Of the novel's inspiration, Nevill stated that it came from "two great personal terrors: my anxiety about my daughter’s safety in almost every way a parent can imagine; and my ever growing anxiety about the consequences of runaway climate change twinned with overpopulation, but for our near future and not the future of distant generations.

"[2] The book is set in 2053 in a world that has been decimated by severe climate change, pandemics, and rising crime and violence.

The authorities are of no help because they must deal with all of the extreme chaos, so he must go out on his own to find out what happened to his daughter and rescue her from whatever her kidnappers subjected her to.

Literature Works gave a favorable review for Lost Girl, opining "Adam Nevill’s powerful new novel seems at once a departure from his normal Horror trajectory, but in many ways it’s also a tour de force of staying to his course.

There may be times when it becomes too self-indulgent for its own good, but Nevill concocts a unique, paranoid vision of dystopian drama that’s nigh impossible not to get sucked into.