Q. What do you think lies behind the anger and resentment between the two brothers, Matt and Luke, which results in violence? On another level though, Daniel represents what Matt should have been, and this is a problem for Kate. When she looks at Daniel, she sees all that Matt has lost. For the first few weeks following the death of her parents, Kate believes that she was “protected from the reality by disbelief.” How did she carry this defense mechanism with her throughout her childhood and into adulthood? What are some examples? A remarkable novel, utterly gripping...I read it at a single sitting, then I read it again, just for the pleasure of it' Joanne Harris, bestselling author of Chocolat

Another aspect of this detachment, and one which also did not help to endear Kate to me, was her determination to not just shut out her family, but also to use the acquisition of knowledge as an escape mechanism. Loved seeing the varied and multiply story-lines through the eyes of Kate as a young person (especially the trips to the pond with Matt) and then with Daniel as she tried to explain her family to him and then her reunion with Luke, Matt, Bo and her nephew's birthday party and discovering her brother's long-held secrets. The Crow Lake community opened its arms wide to the Morrison children after their parents were killed. How does this generosity conflict with the community’s collective reaction to Laurie Pye’s disappearance? Why is this? As for other similarities; I have two older brothers, whom I adored as a child (still do), so I have shared with Kate the experience of hero worship. I also have a younger sister, whose infant self was the model for Bo. (She is the only character based on a ‘real’ person, apart from Great Grandmother.) Family is tremendously important to Kate, and it is to me.

There isn't any surprise revelation at the end - the book didn't need that - but it was a sense of awakening for the protagonist, Kate. She finally opens her eyes and loses some of the blinders she had on for most of her life. I felt bad for not liking her some of the time because I kept reminding myself she was a vulnerable person drowning in tragedy at one point and that I probably just couldn't understand her view enough, but I can't help it - there's a small selfish, unlikable vibe she has going down.

A.I think a lot of the tension between Luke and Matt stems from the fact that their balance of power has shifted. Until ‘the accident’, Luke was very much the lesser brother. He was a standard bored, sullen, resentful teenager, his deficiencies highlighted by comparison with his brilliant younger brother. This novel captivated me. It is a somewhat slow yet compelling read. The characters and the setting are so well drawn I felt like I knew Kate and her siblings and that I could easily step into the farm setting on which they lived. My only disappointment was that the novel ended. Crow Lakeis the kind of book that keeps you reading well past midnight; you grieve when it’s over. Then you start pressing it on friends.” —The Washington Post Book World Sibling relationships. In both, the girl feels the strongest attachment to one of the older brothers, and the departure of one of them into the big world becomes the cause of a painful discord of fraternal-sisterly relations.The Canadian Encyclopedia, s.v. "Crow Lake," by Tom Hawthorn, Accessed October 31, 2023, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/crow-lake Coping with grief from the death of her parents at age 7 and having only limited understanding of some of the events occurring soon thereafter, Lawson's protagonist, Kate, shuts herself off from emotion. There is something about water, even if you have no particular interest in the life-forms within it”.

stars — All the metaphors I kept thinking up to describe this evoked some variation of "warmth" - ironic for a novel set in the chilly wilderness of Northern Ontario. A warm piece of homemade pie you wish could last at least another dozen bites. The warmth of a hug from a special friend that neither one of you wants to pull away from too soon. A warm, cozy fire around which local legends are told. Great-grandmother Morrison’s love of learning set the standard against which Kate judged everyone around her. Do you think Great-grandmother Morrison would have approved of Kate’s disappointment in Matt? Why? Location: the harsh Canadian nature of "Crow Lake" is strikingly different from the warm humid tropical swamps of Louisiana.Ostensibly I spent 6 hours on a train yesterday, but really I was at Crow Lake in northern Ontario. I managed to consume the entire novel in this short period of time. A.Initially, I based the novel around the ponds purely out of nostalgia. I remember the ponds where I grew up as a source of great delight. They are small worlds, after all, and if there are shelves or shallow places within them you feel as if you are seeing the whole of that world. It changes constantly, and yet it is always the same. I thought it was a great book though. I read it for my real world book club. Because of the libraries being closed during the pandemic I borrowed an e-copy from my library and chose the Kindle format. (I started it before and ended it after I broke my clavicle on my dominant side, so a lot happened in my life the 5 days I spent reading it.) Update after reading it a second time: even more moved the second time. This book grows with the reader. In a gorgeous, slow-burning story, Mary Lawson combines well-drawn characters, beautiful writing, and a powerful description of the land to tell the emotionally pitch-perfect story of personal struggles, familial bonds, and the power of forgiveness. Questions and Topics for Discussion

The story details the struggles of four siblings who were orphaned when their parents are killed. It’s told through the eyes of the adult sister, Kate, who was seven years old at the time of the deadly car accident. She reflects on her childhood as she reluctantly prepares to return for a family gathering. Her account slowly reveals details of the broken dreams and sacrifices that they all made in their efforts to keep the family together. Nothing very dramatic happens yet it elegantly portrays events that affect most families – hopeful aspirations, misunderstandings, missed chances and sibling rivalry. Understatement was the rule in our house. Emotions, even positive ones, were kept firmly under control. It was the Eleventh Commandment, carved on its very own tablet of stone and presented specifically to those of Presbyterian persuasion: Thou Shalt Not Emote." You must understand: I had never thought that I would really love anyone. It hadn't been on the cards, as far as I was concerned. To be honest, I had thought that such intensity of feeling was beyond me."Given the chance to attend university, what choices do you think Matt would have made? Do you think he would have returned to Crow Lake? Why or why not?