All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes

Discovered floating in a basket along the canals of Venice, Sebastien Trovato wrestles with questions of his origins. Decades later, on an assignment to translate a rare book, Daniel Goodman finds himself embroiled in a web of secrets carefully kept within the ancient city and in the mystery of the man whose story the book does not finish: Sebastien.

One thing that can't be disputed, Amanda Dykes has a beautiful, lyrical writing style, and it's exceptionally suited to this almost fairy-tale-like book of stories within a story. Straightforward it is not, especially the translation of the Book of Waters (aka the past timeline of this dual-timeline book), but given that Venice--a tangled web of canals and streets, islands and bridges--is nearly a character in and of itself, it seems fitting that the story would reflect the setting. 

Of the two timelines, at first I preferred Daniel's story, which, even with his complex task, is the simpler one. He's relatable; a man who has messed up, who's trying to reclaim a lost part of himself, and who, prodigal that he is, is ashamed to go home. Vittoria is a delightful whirlwind that blows into his life and turns it upside down.

However, at about halfway through the book, I was thoroughly hooked into the past storyline, once it focused on Sebastian and Mariana. It becomes a little more linear, as well as a lovely romance.

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.