by Marci Nault
Tom stepped down from the ladder.
Heather tried not to stare at his eyes. On lonely nights during her trip, she’d imagined his touch along her arm, the way his lips felt against her mouth, and the smile that deepened the cleft in his chin. “I hear your grandfather’s getting married.”
“Yep. That man has gotten more action this year than I have.”
“I’m beginning to think that the lake has Cocoon-like powers that rev them up,” she said.
“You could be right. We were near it the night that we made s’mores.”
Heather kicked at the snow. “Must’ve been the lake. I think I found a new career. I’m going to bottle the water and sell it all over the world.”
He smiled at her. She felt her cheeks flush with warmth, though the temperature was well below freezing.
White trucks rolled into the community, and men began to unload chairs, tables, and linens. Victoria and Joseph came out of the community center to meet the caterers.
“It’s going to be one hell of a party in Molly’s honor,” Tom said.
“Nineteen twenties–style all the way,” Heather said. “Victoria and Molly picked me up from the airport and took me straight to the dressmaker for a fitting. I have to admit, I can’t wait to wear my outfit. It’s a pretty cool flapper dress.”
“I bet you’ll look incredible,” Tom said.
“I might even save you a dance,” she teased.
“Well, with Grandpa taken, you might be stuck with me.” The snow began to fall in perfect, soft flakes. Tom stuck out his tongue and let an icy drop fall into his mouth. “Go look in the back of my truck.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I told you to,” he said.
Heather skidded across the icy drive as she ran to the back of his truck. Inside the bed sat two large trees bundled in rope.
Tom came up behind her. She turned to him. “You got me a tree?”
Warmth radiated from his body. “Actually, two: one for your living room and another for the bedroom. I think I read somewhere that you couldn’t wait to get home and decorate.”
She threw her hands around his neck and kissed his cheek. The smell of the cold air mingled with his aftershave. She lingered with her nose against his rough stubble; her heart pounded, and electricity fluttered her nerves. His face turned, and then his lips were against hers. Soft. Gentle. His tongue explored the curve of her bottom lip and she felt herself shudder as she melted into his arms.
“Woo-hoo!” Victoria yelled from across the street.
Heather and Tom jumped apart at the sound of Joseph and Victoria clapping. Heather hid her red face against Tom’s chest.
He bowed his head to her ear. “Why don’t we bring the trees inside?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
He picked up the tree and carried it onto the deck. Heather smiled, looked to Victoria and Joseph, gave a tiny wave, and then ran to open the door for Tom.
In her living room, Tom placed the tree in the corner near the fireplace. The room filled with the fresh scent of pine. Heather looked at the framed pictures she’d placed on the mantel: photos from her travels; she and Gina in Boston; her grandmother and mother from when she was little. Heather looked at the unframed picture of Victoria and Molly that she’d carried throughout her travels. It reminded her that no matter how lonely she felt, she had family back in Nagog.
Tom wrapped his arms around her. “Do you like the tree?”
“I love it,” she said. Home, she thought. I am finally home.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Stories begin with a spark—an idea that grabs the writer and forces them to embark on the journey of their characters’ lives. In the process, groceries aren’t bought, meals are forgotten, and confidence can be shattered. It’s friends and family who make the process much easier. Thank you for all your support David Klosen, Jasmin Lolani Hakes, James Lusardi, James Tennery, Mignon Foster, Marilyn Caldwell, Ticia Zuniga, Connie Buckles, Kelli McDaniel, Amy Kohlman, Amber Turner, my entire figure-skating family, and to everyone else who cheered me on. I love you all. A special thanks to Melissa Bilodeau, Julianna Grant, and Daniel Miller for being my first readers.
I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to my agent, Yfat Reiss Gendell, who continued to believe in this story and to protect it as if it were her own. I’m blessed to know and work with you. I’d like to thank the entire team at Foundry Literary and Media, especially Kendra Jenkins, Rebecca Serle, and Cecilia Campbell-Westlind. Your insights, questions, and love for everything Nagog helped to make this book what it is today.
Writers always hope to find the perfect editor and publishing house. I hit the jackpot with Gallery Books and my editor, Lauren McKenna. Lauren, your wisdom, insight, and killer instincts on how to bring out the best in my writing have been a gift, but it’s your fun nature that makes working with you such a pleasure.
Thank you, Alexandra Lewis, for answering all my questions and keeping me on track in a way that makes me feel like I’m your only client.
Thank you to Jean Jenkins for her professional critique of the first draft that helped me to become a better writer. Thank you, Lisa Litwack, for the beautiful cover. You made my vision of Nagog come to life and brought me home to Massachusetts.
To my grandparents, Theresa and Vernon Miller, it’s because of your love, the safety of your home, and all of your stories that I was able to create the warmth of Nagog. I love you both.
READERS GROUP GUIDE
THE Lake House
SUMMARY
In The Lake House, Heather Bregman, a young travel writer who is reeling from ending her engagement to her fiancé and agent, purchases a quaint lakefront house in rural Nagog, Massachusetts, with hopes of creating a home for herself. Unbeknownst to Heather, her dream house is part of a tight-knit community of people all over the age of seventy who are none too happy about an outsider moving into their neighborhood. She finds comfort in Molly, a Nagog native who has spent her entire life living within the community, and in Victoria, a former movie star who is returning to Nagog to repair relationships damaged by a lifetime of leaving town whenever tragedy strikes. Bridging an almost fifty-year age difference, Heather and Victoria form an inseparable bond as they both attempt to overcome demons from their pasts and earn the community’s trust and respect. And despite the reluctance of Heather’s new neighbors and Victoria’s childhood friends, the two women eventually find acceptance, love, and a true home.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Both Victoria and Heather are trying to earn the Nagog community’s acceptance in order to make a home in the town. If you were Heather, would you need to make friends with your new neighbors before you truly felt at home? Do you think this is unique to a small town like Nagog?
2. When Victoria returns to Nagog, she is met with hostility from her childhood friends. Do you think their anger is justified? Does Victoria deserve a second chance from them? Explain why or why not.
3. As the story unfolds, we learn that Victoria’s old friends are not only bitter about her infamous sudden departures from Nagog but also with her arrogant and aloof behavior when she actually was in town. What do you think upset each character more? If you were them, what would upset you the most?
4. Victoria describes Molly as “brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla [. . .] homemade bread cooling on the kitchen windowsill”. Is this description accurate? How would you describe Molly? Have you met a Molly figure in your own life?
5. While Victoria and Heather had successful careers, both women are struggling to find fulfillment in their relationships and friendships. Do you think it’s possible, as Molly tells Victoria, to have both a prolific career and a happy home life? How would you achieve that balance?
6. Molly takes it upon herself to reunite Victoria with her estranged group of friends, but her efforts only caused fighting and more tension. Do you think it was right of Molly to try to force reconciliation? What would it take for Agatha and Sara
h to accept Victoria again?
7. During one of their arguments, Victoria tells Sarah that “life is a hassle only if you make it one”. Given all Victoria has lived through and lost, do you think she believes her own statement? Do you agree with it?
8. Heather’s new neighbors reject her arrival partly because it is indicative of a greater generational change. While their situation is unique to the novel, do you think that fear is universal for older generations? Why or why not?
9. After trying to ignore her new neighbors’ sabotage efforts, Heather finally erupts at them—a response she later regrets. How would you have handled the situation? Was Heather’s anger justified?
10. In an effort to earn the community’s acceptance and make amends for her outburst, Heather starts planting love letters in her mailbox for Evelyn to find. This act earns her more respect than her previous attempts to ignore the negativity. Why? Do you think, as Heather wonders, that “she had found a way into the community by caring about their lives”?
11. Heather separates herself from her condescending and manipulative fiancé twice, first by ending the engagement and then by firing him as her agent. Which decision seemed more difficult for her? Did you think Charlie would remain her agent after she ended their relationship?
12. It took almost the entire novel for romantic relationships to blossom for Victoria and Heather, and both the women and their men had to overcome personal obstacles in order to be happy. Despite those obstacles, did you suspect that Victoria and Joseph, and Heather and Tommy, would ultimately get together in the end?
13. When Victoria becomes irate at Heather’s return to Boston, Molly responds by saying, “You’re angry because Heather forces you to face the mistakes you feel you’ve made”. Do you agree with Molly’s assessment? Explain why or why not.
14. Molly’s health crisis and subsequent recovery ultimately brings the community closer together, including Heather and Victoria. How different would the ending have been if Molly hadn’t survived? Would it have drastically changed the other characters’ relationships?
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
1. Channel your inner Molly! Prepare your favorite comfort food or baked good to enjoy during your book club discussion.
2. Much of The Lake House is about revisiting past memories, good and bad. Take your own trip down memory lane by bringing a childhood relic to or sharing a favorite memory with your book club.
3. Finishing The Lake House was part of author Marci Nault’s life project, 101 Dreams Come True. Learn more about Marci and her inspirational project by visiting the website at: www.101dreamscometrue.com.
4. While the Nagog in The Lake House is fictional, there is a Village of Nagog Woods in Acton, Massachusetts. Do a little research on Acton and the real Nagog, and have your book club discuss whether they share any similarities with the story’s town.
A CONVERSATION WITH MARCI NAULT
The Lake House primarily follows Victoria and Heather, two women in different stages of life who have successful careers but are ultimately searching for more. What was your inspiration for these characters? Did you always plan to have such a large generational gap between them?
The idea for this novel came from a nighttime dream where I found the house I’d always wanted but when I moved in I realized everyone was over the age of seventy. When I woke, I knew I needed to write the story. So, yes, I always intended for the women to have a large generational gap.
I never really thought about what inspired me to write these characters. I think that some of the ideas came from my emotions and life, but for the most part the characters grabbed hold and took me on a journey. It’s almost as if I met them in person (though they were only my imagination) and they told me their stories. Victoria had a way of waking me in the middle of the night to talk. I spent months writing her character at four in the morning. I loved hearing her story, but I hated those months of insomnia. I remember waking up at eleven in the morning with my head on my desk and I had typed pages of jjjjkkkkk.
Heather started off being a character I would never want to spend time with. This story was originally a comedy, but it turns out I’m not that funny. Heather was ultramodern and a party girl, and the elderly people, determined to get rid of her in order to keep their way of life, wreaked havoc on her home. As I matured as a writer, and as my characters spoke to me, a whole new plot came to life. The story became more about the demons Victoria faced. Then Heather showed herself to be a young woman who thinks she needs success more than anything but in reality she needs to find a way home. Their friendship became the pivotal healer in both their lives. I wanted to make these women strong and independent, but with a need for softness in their lives—a safe place to land where they found the love they’ve always needed.
The loneliness that you see Heather and Victoria experience was very similar to how I felt the first years I lived in California. I felt out of place and without a home, and in some ways, creating Nagog gave me comfort.
There is an array of characters in The Lake House, from gentle Molly to womanizing Thomas. Which character was the most fun to create? Do you identify with one character in particular?
Thomas was absolutely the most fun to write. Creating his scenes always made me laugh. I love Molly and she reminds me of my great-grandmother who always enveloped me in a soft hug of bosom and belly. But I created a special bond with Victoria.
I can’t relate to Victoria’s loss except through what she shared with me (and I know I’m talking about her as if she were real, but sometimes characters feel that way) though in some ways I relate to her need for a bigger life and her fear that if she went home she’d stay safe. Living in California, I’ve been torn between the life I’ve chosen and missing my family in Massachusetts. I get to travel the world and I choose to go after my biggest dreams instead of settling into family life. I have a distinct desire to explore everything this world has to offer and yet a need to be wrapped in the comfort of home. There are times when I wonder if I’ll regret my choices later in life because I’ve spent so much time away from my family. Thank goodness for Skype, which allows me to feel like I’m at a family dinner every Wednesday night.
While Nagog is a fictional town, did you base it on a real-life counterpart, such as the Village of Nagog Woods in Acton, Massachusetts?
There’s a wildlife sanctuary in Acton with a path that leads to Nagog Pond. When I lived in that area, I would walk through the woods until I reached the dock. It’s a wonderful place to get lost in thought. In a place devoid of houses and roads, I found serenity sitting on the dock watching bright dragonflies flit around me while the fish jumped out of the lake to catch bugs. I was so excited when I saw the cover of the book because it replicated this place beautifully.
Littleton town center is exactly as I described in the book. When you drive through town you’re transported back to a simpler time—well, except for the large Mobil station sign on the corner. When I was a child we’d drive out to Littleton and go to Kimball’s Ice Cream. The lines were so long that sometimes it took an hour to get a sundae, but on a hot summer night it was worth the drive and the wait for the homemade treats. I think fond memories of eating ice cream under the stars in Littleton, Massachusetts, is why I chose this setting.
It took Molly’s health issues for Victoria to finally face the loss of Annabelle. Did you always intend for Molly to have a cataclysmic collapse? Were there any other plot twists you considered to help Victoria to come to terms with her granddaughter’s loss?
I was actually shocked when Molly collapsed. Writers are sometimes just along for the ride and we don’t know what’s going to happen until it actually does. I was walking on a quiet country road in a snowstorm in Lenox, Massachusetts, when I saw Molly’s collapse and I knew that it had to be part of the story. Molly was Victoria’s only real touchstone to Nagog. As Victoria tried to move forward after Annabelle’s death she was distraught with guilt. I think many times in life when we haven’t dealt with
an issue our lives seem to replay the same emotions no matter what the circumstances. Molly collapsing was a way to bring out Victoria’s pain and the blame she felt for her granddaughter’s death. This scene came to me in one of the first drafts, so I never considered another plot twist.
What is your favorite scene in the book, and why?
I cry every time I read the scene where Joseph and Victoria are on the beach having dinner. The tears always start when she gets up and sits in his lap, asking him to make love, knowing he’s nervous, and says to him, “Relax, I’ll wait.” They’re the same words he said to her as a teenager and I think it shows the tenderness, love, and desire they’ve had for each other their whole lives.
Another favorite is the one where Tommy and Heather are sitting on her front deck drinking root beer floats. I mean what woman hasn’t fantasized about a nice summer evening, stargazing and flirting with an incredibly hot guy. But I also love this scene because it brings out these characters’ personalities beyond their personal problems.
Victoria and Heather head to Nagog to find a sense of belonging, and all the characters in The Lake House have spent their lives either searching for or nurturing their homes and families. Do you have a place like Nagog that you consider your true home?
My grandfather built my grandparents’ home when my mother was a young girl. When I was a kid, my family would go to their house every Sunday afternoon and on holidays. I would play with my brother and my eight cousins, racing up and down the hallway, playing wiffle ball in the backyard, and before we left getting hugs and kisses from everyone. Before I moved to California, I lived around the corner from my grandparents’ house and many afternoons I would stop in unannounced. We’d sit at the kitchen table eating homemade cookies while my grandparents shared stories of their youth. My grandfather passed away before the publication of this book, but my grandmother still lives in the house with my mother as her caretaker. When I go home to Massachusetts I visit my grandfather’s sugar shack in the backyard where he would make maple syrup, boiling the tree sap down to a dark amber color. I can still taste his blueberry pancakes drenched in maple syrup.