The Lake and the Lost Girl

In this debut novel narrated by Christina Moore, two wives, 30 years apart, experience different manifestations of spousal abuse. The central character, Lydia, is married to a self-absorbed English professor who has focused all his scholarly research on finding lost poems by a minor local poet. As the story progresses, he becomes frighteningly obsessed with what happened to the poet, who disappeared in 1939. The story itself drags in places, and listeners may feel compelled to shout to Lydia, "Just leave your crazy husband and go off with the boat builder!" But Moore gives life and passion to these dysfunctional characters, especially Lydia, who embarks on investigating the mystery of the disappearance. Moore's depiction of the obsessed professor's son is also moving. D.L.G. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine