Product Description

Crow Lake is that rare find, a first novel so quietly assured, so compelling, and with an emotional charge so perfectly controlled, that you sense at once that his is the real thing - a literary experience to relish, a book to lose yourself in, and a name to watch. Here is a gorgeous, slowburning story of families growing up and tearing each other apart in rural Northern Ontario, where tragedy and hardship are mirrored in the landscape. Centerstage are the Morrisons whose tragedy is insidious and divisive. Orphaned young, Kate Morrison was her older brother Matt's protege, her curious fascination for pondlife fed by his passionate interest in the natural world. Now a zoologist, she can identify organisms under a microscope, but seems blind to the tragedy of her own emotional life. She thinks she's outgrown her family, who were once her entire world - but she can't seem to outgrow her childhood or lighten the weight of their mutual past.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14962 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Canadian writer Mary Lawson's debut novel is a beautifully crafted and shimmering tale of love, death and redemption set in the eponymous Crow Lake, an isolated rural community where time has stood still. Narrated by 26-year-old Kate Morrison, we dive in and out of the troubled woman's childhood memories over the passage of a year--when she was seven and her parents were killed in a motoring accident, leaving Kate, her younger sister Bo and two older brothers Matt and Luke orphaned. The proverbial can of worms is opened for our heroine when she receives an invitation to Matt's son's 18th birthday. The successful zoologist and professor, so accustomed to dissecting everything through a microscope, must suddenly analyse her own relationship and come to terms with her past before she forsakes a future with the man she loves. She is still in turmoil over the events of that fateful summer and winter 20 years ago when the tragedy of another local family, the Pyes, spilled over into their own lives with earth-shattering consequences. One dark night, a shivering Laurie, Pye's only son, stands mute in their porchlight, straining to share something with them but, startled, turns and runs away. The many strange, longing looks which pass between Matt and Marie, Pye's eldest daughter. And the awful night when Marie stands in their doorway whispering unspeakable horrors. In Kate's eyes, the Pye family drown out the hopes and dreams of her own in that one moment. But does the tragedy really lie in the past or is it in the present? Lawson's narrative flows effortlessly in ever-increasing circles, swirling impressions in the reader's mind until form takes shape and the reader is left to reflect on the whole. Crow Lake is a wonderful achievement that will ripple in and out the reader's consciousness long after the last page is turned. --Nicola Perry

Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat
‘A remarkable novel, utterly gripping…I read it at a single sitting, then I read it again, just for the pleasure of it.’

Daily Mail
‘Beautifully written, carefully balanced, Mary Lawson constructs a history of sacrifice, emotional isolation and family love without sounding a false note’

Customer Reviews

Wonderful
I could not put this book down! The story of farmlife in the Canadian wilderness and the struggle to survive and not resign yourself to taking whatever life puts in front of you, was (for me)the main theme of the book. Following the sudden death of their parents, the four Morrison children (Kate, Matt, Luke and baby Bo) struggle to survive, without sacrificing Matt's only chance to gain a scholarship and make something of himself. Interwoven with the Morrisons' lives are those of the small farming community, who, despite their own poverty, strive to help the family to cope. Then there is the Pye family who, because of the hostility of their father, are set apart from the community. Then, the two Morrison boys notice that something is horribly amiss with the Pyes, particularly with Laurie, the son who is mercilessly bullied by his father. Kate and Matt discover that Laurie has scars on his body. Being only young themselves, the Morrison family struggle with this knowledge and whether (and who) they should tell. then Laurie disappears. The main focus of the book seems to be upon the relationship between Kate and Matt and the subtle changes that creep in when an ultimate opportunity seems to be thrown away. This book is written with great feeling, but without undue sentimentality. However, I found myself often 'filling up', my eyes brimming with tears as Kate realises that her years of resentment have been misplaced all along. I loved the ending - it made me feel good about the future for each character.

family ties
This novel combines a compelling plot with emotional insight. The characters in it are conveyed with tenderness and empathy, and the way they struggle to cope with their own lives, and each other, is moving.
Seen through the eyes of Kate Morrison (older sister to Bo, and younger sister to Matt and Luke), the trials and tribulations of a unique family unit are brought to life. The story manages to convey a rich vein of wisdom without being preachy.
Tricky subjects such as fate, guilt and forgiveness are dealt with, and by the end of the book I felt like I had made the journey through these with Kate.
This is not dissimilar to Anne Tyler. Mary Lawson also seems to find magic and beauty in the seemingly ordinary pattern of everyday life.

A Compelling Read!
I read this in two sittings - a beautifully crafted novel about familial life. Disaster strikes and older brothers pledge to bring up the younger siblings. A beautiful setting as well,in the abundant natural surroundings of the Canadian outback. With great descriptions of pond life, I did wonder if these were meant to make comparisions with real life? I loved the way the story is told by Kate, now looking back as an adult on her uncoventional childhood. It turns out that some of it was just not as it seemed to her at the time.
I do think though that social services would have been on the case in real life, but then this is fiction!
Enjoyable worth reading.