The Lake, the River & the Other Lake

by Steve Amick

Book Overview

Welcome to the resort town of Weneshkeen, nestled along Michigan's Gold Coast, where the sapphire-blue Lake Meenigeesis and the winding Oh-John-Ninny River lie within spitting distance of Lake... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400079942
• ISBN13: 9781400079940
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Steve Amick: upinmichigan.org review

Steve Amick, The Lake, The River & the Other Lake (Pantheon, 2005) reviewed by A. J. Gretz Steve Amick's first novel is a reflection of the characters contained within - unusual, thoughtful, and, though flawed, incredibly likeable. The Lake, The River & the Other Lake is the story of one summer in a tiny Northern-Michigan town, and the all-too familiar sense of connection among its various inhabitants. The book revolves around a dozen or so characters that Amick manages to flesh out nicely, creating memorable and surprisingly deep moments of wit and retrospect. This is all the more impressive since many of their surface-level quirks - be it a nervous young billionaire, disgruntled Indian or nymphomaniac teenager - seem so potentially one-dimensional. However, as the novel progresses they each come alive in the classically Midwestern struggle to overcome the confines of a small-town identity, while still "doing the right thing." Amick manages to effectively capture the laid back, disposable feeling of summer with his understated writing style. The writing is warm and rich with detail without becoming overbearing, making Weneshkeen an easy read with wide appeal. However, the prose is consistently impressive, as Amick seems to have a knack for making the small details count. The opening is particularly memorable, as Amick writes "there was a heavenly time, a sliver-thin window of peace that Roger Drinkwater cherished ever year on Meenigeesis - those early days when the water warmed just enough for him to bear but all others steered clear and he could swim in peace and hear nothing but the water and his breath and the birds and the distant road: the way it had once been on this lake." Anyone who has ever spent time in one of Northern Michigan's tourist trap like Mackinaw City will be able to smell the mix of suntan lotion, boat exhaust, and fried food right away. The heart of the book lies in the relationship between Kimberly Lasco, a teenager, and the retired preacher Gene Reecher she befriends over the summer. Of all the characters that populate the fictional community of Weneshkeen, he proves to be one of the most challenging and engaging. He is a man with a good heart who, overwhelmed by the loss of his wife, fights a losing battle to keep from losing all sense of himself. Although these two characters are more isolated than the others in the novel, it gives the narrative space to breathe, and their interactions feel the most evenly paced of any in the book, despite Reecher's uncomfortable feelings for Lasco. At one point, the old man awakens from a dream about the young girl, saying "it was a warm, languid dream, bright with sunlight. It was something out in back of the house. The chaise lounges, the nutty liquid of the iced coffee. And skin - yes." Amick's writing is at once poetic and disturbing, an unflinching look at the darkness present in the human condition. The plot-line involving Mark the pilot boy and his "girl

Warm and funny with a modern edge

This book is old-fashioned in its multiple-story structure, modern in its subject matter, and accomplished in conveying a funny yet human voice. I laughed out loud many times and could hardly put the book down for the last third of it. It is an upbeat read with a great sense of place and endearing, quirky characters. I can't wait for Steve Amick's second book!

funny, moving, smart

Steve Amick is a wonderful writer and his book deserves a world of readers. He juggles many stories here; in that sense, this is an old-fashioned book, filled with subplots, minor characters, and the kind of tales you might hear on front porches in summer. All the people here feel alive, and his teenagers, in particular, are well-drawn: funny, sad, and filled with the sort of longing that never goes away. "The Lake, the River & the Other Lake" is fun to read, breezy and dense with one-liners worth remembering, and the twin triumphs of this novel are the voice, and the multi-layered plot. It moves quickly, and Mr. Amick obviously cares about these people, all of them, with all their quirks and tiny triumphs and struggles. It's the best book I've read in a long, long time.

Add this gem to your summer reading list

From the moment this book crossed my desk at the library where I work, I couldn't put it down. That's not to say it's heavy on plot. It's the characters that keep you reading and I'm always a sucker for interesting character development. My favorite person in the book is definitely Roger Drinkwater, a Native American/Vietnam Vet/swim coach/beef jerky maker who has a bit of a problem with jet skis. It was nice to live through him vicariously as he carried out his vendetta in some explosive ways. As you read the book (and you should definitely pick up a copy), get yourself some fudge and surf over to www.steve-amick.com where you can listen to the soundtrack for this book, the Weneshkeen Jukebox. It's a great summer read. I hate saying this about a book, but I wish there was a sequel or a TV series made out of this one. I miss the characters already.

Intriguing cast of characters, subtle humor,

I was very surprised to see that no one else had yet reviewed this. Pages magazine reviewed it, so I gave it a try. If you judge it from the first page or two, which reads like a history book, you'll miss a great story. Some of the characters include a Native American who is 1/8th Polish, a retired reverend who is a recent widower, a down on his profits, rich inventor of a (Googleish) search engine, a fruit farm owner who is perplexed that his kids are finding foreign spouses, and several teenagers. I love the subtle humor in this book. I'll be looking for his next book. Happy reading.