Jonetta's Reviews > Lost Lake

Kate Pheris lost her husband, Matt, in an accident over a year ago. She's just emerging from her fog of grief, tuning into the world around her for the first time since Matt's death, only to find that her mother-in-law has taken complete control of her life and her 8-year old daughter, Devin. When her daughter finds some old correspondence from her great aunt Eby Pim, Kate is reminded of the wonderful summer she spent with her at a place called Lost Lake. She suddenly decides to share that experience with Devin and they head for the lake. What was originally planned as an overnight trip blossoms into an indefinite stay.

This trip sets off a whole new path of self discovery for not only Kate but an interesting group of people connected to the lake and Aunt Eby. Lost Lake holds some wonderful memories for them as well as some tragedies. As each of them explore his or her past and connection to the place, some find redemption and others new beginnings. There's also something mystical in the air, subtle but definitely ethereal.

I was captivated by this story with it's eclectic mix of characters. It was lovely to see Kate use the lake as her anchor to restore herself, rekindling a romance from her past and letting her daughter be a child again through the magic of Lost Lake.

The secondary characters play strong roles in this story, often colorful and always complicated. The stories oddly but effectively converge at Lost Lake and blend beautifully.

The narration is superb as there were several Southern dialects, one French character, many male roles and a child. All were delivered flawlessly and I was able to distinguish each easily.

I enjoyed the story, writing style, narration and the twinge of mysticism. It's lovely and I look forward to reading more from this author.

(I received an ARC from the publisher)