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The Lake of Dead Languages is Carol Goodman's
debut novel, and it makes the reader wish that there will be
many more...
The action takes place upstate New York, in an
isolated school for girls located on the shores of a lake.
The narrator, Jane Hudson, is a divorced Latin
teacher who comes back with her daughter to the place where she
studied as a young girl. Her memories are burdened with the
recollection of the suicides of her two former roommates and
friends, but she still feels inexplicably drawn to the school.
Soon after her arrival, pages of the diary she
wrote and lost while she was a student start to turn up in
unexpected places. When one of her students, whom she has
befriended, makes a suicide attempt, the past seems to be reenacted in front of Jane's eyes. As new tragic
events occur, Jane understands that she will have to unravel
the mysteries of her past in order to solve
the present events and get on with her life...
The Lake of Dead Languages is a
haunting novel which stays with the reader well after the last page.
We easily forgive the author for the few flaws of the story (some
parts of the plot defy realism). Even if some revelations
in the
story are anticipated instead of coming as surprises, we can admire
the craft with which the author builds suspicion before
disclosing the truth.
Novels of suspense in which the author really
creates an intricate mystery with a satisfying solution are rare and
such efforts should be saluted. The Lake of Dead
Languages is one of these novels...
Moreover the style is pleasant and the whole atmosphere (remote
school for girls nearby a disquieting lake, surrounding dark forest,
grounds covered with snow and frozen
water)
contributes to the haunting effect. Let us hope that The Lake of
Dead Languages will be adapted into a movie soon...
The Lake of Dead Languages is often
compared to The secret History, by
Donna Tartt, the story of a group of students of ancient Greek whose
habit to enact strange Dionysian rituals leads them into trouble. Even though I read The
Secret History too long ago for faithful recollection, I
found The Lake of Dead Languages more riveting. My advice: read it over a weekend or a
vacation... It's hard to put the book down once you've
started it...
Rating: 
© Discussing Books, 07/09/2002 |
Critiques