In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien

In the Lake of the Woods (Platinum Readers Circle (Center Point))

by Tim O'Brien

A remarkable novel from the National Book Award-winning author of `Going After Cacciato' and `The Things They Carried', which combines the power of the finest Vietnam fiction with the tension of a many-layered mystery.

In a remote lakeside cabin deep in the Minnesota forests, Kathy Wade is comforting her husband John, an ambitious politician, after a devastating electoral defeat.

Then one night she vanishes, and gradually the search for Kathy becomes a voyage into the darkest corners of John Wade's life, a life of deception and deceit - the life of a man able to escape everything but the chains of his darkest secret.

Reviewed by funstm on

2 of 5 stars

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I read this for my Yr 11 English class. And I have mixed feelings. Surprisingly I didn't hate it. But I hated the ending. Here's the thing - I hate not knowing. I can't stand ambiguous endings where you're supposed to come to your own conclusions. And this does not tell you one way or another.

It was interesting for the most part. I liked the mystery. I didn't hate the romance. Some of it made me sick. And not knowing if he did it or not made me angry.

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  • Started reading
  • 1 January, 2008: Finished reading
  • 1 January, 2008: Reviewed