Ann Patchett’s “Tom Lake” is a traditional novel, a feast of classic storytelling.
The book celebrates Thornton Wilder’s famed play “Our Town,” the guiding spirit of narrator Lara Nelson, a former actress who recalls her life-defining performances as Wilder’s tragic heroine Emily Webb.
Lara and her husband, Joe, own a struggling cherry farm in rural Michigan.
During the Covid shutdown, their three young adult daughters have returned to the farm, helping to harvest the crop because regular work crews are absent because of the epidemic.
As they work, Lara tells her daughters about her passionate relationship during her youth with an actor who later gained global fame. She met the actor when she was performing with him in a summer stock production of “Our Town” at a resort in rural Michigan called Tom Lake.
Patchett’s finely developed plot weaves an engrossing story of how Lara gave up her promising acting career for a happy life on the cherry farm as a wife and mother.
Paul Duke, the famous actor, stands out among a cast of vividly portrayed characters.
Along with “Our Town,” Patchett also evokes Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard.”
The narrative structure echoes “The Decameron” and other classics, and Patchett like Shakespeare understands the literary value of three daughters.
In an afterword, Patchett says that renewing attention to “Our Town” was one of her purposes in writing “Tom Lake.”
Her love for “Our Town” is fulfilled by the current Broadway revival of the play, starring Jim Parsons as the stage manager, Richard Thomas as Mr. Webb and Zooey Deutch in an endearing performance as Emily.
In “Tom Lake,” Lara strongly identifies with Emily, achieving the fulfilling life that Emily’s death cut short.
Living according to Emily’s revelation in “Our Town,” Lara blesses each precious moment.
Patchett’s novel displays the life-affirming narrative power of Wilder’s beloved classic.
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