Lake Effect: A Novel

This audiobook was a slow starter but a strong finisher for me. Set in Rochester, NY (shivering already?), the snowbound city is a minor character in this novel that moves from the late ‘70s to the late ‘90s, with neighbors changing partners and nuclear-bombing the childhoods of their four children. Couple #1, an owner of a prosperous grocery chain and his wife, rigid and frigid; couple #2, a food columnist and her closeted husband. When husband #1 and wife #2 ignite a mad sexual attraction, they run off for a quickie Dominican divorce and remarriage. There's ample back story for the left-behind wife and husband and much sympathy for them, and in the aftermath, the focus shifts to the high school age children and how they manage and show more don’t. The satisfaction and ruination of thriving on grudges is beautifully portrayed. I especially enjoyed the author’s focus on each character, including the children, before and after the scandal, and on the shocked community’s reaction. There's a somewhat cliched resolution, but getting there is realistic, touching, and it's a bit hard to say goodbye to the Larkins and the Finnegans. show less

This was a very engrossing messy family drama that I had a hard time putting down. The story begins in 1977, when Nina, married to Sam, and mother to daughters Clara and Bridie, is trying to decide if she should stay in her marriage.

It turns out that Nina is having an affair with her across the street neighbor, Finn, who is married to Honey. Honey and Finn are parents to son Dune and daughter Fern. To make things worse, teens Clara and Dune are exploring becoming girlfriend and boyfriend. Nina and Finn fly to the Dominican Republic to obtain their divorces and marry each other.

Things explode from there as the rest of the story unfolds with the POV’s of each child and their parents.

The ending made me pretty emotional.

Lake Effect looks at two suburban families in Rochester NY in the years from 1977 – 1998. It follows two families who live across the street from each other - Nina and Sam with daughters Clara (17) and Birdie (15) and Finn and Honey with their son Dune (17) and daughter Fern (14). Their neighborhood reflects a typical 70s life – husbands work, wives stay at home to take care of kids and everyone appears happy…but there is a quiet change coming to this neighborhood (and really all of suburbia) as women begin to question their lives and their goals in life. The author humorously shows the changes that are occurring with copies of Joy of Sex and the women’s feelings about their own sexuality.

Let’s look at each of the two show more families

Finn owns a local super market chain. Since his heart attack he has become healthy and quite attractive. His wife Honey is very religious and isn’t interested in companionship or sex. Finn realizes that he’s going to have to look outside of their marriage for happiness but little does he realize at first that his potential happiness is right across the street.
Nina was single for a long time and enjoyed her life in the city as a single woman. When she met Sam, she believed that he would give her a stable life. Their life was stable but not very exciting – she was in her 40s and interested in a satisfying life and wanted more intimacy in her life. She started to admire Finn and they fell in lust with each other. Neither wanted to do more than flirt at first but then they both realized that they needed more. One day, they snuck off and flew to Santa Domingo leaving notes behind for their children. In that country with 3 days residency, they could get a divorce and then marry each other the next day. Nina had some doubts but decided to quit worrying about her children and find her own happiness.

When Nina and Finn returned to Rochester and moved into their new apartment, they expected their children would be accepting of their new happiness. They had no idea of how much the scandal would affect their children and find quickly that the world – including their children is not going to be accepting of their new relationship.

All of this takes place very early in the book and most of the book is spent looking at the repercussions of their decisions on their discarded spouses and mostly how it affected their four children. Not only does Nina and Finn’s life change dramatically but the lives of Clara, Birdie, Dune and Fern will never be the same.

This was an emotional and well written book about a family on the cusp of change in the lives of women in the 1970s. It’s about family and love and questions whether people can ever be forgiven for looking for happiness in their lives without regard for other people. show less

“Lake effect, in Finn's understanding, just meant you could never be sure what was coming.” And that is a quote from Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s newest novel Lake Effect. It pretty much defines the story line. A lot of unanticipated events happen in this book that revolves around two neighboring families in Rochester, New York, between 1997 and 1998.

There is Josephine “Nina” Larkin, her husband Sam and teenage daughters Clara and Bridget “Bridie,”who they live across the street from Fintan “Finn” Finnegan, his wife Honor “Honey” and their teenage children Dune and Fern. The kids are all friends and then Clara and Dune begin to become more than just friends. But suddenly everything changes when Nina and Finn run show more off together to The Dominican Republic, get a quickie divorce and then marry each other. The repercussions go on through the years. The book explores multiple points of view, including each of the main character’s response to this triggering event.

Although a little slow at times, I enjoyed reading this book, as I have Sweeney’s two previous novels. She probes issues of mother-daughter relationships, sibling relationships, marital relationships, divorce and its effects on the partners and children, homosexuality, alcoholism, rape, grief and healing. That is a lot. It is not done perfectly. Several storylines of interest are dropped and never resurface. On the fun side, there is lots about food. Finn manages a large grocery chain (I think it is based on Wegman’s), Clara, as an adult becomes a food designer, and Honey’s life is centered on Weight Watchers. Things do get tied up satisfactorily at the end, though kind of bittersweet.

Thanks to Goodreads for this ARC. show less

Set in the 1970s to 1990s, Lake Effect is a historical fiction/family drama that follows the repercussions of infidelity on two families after one of the matriarch’s midlife sexual awakening.

Many of the characters were unlikable and frustrating but in a way that kept me reading to see what horrible things they would possibly do or say next. I enjoyed the alternating POV narration. This was very character-driven so it was nice to have the multiple perspectives. A lot of heavy topics were explored with varying depth. The latter part of the book felt a bit rushed with the ending seeming too convenient. Overall, this wasn’t a favorite, but I’m not sorry that I spent time on it. This was the first of the author’s books I’ve read. I show more look forward to The Nest and Good Company. show less

I enjoyed the audio of this novel about two families affected by the infidelity of two of the parents. It mostly focuses on the children and how the events of that time (the late 1970s) influenced their lives. I preferred the first half or so of the book to the latter part, but the whole thing was a diverting read, and beautifully narrated by Marin Ireland (one of my favorite audio narrators). This would make a good summer beach read.

3.5 stars

Do you place your life first? How do you make your choice? How do you accept another's choice? I related to this on so many levels from the child's perspective (I'm Medicare age). The author did a great job of portraying a variety of perspectives related to a bold act for the time but one which became commonly accepted within a few years. I loved this book - it's empathetic realism at its best.