The Lake House
Kate Morton
2015
4/5 stars
The complicated plot of the Lake House is difficult to describe, as it follows both different time lines and different characters. The cornerstone of the plot is that DC Sadie Sparrow, on leave from the Met, visits her grandfather in Cornwall and becomes obsessed with a 70 year old cold case.
It sounds bland, explained like that, but it is actually a rich, complex, and delightful novel that is not so much a mystery as a character study. The lake house, Loeanneth, features as more than just a setting, while the secrets that surround the tragedy form most of the story.
Morton writes well, though not seamlessly. There were times when the switches between characters/time lines was jarring, and the story dragged a bit here and there. There were also a few details that didn't fit with the historical periods. Nevertheless, despite it's length (nearly 500 pages, and over 20 hours of audiobook), this is an engrossing, satisfying, and at times moving book that is worth the investment.
