Ann Patchett’s Ability to Capture Fleeting Moments With Emotional Resonance Shines Throughout ‘Tom Lake’

- Compared to her previous works such as “Bel Canto” and “The Dutch House,” “this is a more introspective novel.”

“Ask that girl who left Tom Lake what she wanted out of life and she would never in a million years have said the Nelson farm in Traverse City, Michigan, but as it turned out, it was all she wanted.”
— Ann Patchett, “Tom Lake”
Ann Patchett’s “Tom Lake” is a poignant exploration of memory, family, and the evolving nature of personal narratives. Set against the backdrop of a Michigan cherry farm during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the novel intertwines past and present as protagonist Lara recounts a pivotal summer of her youth to her three grown daughters. The novel’s structure, shifting between the nostalgia of young love and the grounded realities of adulthood, allows Patchett to examine how time reshapes both experience and identity. The storytelling itself moves back and forth between past and present like a hammock, gently swaying between recollection and reality.
At the heart of “Tom Lake” is Lara’s brief but intense romance with Peter Duke, a charismatic young actor who later rises to Hollywood fame. During a summer theatre production of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” Lara steps into the role of Emily, and her talent, combined with her effortless beauty, captivates those around her — especially Peter Duke. Their relationship is intense yet fleeting, a chapter of her life that, over time, has lost much of its emotional grip. Now, decades later, Lara shares her story with her daughters, offering a carefully curated version of events, withholding certain details while allowing others to surface.
Patchett masterfully draws parallels between “Our Town” and “Tom Lake,” both of which meditate on the impermanence of youth and the quiet beauty of ordinary life. Lara herself personifies the narrator of Wilder’s play, stepping outside of time to observe and reflect on the past. The lake where the actors swim together serves as a kind of release, a place where identity and relationships are momentarily suspended in water, free from the constraints of time. The farm, meanwhile, serves as an anchor — a place of permanence amid the ebb and flow of life’s changes. Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” also echoes through the novel, particularly in its depiction of a farm as a place both deeply cherished and vulnerable to change. The cherry trees, much like Lara’s memories, are ephemeral—flourishing, bearing fruit, and ultimately fading.
During our book club discussion, we found ourselves reminiscing about childhood visits to cherry farms and fruit orchards, ( guavas, sugarcane and mango farms in India) the significance of working together on farms, and the solidarity that emerges when a family shares in the responsibility of daily chores. The novel evokes the simplicity and organic nature of being grounded in such a lifestyle — the safe haven of having a family to rely on.
The COVID-19 pandemic serves as a quiet undercurrent in “Tom Lake,” highlighting how families, much like Lara’s, were sheltered together, bringing old stories and long-buried secrets to the surface. The novel deftly explores the emotions unearthed in times of isolation, reminding us how the past is never entirely behind us. Memories are then replaced by different joys and larger sorrows, and unbelievably, those things get knocked aside as well, until one morning you’re picking cherries with your three grown daughters and your husband goes by on the Gator and you are positive that this is all you’ve ever wanted in the world.”
Duke’s character emerges as particularly fascinating — not just for his charm and magnetism but for his innate selfishness and aloofness. In one telling moment, he recalls being incredibly happy on the farm, yet he completely glosses over the fact that his blissful state may have stemmed, at least in part, from Lara’s presence. His memory is curated, as if he has mentally cropped Lara out of the picture, much like someone who edits a photograph after a breakup — erasing the other person and reposting the image to show the world just how radiant they appeared on their own. It is this selective remembrance, this quiet rewriting of history, that highlights Duke’s self-centered nature.
Patchett’s character development is particularly striking. Lara is a fascinating study in self-awareness and restraint, a woman who understands that nostalgia is not always synonymous with longing, and yet she succumbs to longing to gain control.. Duke, in contrast, is a study in charisma and ambition and indulgence. Sylvester, as Duke’s brother is another key figure in Lara’s past, adds further depth to the novel’s themes of choice and fate. The daughters — Emily, Maisie, and Nell — each bring their own interpretations of their mother’s history, questioning and reshaping the narrative in real time. They never quite know the whole truth.
Patchett’s luminous writing shines throughout “Tom Lake,” particularly in her ability to capture fleeting moments with profound emotional resonance. As she writes:
“There is no explaining this simple truth about life: you will forget much of it. The painful things you were certain you’d never be able to let go? Now you’re not entirely sure when they happened, while the thrilling parts, the heart-stopping joys, splintered and scattered and became something else.” Her prose is both graceful but somewhat confusing, allowing the story to ebb and flow with the rhythmic motion of a hammock and a quiet inevitability as the changing seasons.
Compared to her previous works, such as “Bel Canto” and “The Dutch House,” “this is a more introspective novel, trading high-stakes drama for a gentler, yet equally powerful, meditation on love, memory, and the choices that define us. Patchett seems to be layering “Tom Lake” as an American classic, reminding us that everyone’s memory of events is shaped by their own perception. As she poignantly observes: “The rage dissipates along with the love, and all we’re left with is a story.”
I was engaged by the author’s craft of setting the narrative in the first chapter and enjoyed learning about the behind-the-scenes world of school plays — the auditions, stage setup, rehearsals, lines, costumes, and even the clandestine affairs that simmer beneath the surface.
As a group, we all agreed that discussing the novel allowed us to appreciate its many layers — the plot, the metaphors woven throughout like intricate needlepoint, and the deep connections to classic literature. However, the consensus was that while we valued the conversation, “Tom Lake” is not a book we would be eager to revisit unless another event cloisters us in place.
With “Tom Lake,” Patchett once again proves her mastery in crafting novels that are as thought-provoking as they are deeply humane. This quaint story of Lara/ Emily lingers like the last golden days of summer—a quiet yet profound meditation of stories we tell ourselves in quiet winters.
With one foot in Huntsville, Alabama, the other in her birth home India, and a heart steeped in humanity, writing is a contemplative practice for Monita Soni. She has published hundreds of poems, movie reviews, book critiques, and essays and contributed to combined literary works. Her two books are My Light Reflections and Flow through My Heart. You can hear her commentaries on Sundial Writers Corner WLRH 89.3FM.