The Lake House by Kate Morton

The Lake House

by Kate Morton

Living on her family's gorgeous lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, clever, inquisitive, innocent, and precociously talented fourteen-year-old who loves to write stories. One midsummer's eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest son, Theo, has vanished without a trace. What follows is a tragedy that tears the family apart, leaving their estate as empty as their broken hearts. Nearly sixty years later, having enjoyed a long, successful career as an author, Alice is now eighty years old and living in London. Theo's case has never been solved, though Alice still harbors a suspicion as to the culprit. Miles away, Sadie Sparrow, a young detective in the London police force, is staying at her grandfather's house in Cornwall. While out walking one day, she stumbles upon the old estate. Her curiosity is sparked, setting off a series of events that will bring her and Alice together.

Reviewed by Terri M. LeBlanc on

4 of 5 stars

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Kate Morton is the master of weaving multiple storylines together. In The Lake House, there are multiple stories being told—Sadie is a detective with a secret, Eleanor is a mother with a secret and Alice is a daughter with a secret. Alice and Sadie exist in the present time and Eleanor exists in the past. The stories of these three women share a common theme and are slowly revealed through research and flashbacks.

As a long time fan of Morton’s work, I’m always trying to dissect and figure out what the major secret is in her novels. I nearly had this one figured out before the grand reveal. This was exciting for me as I’m not sure that I’ve been able to do that with any of the other books of hers that I have read. It was rewarding to have figured most of it out. It was the final piece that I didn’t get, but I don’t think there were enough textual clues to have figured it out before the end. As result, that final mystery fell a bit flat.

My favorite part about The Lake House was the insight into Alice’s life as a writer. Because the story revolves around Alice reflecting on her life growing up, the reader is able to witness an author being born. It was quite intriguing to see how the events in Alice’s life, especially the disappearance of her brother, Theo, shaped her as a writer. You’ll have to decide, as you read the book, if her obsession with observing others and writing EVERYTHING down was a positive influence on her life or not.

The Lake House is another wonderful addition to Morton’s body of work. While not my favorite of Morton’s because of the final reveal, I did enjoy Sadie’s journey through time to discover the truth behind Theo disappearance and Alice’s reflections on her life as she discovered the truth about her family—a truth she thought she knew already.


This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 April, 2016: Finished reading
  • 1 April, 2016: Reviewed