Published by Atria Books
Publication date: October 20th 2015
Kate Morton has become one of my most reliable go-to authors—when I start a book of hers I know I can count on full immersion and enjoyment and her latest, The Lake House is no exception. Alice is a renowned mystery novelist and yet, she herself has been dealing with the consequences of a mystery her entire adult life. Sadie Sparrow is a British police detective and she too has been dealing with the fall out of a mystery. For both, the victim in these mysteries is a child, but for Alice the events occurred back in 1933 when she was sixteen years old.
Alice and her family live on their estate, Loeanneth. It is seemingly an idyllic childhood with two parents wildly in love with each other and their children. By the time Alice is sixteen she has already determined she wants to be a writer and has written her first novel in the notebook that accompanies her everywhere. It is about the kidnapping of a young child. When Theo, her little brother, is lost the line between fact and fiction is blurred. For Sadie, in 2003 it is not a child who disappears, but her mother. In what appears to be abandonment Sadie is the only person who suspects foul play. When she crosses the line to prove her beliefs she finds herself put on administrative leave, and goes to stay in the small town near Loeanneth. She comes across the abandoned house and, intrigued and bored, begins digging into the disappearance of Theo Edevane, seventy years after it occurred.
There is a lot going on in The Lake House but Morton builds the story with such care that there is no chance of plot fatigue. This is largely due to her finesse in filling in the backstory of her characters in a way that resonates. This is particularly true of the relationship between Alice’s parents, Anthony and Eleanor. If seen only through the eyes of their children they fall into the somewhat stereotypical roles of parenthood, but in Morton’s prose the emotion of their early years evokes young love in such a powerful way that makes their later choices and actions understandable. This same depth provides perspective into each character in the book.
While the mysteries may be the crux of The Lake House, Morton moves well beyond them to encompass themes of love, family relationships, friendship, guilt, aging, and war and does so in a way that is both intelligent and sympathetic. For some, these are themes too often done by Morton but, for me, that she does so in a way that continues to hold my interest negates any shortcomings. There is plausibility to the mysteries as they unfold and if, at the end, the final mystery stretches this a bit thin; it is still not enough to negate the pleasure found in the lives and their telling on the previous pages. The Lake House is a novel that cannot be stopped once started and provides entertainment until it is finished.
I too love Morton’s novels, but i must admit that as soon as i’ve read one i completely forget what it was about. More than that, all her books run together for me and i can’t remember which i’ve read! But i still love her books. Guaranteed good read.
Tanya, I’m completely with you! It’s like comfort food- I don’t remember much about it but it makes me happy when I have it. I could not tell you the difference in her last 3 books but I liked all of them. Sometimes that’s enough.
You know how sometimes an authors name keeps popping up everywhere? That’s happening with me and Kate Morton at the moment. Maybe it’s a sign that I should read one of her books?!
I’m a big believer in literary signs! I used to walk along the aisles of the library just waiting for the book that called out to me. 🙂
I love that phrase you use, plot fatigue. (And very glad it didn’t apply here!)
I’m literally running out tomorrow to pick this up (this and Career of Evil). I feel like I’ve been waiting for this to come out for forever! I’m so glad that it has lived up to the hype of Kate Morton. I can’t wait! (I’m also so relieved that the old story takes place in the 1930s, not during WWII – that really didn’t do it for me in her last one)
No WWII but there is a bit about WWI- not the crux of the story, though.
WWI I can handle!
I’ve never read anything by Morton, but looks like I should probably give her a go! I’ve been hearing rumblings lately that this one is is a gem…glad you loved it.
Well…given how alike our tastes seem to be, I think you will like it. It’s comfort food reading.
Hi Catherine! Didn’t you love The Lake House? I reviewed it a couple of weeks ago, and today I picked up from the library her first book, A House at Riverton. I’m going back to make sure I read them all. How are things in Seattle? Think of you often but just really busy trying to finish up my memoir and stay in the book review loop.