Utah Dad and I lived for three glorious years in New Hampshire. We spent our weekends driving throughout the beautiful state and marveling at its splendor. Being outsiders, we sometimes laughed as we passed a beautiful mansion in the woods only to discover that the next residence was a trailer with a micro bus welded to the side for an extra room. Just like New Hampshire is full idiosyncratic features, Lake People by Abi Maxwell is an unusual, delightful and peculiar novel.
Maxwell writes a stunning novel that often reads as a collection of short stories about the same person. Some of the stories could be fleshed out to inhabit entire novels. The characters are so real and unique that the novel often feels like a memoir--surely these people, so well described and so interesting, really exist.
Alice Thornton grows up in Kettleborough, New Hampshire with her father on the banks of a lake, knowing so little of her own life. Over time, pieces fall together and Alice learns that she is connected with the town, the lake, Bear Island and the legends of the eccentric woman who once inhabited the island generations ago. While finding herself, Alice finds peace and love and the desire to live.
Quirky and unexpectedly, Lake People was an engaging read.
**I received a complimentary copy of Lake People in exchange for my honest opinion. No other compensation was received. **
Those New Hampshire people ARE quirky ;-)
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