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 Mary Lawson is not a well-known author but she will be. Crow Lake, her first novel, is autobiobiographical. The setting is the backwaters of Canada, Lawson's home country. The well-laid plot grows into a story with equal parts humor, sadness, perserverance and insight into the process children use to sort their feelings. Lawson's understanding of children shines. The author shows that one child grieves by not speaking, another by not eating, another by throwing tantrums and yet another by bristling with passive aggressive silence. The children's conversations and adaptability are comic relief to the tragedy of their struggle.
The book opens with a dramatic event that leaves four children dependent on each other to make adult decisions about a difficult life situation. A cruel neighbor, an insensitive girlfriend, a caring aunt and a well-meaning church lady add counterpoint to the plot. In the end Lawson's story shows that the fulfillment of familial love is more important than material blessing.
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