But now she knew that life without risk was impossible, and if by chance you stumbled across a safe, serene existence, it was because you’d never really reached for anything in the first place.
Page 361
In a nutshell
On the day Annie’s only child leaves home to study abroad, her husband drops the bombshell that he’s in love with someone else and wants a divorce. Struggling with the shock and loss of identity, Annie retreats to Mystic, the remote lakeside town where she grew up. There, she reconnects with her first love, Nick, who is recently widowed and trying to raise his emotionally scarred daughter. As the three slowly begin to heal together, Annie starts to rediscover herself—until her world is turned upside down once again, forcing her to choose between the woman she used to be and the person she is becoming.
Book Club Notes
This is the first book of Kristin Hannah’s that I’ve read that isn’t historical fiction. The first book of hers that I read was The Four Winds and it really set the tone for what I’ve come to expect from a Kristin Hannah novel. Although this book can’t compete with one of the best novels I have ever read, it was a great read. A little bit of a slow starter – but I admit I was distracted for the first few pages. It was definitely the kind of book where you get to a certain page and will stay up until you finish it, sleep goals out the window.
Kristin Hannah has a way of crafting stories that feel different from most novels I read. Despite the topic and themes in On Mystic Lake being so familiar, almost ordinary, she writes in a way that is anything but. Her storytelling is layered, thoughtful, and deeply character-driven.
I appreciated how she ended this book – I don’t want to say too much so as not to spoil it, but what I will say is that the biggest plot twist to me was that it didn’t end how I spent half the book fearing it might.
One of my favourite things about this book is the time period she chose to set it in. Although contemporary by comparison to The Four Winds and The Women, this was set before cell phones, when a car phone was novel and for the rich, when you popped a rented videotape in the VCR to watch a movie, and paid a taxi cab fare with cash. It added such a nostalgic feel and created a slower pace that allowed for more suspense, pause, and reflection. It also made me think about how much instant gratification shapes the way we live now.
Read If
You’re a Kristin Hannah fan, enjoy emotional and meaningful stories, and want something lighter than her historical fiction novels.
Rating
Writing – 8/10
Character Development – 10/10
Plot Twist – 5/10
Shareability – 7/10
The Nitty Gritty
Published by: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 978-1035094417
Pages: 404
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A note on our book ratings
Storyline: How good is the storyline? Is it believable and complex or does it make you shake your head in its ridiculousness?
Writing: How well written is the book? Do you find yourself wowed by the writing or unimpressed?
Character Development: Do the characters evolve and grow through the book and are they multi-dimensional?
Plot Twist: Were you able to predict the end, or did the author give you some surprises along the way to keep you on your toes?
Shareability: How likely are you to share the book?
