Mistik Lak by Martha Brooks
Who would like this book? Young women, 8th grade and older, looking for a love story enmeshed in family difficulties.
Why? This sad, moving, and ultimately triumphant story communicates the power of love through the lives of three generations of women. It has the feel of a saga, though it is just over 200 pages and the style of writing is spare. The main narrator is seventeen-year-old Odella, who is trying to come to terms with her troubled mother, Sally. When she was sixteen, Sally was the only survivor of a car accident in Mistik Lake, the family’s summer vacation spot in Manitoba, Canada. Sally cannot overcome her guilt, and she is dissatisfied with the choices that she has made in her life. Her troubles and subsequent actions have bad consequences for Odella and the rest of the family, but Odella gains insight from her beloved great-aunt Gloria, who shares in the narration. The story deepens with emotion and complications when Odella falls in love with Jimmy, the grandson of her parents’ old friends. The dreams, loves, and anguish of the generations intersect in Mistik Lake, the silent, pensive witness to it all. Brooks’ striking imagery and rich characterization makes this book a must-read for young women who are looking for a love story enmeshed in family problems.
The details: 224 p. 2007 Review by Samrarian
2009 YRCA nominee in the Senior Division