REVIEW: The Lake House (Kate Morton)

Book: The Lake House

Author: Kate Morton

My rating: 3/5.

Premise: In June 1933, the Edevanes of Loeanneth are ready for the much-anticipated Midsummer Eve party. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks light up the night skies, the family will have suffered a loss so great that they leave Loeanneth forever. Seventy years later, after a troubling case, Sadie Sparrow visits her grandfather in Cornwall but soon finds herself at a loose end. Until one day, she stumbles upon an abandoned house and learns the story of a baby boy who disappeared without a trace.

What I loved about this book was how descriptive and wistful it was. I could picture everything clearly, the country house both inhabited and abandoned. I wish I'd read this in the summer as I reckon that would've added to the book - being surrounded by green and feeling the sun. There was also a lot of character development. Through the characters we see different aspects of grief, regret and trauma. Each of the key players have some secret they're trying to repress. Whilst I loved these aspects, it did mean the story dragged a bit and I was pulling myself along at times. Moreover, the clues weren't given to you little and often, but more dropped in big chunks after a few chapters of character backstory. My main disappointment was the ending. Personally, I thought it was too neat and a bit clichéd - I was reading along thinking "surely this won't happen? Oh no, it has". It was a tad too fairytale ending for me. But overall, an enjoyable book!