The Lake of Dead Languages

It only took me two years, containing a pregnancy and that child almost reaching the age of 2, for me to finally finish this book. And it's taken me almost as long to write this review. Well, if we're being honest, it took that amount of time, and about 130 pages, for me to get hooked. Once that happened, finishing it proved to be no problem. Although, what stood in my way when I previously tried to read Carol Goodman's The Lake of Dead Languages also proved to be an issue this time around. The one difference: I wasn't pregnant this time, which I firmly believe messes with your concentration and mental energy, and even eyesight.

As a previous card-carrying member of the OCD club (having children will rid you of that to a certain extent), I could never leave a book unfinished. And no matter how bad the story might have been, there was always a small part of me that wanted to know how it ended, no matter how lame. Like that joke your coworker tells you that you don't think is as funny as she does; it's still interesting to a certain degree.

This lukewarm sentiment is exactly how I felt about The Lake of Dead Languages. Based in a Latin class at a boarding school for girls in the Adirondacks, Jane Hudson - an "old girl," - finds her past has come back to haunt her, but for what reason she isn't able to figure out. Unless the campfire stories they tell about the lake are true.....

Jane knows for certain one way or the other, and knows the lake was merely a pawn - and weapon - in the dramas that unfold in the book's present day, as well as 20 years prior, when Jane was a Latin student herself. While the consequences were intriguing - suicides, drownings, murders - the causes weren't so much and, I felt, a bit of a reach. If anything, the book proved girls will be horrendous to each other for no obvious reason, 20 years ago, 100 years ago, 1000 years ago, and present day. The Lake of Dead Languages was nothing more than bullying to the extreme, which really only left me disappointed.

But it's easy to get sucked into the idea that something supernatural is taking place; after reading Twilight  and  Harry Potter, anything is just about acceptable. I guess I just have low tolerance for stories that remind me all to well of how awful human kind can be.

I've definitely read better stories, and I've definitely read worse, so Goodman's novel wasn't a complete waste of time; it definitely served it's purpose while driving through Wyoming. *snnnnoooorrreee*

There isn't much to say about the characters, at least that I feel is worth mentioning. Mostly, they're like everyone else, just with very unfortunate accidents and/or results. The Lake of Dead Languages is a classic tale of wanting to fit in, have friends, and feel a part of something. The story could have used some tweaking, and didn't need nearly the 400 pages to tell it, but, like I said, not a complete waste of time. Set during the fall and winter, I think I mostly enjoyed it because it provided some mental relief from the intense summer heat. So, thanks!