Holly Robinson’s newest novel, Haven Lake, was the latest ARC that this pedometer geek read. It was received as a Goodreads giveaway. In fact, this is the first of her novels that I have read, and this is the extended review.
Haven Lake
By Holly Robinson
Published by NAL Accent, 2015
A division of the Penguin Group
ISBN: 978-0-451-47149-9
As the novel indicates on the back cover, “When it comes to family, it can take a lifetime to forgive…” and this is certainly the case with this story. Lies, recriminations, teenage angst, suicide, reconciliation, redemption, and so much more can be found in this emotionally complex story.
When an event triggers frightened teen Dylan to run away from home, he ends up hitchhiking his way to Haven Lake. The protagonist, Sydney Bishop, has not returned to her family farm, Haven Lake, in over twenty years, but she goes in an attempt to bring her soon-to-be stepson Dylan home.
There she deals not only with an angst-ridden teen, but also with the past history of life with her mother Hannah. Her last year living there was the summer of two shocking, tragic deaths. One was her father’s; the other death was the apparent drowning of her best friend, Theo. Since then, she and her mother Hannah have barely spoken.
In the meantime, Sydney has rebuilt her life differently from the way she was reared. She is now a practicing high school psychologist. She is engaged to Gary, Dylan’s father. She has worked hard to develop a relationship with Dylan, but she becomes caught in the middle when her fiancé and she are at odds of how to deal with him. Despite her expertise with teen issues, her opinion is not always appreciated nor accepted.
It is up to Sydney to help coax him home by returning to her childhood home. Hannah is willing to let Dylan stay, but Hannah and Sydney will have to revisit old hurts and grievances first before closure is found for any of the characters.
The novel is beautifully written with descriptions so vivid that Haven Lake comes to life on the pages. It is deeply emotional and realistic about grief, anger, and the power of love to heal. Overall, it’s a highly recommended read.
Personally, this pedometer geek looks forward to reading others by this author.