Dec 29

Dec 29 Tom Lake

About the book

Author: Ann Patchett
Publisher: Harper

More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.

Buy and support indie bookstores (+ I earn a small commission):
Bookshop.org (print) | Libro.fm (audio)

My Review

There’s something just so cozy — and yet satisfyingly literary — about an Ann Patchett novel. This one is composed almost entirely of flashback, as a woman tells her three adult daughters — who are all spending COVID-19 lockdown working at the family cherry farm in Michigan — the story of a summer she spent as a professional actress dating (who turned out later to become) a very famous actor. And the cherry on top (no pun intended)? Meryl Streep reads the audiobook.

This is a pretty straightforward story, but nobody creates emotional depth from everyday life like Patchett. Honestly, the whole book was made worth it by the truly incredible passages and one-liners she inserts as the main character reflecting on what she’s learned about time, life, and love. But the story itself is also compelling, both the flashbacks and present day. There’s so much here about the folly of youth, the wisdom of experience, and the pieces of their past parents choose to keep for themselves.