Tom Lake

 

Tom Lake 

By Ann Patchett

I kept hearing about this book. Every Facebook book club I followed had people raving about it. Every book influencer on Instagram had read it—or, as I now know, listened to it.

Then, I stumbled upon it at Goodwill—of all places. $1.99! At first, I was excited. Then, I wasn’t. In the end, I was just relieved that’s all I spent. I’ve since passed it on with strict instructions: please, I don’t want it back!

I dove in, expecting something special, but…am I the only person who didn’t like it? When I asked around, I realized that most people hadn't actually read it—they had listened to it. That’s when I looked up the narrator.

Meryl Streep!

Ah, there it is. That must be what elevated the experience—you had to listen to it. Otherwise, I’m at a loss.

The book unfolds through Lara’s viewpoint, chronicling key moments from her past: her brief career as an actress, her childhood, her early steps into community theater, and the years that followed. We’re given access to her innermost thoughts—her personal reflections on the people, events, and decisions that shaped her life. As she ponders how much of her story to share with her family, we watch them react with awe, humor, and indignation. Through her revelations, her daughters start to see their mother not just as a parent, but as the young woman she once was—someone not so different from themselves.

Lara’s memories are woven between present-day events…life on the family’s cherry orchard, time with her husband, and moments with her daughters, who open up about their own dreams and aspirations. Thanks to COVID, all three daughters are back home, and to pass the time while picking cherries, they beg their mother to recount her romance with now-famous actor Peter Duke.

At its core, the novel explores the magic of summer stock theater, the innocence of young love, and…perhaps most importantly…what we choose to reveal when we tell our stories, especially to family. How well can we ever truly know our parents?

Lara’s story seems to be about coming to terms with the life she’s lived…the realization that the only life she ever truly wanted is the one she shares with them.

One passage stuck with me:

"There is no explaining this simple truth about life: you will forget much of it. The painful things you were certain you’d never be able to let go? Now you’re not entirely sure when they happened, while the thrilling parts, the heart-stopping joys, splintered and scattered and became something else. Memories are then replaced by different joys and larger sorrows, and unbelievably, those things get knocked aside as well."

Now I’m wondering…if I listened to Meryl’s version during my upcoming 12-hour road trip, would it change my opinion? Maybe I’ll give it a try and report back. Read, listen, or skip altogether? For now, I say pass on it.

This was one of Reese Witherspoon’s book club picks. I bet she makes a movie out of it. That might be worth watching.