The Children by Ann Leary
Joan and
Lottie live at Lakeside year round, part of the terms of the trust when Joan’s
husband and Lottie’s stepfather Whit died. Lottie spends her days on the
property and up in the attic writing lists for the internet (yes, you can make
money doing that) and updating her very popular mommy blog (yes, you can make
money doing that too even if you make up your husband and kids) and Joan runs
and is involved in community events. But this summer Lakeside seems to be
filling up. Sally, Lottie’s sister, is on a break from playing violin
with the symphony and decides to move back in for a bit. And Spin, the
baby of the family, and a son from Whit’s first marriage, comes by to introduce
the family to his fiancee and turn everyone’s world upside down.
I usually
don’t like when books suddenly change mood/tone part way through, but I’ll make
an exception for this one. What started as (I thought) a first world
problems book turns into a glimpse of how one evil person can change the
dynamic of an entire family. At first I thought it was going to focus on
the quirkiness of the family members living in Lakeside and the mental illness
of one of the residents, and while that was a factor in the story, the focus
instead changed and became a little mysterious. Someone has it out for
Lottie and is trying to harm her reputation online -- who could it be?
And why?
What I
thought was going to be another book like The Nest turned out to be more -- a
short read that twists in ways you wouldn’t expect. Be prepared, this
book starts out light and gets pretty darn dark.
