I received a copy of The Boy and The Lake in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are, of course, my own.
I’d like to thank RABT Book Tours for including me on this tour.
Title
The Boy and The Lake
Author
Adam Pelzman was born in Seattle, raised in northern New Jersey, and has spent most of his life in New York City. He studied Russian literature at the University of Pennsylvania and went to law school at UCLA. His first novel, Troika, was published by Penguin (Amy Einhorn Books). He is also the author of The Papaya King, which Kirkus Reviews described as “entrancing,” “deeply memorable” and “devilishly smart social commentary.” The Boy and the Lake, set in New Jersey during the late 1960s, is his third novel.
Connect with Adam on his website, Facebook, Goodreads, or Instagram.
Book Details
Publication Date: October 7, 2020
Publisher: Jackson Heights Press
ISBN: 9781733258500
Book Description
Haunted by his discovery of a beloved neighbor’s body floating lifeless in the lake where he’s fishing, 16-year-old Benjamin Baum is convinced she was murdered despite her death being deemed an accident. While those around him tire of his fixation on finding a supposed killer, Ben’s alienation leads to drinking and the reader begins to wonder if he’s a reliable narrator. The plot takes a shocking twist, revealing the terrifying reality that things are not what they seem—that, beneath a façade of prosperity and contentment, darkness lurks.
My Thoughts & Takeaways
The Boy and the Lake by Adam Pelzman was a surprising read. I had never read anything by Pelzman, but the synopsis really intrigued me. Starting in the summer of 1967, 16-year-old Ben discovers the body of a women in the water from the community he lives in. This obviously has quite an impressionable and impactful effect on a teenager and the book follows this journey and coming-of-age story.
On top of this, the novel captures 1960s America and the unrest that came with it.
