Jane Hudson never thought she would return to Heart Lake. Her years there as a scholarship girl ended in a double tragedy: the drowning of her two roommates.

Now she is back, adjusting to her new life teaching Latin and as a single mother. But the events that haunted her memories for so many years begin to recur in front of her eyes. It seems she alone can see what is happening, and only she will be able to prevent a second catastrophe...

Surrounded by the lake that gives the school its name, steeped in history and overflowing with the emotions of teenage girls, Heart Lake guards its past - but cannot keep it hidden.

I'll confess. I bought this book because the cover reminded me of a book I loved when I was younger. The Sylvia Game, by Vivien Alcock. That too had an Ophelia-esk woman floating in water, and its a book that really touched me deeply when I read it as a child.

This book seems to offer a whole lot more than a pretty cover though. I have no clue yet if it'll be a thriller, though it really does sound as though it will be...perhaps a murder mystery. I'm looking forward to reading this, as it sounds just my thing...and the cover's gorgeous too.

August 18th 2003
Up to page 158

I had a spare copy of this and decided to put it up on Bookcrossing.com. Almost immediately I got a message from Theresa, who lives in a town nearby, asking if I'd considered starting a book ring with this, and if I had could she be included. It was my first try at starting a ring, but as I'd never had anyone so keen to borrow a book before I couldn't resist doing it. The response was phenomenal. On that basis I shot the book to the top of my 'to read' list, and after finishing my last book turned straight to it, keen to find out what all the fuss was about.

what I discovered was a wonderfully written, atmospheric story that I may not have got to enjoy as soon without the BCers.

The novel is told from the perspective of Jane Hudson, an old pupil of Heart Lake girls school, who comes back to teach Latin. Her own time at Heart Lake was marred by the deaths of her friends, and the legends that have built around the lake and the suicides and accidents that are epidemic there. Jane quickly realises that the school hasn't changed as much as she would have hoped, and her past is destined to catch up with her. When her own pupils begin to follow the dangerous path that she, and her roommates took all those years ago, resulting in tragedy, she begins to become frightened. That pages of her final year's journal are unexpectedly turning up, as if to taunt her, troubles her and she begins to wonder if there's more to the mystery around Heart Lake than she thought.

I'm really loving reading this book. There's a haunting quality to the writing that conjures up mist and spooky stories told around bonfires. Inherent to the tale is the legend behind the 'Three Sisters', a collection of rocks that protrude from the lake and become almost a ritual site for girls of the school. The story started by flicking between 'now' and 'then' through Jane's eyes, and now seems to have settled into telling the story of the deaths she witnessed. Clearly suicide and drownings are a red herring, and that in the final act there will either be some ghostly reason for the deaths (some apparition claiming the girls) or a more earthly killer (my favored ending).

If you're not already part of the book ring for this book, I suggest you buy it. It's a really beautifully written and absorbing novel, with an intriguing mixture of nostalgia and modernistic reality. My only quibble with the story is that Jane gave up on her daughter so easily. I feel strongly that a mother would give up her job rather than send her child away if she feared for its safety. Maybe that's something that will be resolved later. I hope so.

August 19th 2003
The End

I had a rough night last night, and couldn't sleep. So instead I read my book. Finishing it was almost worth the restless night.

Part two of the book was a trip down memory lane from Jane's perspective. The full sordid tale of her lost friends and their tragic ends. There's a naivety to the character that endears her to the reader. A simple elegance and charm about her loyalty to Lucy and Matt. As I read I could see all the pieces of the jigsaw beginning to form, and the picture they formed was disturbing.

I don't want to give too much away about the story, because this is a book where the discovery of all the narrative tricks is a large part of the fun. I will say that I twigged to what was going on around the point I stopped writing the previous part of the review. I didn't guess the extent of the deceptions until later, or the power of perspective, but once the full grisly plot was revealed I couldn't help but admire how well crafted it was. How intricately woven the parts, and how everything was resolved without clumsy exposition.

It really was a joy to read. From start to finish the momentum and atmosphere was wonderful. At no point did it feel that the author was racing towards a conclusion, but guiding you through a strange world and pointing out the landmarks. It was an entirely satisfying experience. I even found myself understanding Jane's abandonment of Olivia, though I still felt the only part of the book that wasn't entirely believable was the brief exert dedicated to her marriage. Apart from that every page was a joy, and I would thoroughly recommend it.