The Point of the Lake: A Novel

Abstract

For generations, the Callahans have visited The Point, a collection of cabins at the most beautiful vantage point on the Lake, in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. The Point of the Lake is a novel about belonging and not belonging, to place and to people and to self; what happens when dreams connect to realities not spoken, and the toll of family secrets. Grandmother Rosemary, daughter Ros, and granddaughter Terra all experience clarity the week they spend at the Lake. Each has dreams that are vivid, somewhat predictive, or revealing of some hidden truth. Told through one week of vacation for each section, this story works backwards through each woman’s perspective, revealing more about the family and the meaning of these dreams as the story progresses. As each section of the novel steps backwards in time, shifting focus from granddaughter to daughter to grandmother, the origins of family secrets and traditions are revealed. The final section brings the family’s unburdening to the present, offering a path forward. Questions of how one generation relates to the next, and how place can hold a family together across time and space imbue this story with as many inquiries as answers, weaving in the awareness of the fine line between trauma and tradition.