Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

Sarah Addison Allen turned me on to magical realism. It is my new favorite genre.

Lost Lake involves generations of women grieving the loss of their husbands. It involves learning new ways of coping with this loss.

There is woman and her child. There is a childhood friend with a secret. There is a mother in law who wants the woman and child to be how she defines them. There is an aging aunt trying to figure out what she wants. There is a man and a woman who have been in love for nearly 40 years, but still haven't done anything about it. There is a friendless woman with charms that make men leave their wives. There is the woman who befriends her. There is an uncle who has lost his humanity. There is an alligator who vaguely remembers being human.

They all come together for one last magical summer at Lost Lake. 

Truths about the human condition are revealed. "Like most small towns, the older generations were the one who kept the secrets, to such an extent that the newer generations were growing up with no idea why they were the way they were."

Truths about living life as a reader are revealed. "The books I read when I was twenty completely changed when I read them when I was sixty. You know why? Because the endings changed. After you finish a book, the story still goes on in your mind. You can never change the beginning. But you can always change the end. That's what's happening here."

Lost Lake is a story about endings. It is about having the power to create your own ending through the support of family and friends.

While there are some magical aspects to this book, the real magic is about the power of friendship, love and community.


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