Lake Life by David James Poissant

photo credit: Ashley Inguanta

Lake Life

by David James Poissant

Published July 7, 2020, by Simon and Schuster

304 pages

In his debut novel, David James Poissant portrays two generations of the Starling family, who have reunited for a vacation at the lake house where they’ve spent their summers for decades. Lisa and Richard are the parents, who have not yet told the younger Starlings of their plan to sell the dilapidated summer home, a decision spurred by the weakening of their marriage.

The adult siblings, Michael and Thad, have brought with them their significant others. Michael is married to Diane; and Thad is accompanied by his boyfriend, Jake. 

Three couples — each person harboring secrets with the power to destroy the fragile bonds of their relationships.

On the first afternoon of their vacation, the family is witness to a tragedy on the water — a young boy drowns. Whatever tenuous balance they might have had now begins to crumble. Their needs are amplified, and their flaws rise to be revealed. In chapters from alternating points of view, Poissant illuminates the interiors of his characters. Using close third-person narration, he presents their troubled natures and complexities in gorgeous, radiant prose. And under the weight of time-compression, trauma, and intimate proximity, all of their closely held secrets begin to hatch out.

With language that is as beautiful and humane as it is precise and sharp-edged, Poissant leads the reader into sympathy and identification with all of the characters as they spar for what they must have if they are to come out of the experience intact. And that is a feat of writing that shows his remarkable skill as well as his compassionate sensibilities. Without exposing anything about the ending, this reader can say that it was deeply gratifying and created the hope that Poissant will follow Lake Life with his sophomore novel as soon as possible.

 —cwh