The Book Club finished reading The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager in early February. It is a thriller that follows a woman who decides to investigate the disappearance and murder of her neighbor at a Vermont lake resort. It’s full of mysteries, twists, and turns that make you wonder if you’re on the right track.

  Freshmen Gabrielle Fraser and Krystal Harlow-Powell attended the meeting and discussed the book with club advisor Ellen Sheehy.

  “It was pretty good,” said Powell. “It was a little confusing when it first twisted, but then I kind of figured it out, but then I felt I figured it out and it twisted again. I liked it.”

  The book was confusing for them and although it connected altogether at the end, it still made them think and pay close attention to any details they could figure out.

  “A lot of mysteries set it up in the beginning that it’s so obvious it’s [a specific character], but then it makes you wonder if it is them if it is that obvious,” said Fraser.

  The book’s plot tries to throw off the readers, and it was definitely a wild ride for them.

  “The way that it at the end swings back to the beginning, and then the beginning where it is the ‘now’ part [of the story], it loops back to the end,” said Powell.

  Sheehy appreciates the moving time of the book itself, but feels that the story wasn’t quite that realistic to her. When a famous actress is found almost drowned in the lake, no help is called and she is instead taken inside the house by its owner.

  “If they had called an ambulance, it wouldn’t have changed the story and it would have made it more realistic to me,” said Sheehy.

  Despite the small number of people who attended the meeting, Sheehy thinks that the numbers can never be too big or small for a Book Club meeting.

  “The meetings consist of anyone that’s reading the book and is excited about it, or hates it, or anywhere in between. They deserve to meet and talk about it regardless,” said Sheehy. “If a kid commits to a 300 or 400 page book and they read it and want to talk about it, we’re still going to meet.”

 The novel that the club read and talked about is so tangled up with its characters and different moments that seem insignificant but aren’t. This complexity allowed the club members to attempt to untangle and understand it as they read, which is a perfect purpose for a club like this. The members discussed the book together and were able to go in depth about the plot, characters, and their own feelings about the book, regardless of how many people were able to attend.