Tom Lake

When I finished reading this book the word that came to mind was “Meh”. In fact, this word (and feeling) came up a great deal as I struggled through this one. I think this is the first time that I have read an Ann Patchett novel and was a bit disappointed. I am sorry I didn’t really like this one, especially because part of its framework is based on theatre as an homage to the play Our Town which Edward Albee described as “the greatest play ever written”.  Our Town is a three-act play created by American playwright Thornton Wilder in 1938 (thank you Wikipedia) and is a beloved text of the narrator, Lara. As a young actress, Lara makes a name for herself for playing the character Emily (according to her, it’s the only role she really can play).

The novel centres around Lara, a mother in her fifties, whose adult daughters are all home on the family cherry farm (orchard?) due to the Covid pandemic (sigh). Between trying to complete the harvest on their own, her daughters are desperate to know the story of Lara’s romance with a famous actor (Peter Duke) before he was famous. She meets him during a summer season of Our Town at Tom Lake in Michigan. It’s an intense summer romance that she experiences at the age of twenty-four. There were parts of the novel that I enjoyed – I loved the character of Lara’s husband (and one-time director) Joe Nelson. He is a nice man. A solid fellow. 10/10.

I also enjoyed some of Patchett’s insights into human nature and some of the slower, contemplative moments as Lara reflects on her life. I did find the story trite and some of the imagery strained and convoluted in some parts, e.g.  “I drop beneath the surface and open my eyes. It’s as if someone bought up all the diamonds at Tiffany’s and crushed them into dust, then spread that dust across the water so it sifts down evenly, filtering through the shards of light that cut into the depth.” Like, I get this image but the writing works too hard for it to be effective.

There is also a sneaky twist – the part of the story she keeps to herself. This is the part she cannot (and doesn’t want to) share with her daughters. Yay – a twist! It was a bit forced, but it did make things a bit more interesting.

Perhaps I would feel differently about the novel if I knew the play better (or at all). Perhaps I would have liked it better if it hadn’t been set during Covid (I don’t think I’m ready for pandemic novels at this stage). Or, perhaps I would have liked it better had I tried to read it during a less busy time of the year. This is all to say that this was entirely my experience of the novel, and you may feel differently (perhaps you have read it and loved it – which is great. Let me know. Or, don’t come for me. Either way).

Reading this felt like watching a three-act play. Tedious, mildly entertaining, but more meh than memorable.