Tom Lake; A Novel

In this poignant and beautifully crafted novel about family, love, and self-discovery, Ann Patchett reaffirms her place as one of America’s most celebrated writers.

"Patchett leads us to a truth that feels like life rather than literature." — The Guardian

During the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to their family’s cherry orchard in Northern Michigan. While harvesting fruit, they urge their mother to share the story of Peter Duke—a renowned actor with whom she once shared both a stage and a romance at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara revisits her past, her daughters begin to see their mother in a new light, challenging their own perceptions of love, identity, and the passage of time.

A meditation on youthful passion, enduring love, and the untold lives parents lead before their children arrive, Tom Lake is both hopeful and elegiac. With her signature blend of masterful storytelling and deep emotional insight, Patchett delivers a luminous novel that explores happiness, memory, and the ways we make peace with the past—even in an uncertain world.