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The
2004 Award
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The
Lake of Dead Languages
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Nominated by:
Publisher
of Nominated Edition:
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| the complete A-Z listing of nominated authors |
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ABOUT
THE BOOK
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| Jane
Hudson never thought she would return to Heart Lake. Her years there as
a scholarship girl ended in a double tragedy: the drownings of her two roommates.
Now she is back, struggling to adjust to her new life teaching Latin and
as a single mother. But the events that haunted her memories for so many
years begin to recur in front of her eyes. It seems she alone can see what
is happening, and only she will be able to prevent a second catastrophe...
Surrounded by the lake that gives the school its name, steeped in history and overflowing with the emotions of teenage girls, Heart Lake guards it's past - but cannot keep it hidden. |
| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |
| Carol Goodman's work has appeared in such journals as The Greensboro Review, Literal Latté, The Midwest Quarterly, and Other Voices. After graduation from Vassar College, where she majored in Latin, she taught Latin for several years in Austin, Texas. She then received an M.F.A. in fiction from the New School University. Goodman currently teaches writing and works as a writer in residence for Teachers & Writers. She lives in Long Island. |
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Reader
Reviews
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| The
lake in question is Heart Lake, the location of a girl's school in upstate
New York. Jane Hudson, a former scholarship girl returns there in her thirties
as the Latin teacher despite the tragic experience of her time there. Her
two roommates died in mysterious circumstances with Heart Lake being at
the centre of the tragedies. Her return seems to trigger a pattern of similar
events among three of her Latin class pupils who are also roommates. Things
come to a head when one of the girls drowns in the lake in what seems to
be a replay of the earlier tragedies. So we have a big mystery with lots
of twists and turns.
There is a wonderful sense of place in the novel with Heart Lake in all its manifestations; the swirl of winter fog over its ice bound surface, the eerie moans of cracking ice as the lake thaws, the sinister legends associated with the Three Sister Rocks and so on. However, it is over-plotted with far too many complications. It seems as if the author feels that no loose end should be left untied when more attention to character development would make it a better book. This is a pity because the quality of the writing is so good. A
member of the Raheny Readers' Group, Dublin,
Ireland |
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