Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

Standalone
304p.
Available 1/21/14
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Source: ARC from publisher for review

From the New York Times bestselling author of Garden Spells comes a novel about heartbroken people finding hope at a magical place in Georgia called Lost Lake. 

Suley, Georgia, is home to Lost Lake Cottages and not much else. Which is why it's the perfect place for newly-widowed Kate and her eccentric eight-year-old daughter Devin to heal. Kate spent one memorable childhood summer at Lost Lake, had her first almost-kiss at Lost Lake, and met a boy named Wes at Lost Lake. It was a place for dreaming. But Kate doesn't believe in dreams anymore, and her Aunt Eby, Lost Lake's owner, wants to sell the place and move on. Lost Lake's magic is gone. As Kate discovers that time has a way of standing still at Lost Lake can she bring the cottages—and her heart—back to life? Because sometimes the things you love have a funny way of turning up again. And sometimes you never even know they were lost... until they are found.

My thoughts:
This is a contemporary magical realism book by the well known Sarah Addison Allen. I enjoy her tales of magical realism and couldn't wait to dive into this book. This is a story about people who have lost themselves, usually through a death of a loved one. Some find themselves again and others never look. It's also about fighting for who you are and the ending you wish to create for your life. A life with several endings and beginnings. The author's notes indicate she had a huge scare with breast cancer, so it doesn't surprise me that the book is about loss and new beginnings. Although in the book the loss is the loss of a loved one and not health, it still speaks universally to all of us. It is a journey we will all have to take when we love someone.

The magic in the book is a bit hidden at times in this book and sometimes it is up front. There is no pattern to the magic other than the ability for those listening to move along on their journey. The magic also takes many forms and it doesn't always seem to come from one source like her Garden Spells book. Still, like her other book, it was a journey trying to figure out if it was real or imagined magic.

I give this book 4 1/2 stars. If you like magical realism, I do think you should try this book.