You feel the cold Atlantic spray on the Brighton pier.
She also leans heavily into the "dual timeline" structure. Some readers find this frustrating because they want to stay with one set of characters, but Hogan uses it to show the ripple effects of time. A choice made in 1974 creates a catastrophe in 2019. It’s her way of saying that history isn't just something that happened; it’s something we’re still living in.
Where to Start if You’re New
If you haven't read any books by ruth hogan yet, don't just grab the newest one. Start with The Keeper of Lost Things. It sets the tone for everything else. It introduces her obsession with the extraordinary nature of ordinary lives.
If you’re someone who prefers a more linear, grounded story, go for The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes. It’s a bit more focused and deals with the community aspect of healing.
Actually, if you’re a fan of authors like Gail Honeyman (Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine) or Rachel Joyce (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry), you’re the target audience. Hogan sits right in that sweet spot of British fiction that makes you cry on a public bus but leaves you feeling strangely optimistic about humanity.
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Final Practical Insights for the Hogan Reader
Reading Hogan is a specific experience. To get the most out of it, you sort of have to lean into the sentimentality.
- Look for the recurring themes: Notice how often she mentions dogs? Hogan is a huge dog lover (she famously has several rescues), and they often play pivotal roles in her books as emotional anchors.
- Check the titles: Depending on whether you're in the UK or the US, the titles might be slightly different. The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes is the big one that varies.
- Pay attention to the side characters: Hogan often hides the most profound wisdom in the mouths of characters who only appear for a few chapters.
The next time you find a lost earring or a stray button, don't just throw it away. Think about where it came from. That’s the "Hogan Effect." It’s about realizing that every piece of debris in our lives carries a weight we might not see at first glance.
Go to your local library or independent bookstore. Pick up The Keeper of Lost Things. Read the first three pages. If you aren't charmed by the idea of a man keeping a single hair bobble in a labeled bag, then her work might not be for you. But if that little detail makes your heart ache just a tiny bit, you’ve found your new favorite author.
Once you finish her four main novels, look up her short stories or her essays on living with cancer. They provide the context for why her fiction is so focused on the preciousness of time. You'll start to see that her books aren't just stories—they're a manual on how to be a little bit kinder to the "lost" parts of ourselves.