Falling apart can be a beautiful thing

Tom Lake 

Ann Patchett

310 pages Bloomsbury Press 2023

There are times when you need a read that takes you on a journey of discovering how the crossroads of life are navigated. Patchett has crafted a story where the pandemic has brought her three adult daughters back to confines of the farm. To keep the bad news at bay, Lara tells how in her mid-twenties she had a brief affair with an actor who would go on to be famous. 

Like all good stories it starts at beginning as Lara over the many days of picking fruit tells the story. From how she found herself falling into the world of acting, how she was presented with an opportunity to make a film, and how performing at Tom Lake she met Peter Duke. Weaved in are a series of characters who influence and shape Lara’s life. 

We follow Lara’s journey, almost as the fourth child, as she tries to unravel what was important to her, where did she want to go, what did she want to be and at 57 years of age does she regret any of those decisions? 

The beauty is in how Patchett weaves really complex themes and situations but does not over dramatise them. It is a slow burn, each character is allowed to come to a conclusion and not all is sensational. Parts I loved are where the daughters had decided they know Lara's story better than what she does and she fights to claim her truth back.

Patchett has written a beautiful book that allows you to look back over an eventful life that produced a family with plenty of personal dynamics. 

For more on Ann Patchett visit her website.