Podcast Summary: New Books Network

Episode: Howard Lovy, "Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story" (Vine Leaves Press, 2025)

Host: Alana
Guest: Howard Lovy (Author)
Date: October 26, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features journalist-turned-novelist Howard Lovy discussing his fiction debut, Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story. Lovy and host Alana explore the novel’s inspiration, themes of music, memory, religion, and aging, as well as the creative process behind blending fact, fiction, and documentary-style storytelling. The conversation delves into character inspiration, the role of place, interfaith romance, and the enduring relevance of art and memory.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Howard Lovy’s Background & Shift to Fiction

• Career Overview:

  • Lovy began his career in journalism, focusing on science, technology, and Jewish issues, serving as managing editor at JTA and executive editor of a book review magazine.
  • Shift to authoring and editing books after changes in the news industry.
  • “A through line throughout has been Jewish issues.” (02:10)

• Transition to Fiction:

  • Lovy describes fiction as a “marriage of imagination and reality.”
  • Motivation for fiction came from burnout with intense topics and a desire for creative freedom.
  • “I could tell the truth in a different way by inventing a story… fun and freeing too.” (03:30)

2. Inspiration & Development of Found and Lost

• Genesis of Story:

  • Inspired while training for a half-marathon, listening to music.
  • Premise: a song from decades ago goes viral, reuniting two middle-aged musicians.
  • Explores themes: passage of time, memory, love, change.
  • “It became not just about music, but the passage of time, about memory, about love, and the way we change as we grow older.” (05:06)

• Title Significance:

  • Chose "Found and Lost" rather than "Lost and Found" to reflect story rhythm and life cycles.
  • “We first experience connection before understanding loss. The inversion suggests that found always comes first.” (06:10)

3. Character Inspiration & Music

• Personal Connections:

  • Main character Jake shares Lovy’s background but is not a direct stand-in.
  • Jake’s musical talent inspired by Lovy’s brother.
  • “You know, we all write... write what you know. So I wrote from the point of view of... a young Jewish person and an older Jewish person.” (07:31)
  • No direct input from brother; inspiration revealed after book’s publication. (08:31)

• Approach to Music:

  • Emotional, spiritual, and psychological connection explored; minimal technical research.
  • Ran book past actual musicians for authenticity.
  • “I get this kind of bond between musician and listener. That really is more of a spiritual connection.” (09:02)

• Inclusion of Real-Life Musicians:

  • Featured cameos (Suzanne Vega, The Cramps, Lenny Kaye) to root story in 1980s Greenwich Village.
  • Selection based on historical presence, not personal preference.
  • “So I had a little fun with that.” (10:24)

4. Documentary-Style Narration

• Narrative Device:

  • Alternates between narrative and faux-documentary sections.
  • Used to explore fame, memory, and unreliable narration.
  • “Those sections let me explore how memory and fame shape the truth… the memory of what happened almost becomes a separate character.” (12:37)

• Reasoning:

  • Enjoys narratives and films that skip around in time.
  • Adds texture and varied perspective to the story. (14:01)

5. Jewish Themes, Antisemitism, and Religious Identity

• Not a Full Departure:

  • Despite narrative pivot, Jewish themes and antisemitism remain present.
  • Notable scene: characters confront religious prejudice.
  • Aim: to illustrate how faith language can be both wound and weapon.
  • “That passage... shows how faith language can be used to persuade, wound, control, even by an otherwise reasonable person.” (15:56)

• Spirituality in Music:

  • Contrasts Cait’s view of music as “divine” with Jake’s more secular but emotionally resonant approach.
  • “For her, music bridges heaven and earth, and for him, it bridges himself and other people.” (19:21)

6. Aging, Gender, and the Passage of Time

• Aging as Theme:

  • Addresses creativity and relevance in middle and later life.
  • Humor offsets realism (e.g., Jake injuring himself with a “windmill” onstage).
  • “I guess I wanted to remind readers that creativity doesn't end with youth and that it can deepen with time.” (22:35)

• Gendered Experience:

  • Acknowledges differences: men generally seen as more distinguished with age, women often marginalized.
  • “Perhaps we internalize it a little differently... that's just a statement of reality.” (24:23)

7. Place as Character

• Setting:
  • Michigan and New York are integral; local references and familiarity for local readers.
  • Interlochen Arts Camp features prominently, reflecting the author's own experiences.
  • “Place is very much also a character.” (37:09)

8. Time and Memory—Structure & Meaning

• Futuristic Sections:
  • Flash-forwards show how stories and legends evolve culturally over decades.
  • “Time itself is a character in the novel… I showed how memory can kind of mutate across decades.” (27:24)
  • Compares to how The Beatles are reinterpreted through new generations’ lenses.

9. Interfaith Romance

• Central Relationship:

  • Explores both divisions and harmonies of Judaism and Christianity.
  • Relationship modeled as conversation and negotiation, not conversion.
  • “Their interfaith love story isn't about one converting the other, but it's about conversation… they transcend something else. They become something different, greater than the sum of their parts.” (30:26)

• Contemporary Context:

  • Acknowledges the challenge of imagining interfaith optimism in post-October 7, 2023 world.
  • “I don't know if I could have written such an optimistic book after October 7, 2023.” (32:26)

10. Target Audience & Takeaways

• Genre and Readers:

  • Book positioned as “second chance romance,” but subverts tropes; appeals to broader audiences interested in music, faith, time, and character-driven stories.
  • Welcomes readers “curious how we change as we grow older, and what does it mean to forgive someone and forgive yourself.” (36:06)
  • “I don't moralize. I present the situation and let readers make their own meaning.” (36:06)

• Author’s Philosophy:

  • Book intended to be engaging, optimistic, and humorous despite serious themes.
  • “It's also fun to read, I hope, and I tried to make it that way... I think I said a few important things and made it fun, too.” (39:01)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Writing Fiction:

  • “I could tell the truth in a different way by inventing a story. And then there you have kind of this closed world where you can manipulate people and events and characters to tell a story, a true story, in a different way.” — Howard Lovy (03:30)

• On Imagination and Reality:

  • “I think this is a great marriage of my imagination and reality. And I found it fun and freeing too.” — Howard Lovy (03:30)

• On Title Rationale:

  • “The inversion suggests that found always comes first. We first experience connection before understanding loss.” — Howard Lovy (06:10)

• On Music’s Role:

  • “It became not just about music, but about the passage of time, about memory, about love, and the way we change as we grow older.” — Howard Lovy (05:06)

• On Fame and Memory:

  • “Those sections let me explore how memory and fame shape the truth... we’re unreliable narrators of our own lives, and public memory, like private memory, is selective and can be distorted.” — Howard Lovy (12:37)

• On Interfaith Dynamics:

  • “Their duets become dialogues between belief and doubt. And that's kind of the spiritual engine of the book.” — Howard Lovy (19:21)

• On Aging and Creativity:

  • “I wanted to remind readers that creativity doesn't end with youth and that it can deepen with time.” — Howard Lovy (22:35)

• On Place:

  • “Place is very much a character. I talk about Interlaken Arts Camp... that becomes a character in itself.” — Howard Lovy (37:09)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:10] – Howard Lovy’s biography and journalistic background
• [03:30] – Motivation and philosophy behind writing fiction
• [05:06] – Genesis of Found and Lost and themes explored
• [06:10] – Meaning behind the book’s title
• [09:02] – Research and depiction of music
• [10:24] – Real musicians’ inclusion and narrative choices
• [12:37] – Documentary-style narrative device
• [15:56] – Religious themes and antisemitism in the novel
• [19:21] – Contrasting religious/spiritual approaches through characters
• [22:35] – Reflections on aging and creativity
• [24:23] – Gendered perceptions of aging
• [27:24] – Flash-forwards and narrative use of time
• [30:26] – Interfaith romance and harmonizing worldviews
• [36:06] – Target audience and broader relevance
• [37:09] – The importance of place and setting
• [39:01] – On the book’s tone and intent

Conclusion

This conversation between Howard Lovy and Alana provides a rich, multi-layered exploration of Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story—a novel that weaves together music, memory, religion, romance, and the unstoppable flow of time. Lovy’s blend of optimism and realism crafts a story that is heartfelt, thought-provoking, and rooted in personal and communal experience. Whether interested in second chances, the magic of music, or the challenge of bridging religious divides, listeners and prospective readers will find resonance in Lovy’s reflections and storytelling approach.