cover image Black Lake

Black Lake

Johanna Lane. Little, Brown, $25 (224p) ISBN 978-0-316-22883-1

Dulough, an imposing castle, stands by the sea in the far northern reaches of Ireland, where it has been inhabited by the Campbells since its completion in 1857. Lane’s haunting debut novel is a character study of the mansion and the last generation of Campbells to call it home. Dulough is isolated even from the nearby town of Donegal, yet the estate, with its steep cliffs and howling winds, has a magnetic pull, changing the lives of everyone who lives there. Upkeep on the castle is expensive, and without new money coming in, John Campbell must turn it over to be run as a museum. He, his wife Marianne, and their children move into a cottage on the grounds and watch as old furniture is removed from the main building and tourists view the family’s former rooms from behind velvet ropes. Finding themselves unmoored, the family questions the meaning of home and who they are without Dulough. When tragedy strikes, the family is forced to redefine themselves yet again. New fears and old doubts are catalogued as each character delves into the move from the castle to the cottage. Dulough’s mysterious history is woven into the narrative, with lush descriptions of its interiors and persona. The characters, unfortunately, only hint at complexity, but perhaps that is the point: the protagonist of this book is Dulough itself, and John and his family are just one generation to pass through. Despite its uneven flow, Lane’s story glows with quiet grief. This is a solid debut novel about what happens when a family whose identity is deeply rooted in their home is forced to move. (May)