East Grand Lake by Tim Ryan
East Grand Lake by Tim Ryan is the perfect summer beach read - literally!
Structured as a series of linked short stories, this collection follows the escapades of one extended family as they gather at their grandparents’ lakeside cabin over the summer of 1972. The author skillfully offers a narrative of childhood and family and summertime through various distinct voices. Told mostly from the perspective of the children, readers are invited to remember and relive those lazy camp days spent swimming amongst the seaweed, playing with cousins, eating hotdogs and wild berries at a picknick table, hunting for frogs, and generally running wild and bare foot from morning to night. But it isn’t all whimsy. Beneath those quintessential summer activities, the author also reminds us of the angst that can accompany childhood—everything from feeling left-out or picked-on, to those family complexities and traumas that leave their mark and will still be there once the distraction of summer is over. These realities are particularly depicted in the character of Shayne, a boy who refuses to leave the safety of the car and join in on the excitement despite pleas from his mother, his sister, and the questioning/mocking of the other kids. Only the family’s grandfather and patriarch known as the Doctor seems to understand. The epitome of wisdom and comfort, he makes space for each child (grown-up or otherwise), letting them join in at their own pace, letting their time at the lake be what it needs to be. Both he and Shayne ground the narrative and provide an effective structural hub.
East Grand Lake is great storytelling with each chapter offering a snapshot. I loved this story for its heart, its honesty, and for each distinctive voice. Read this at the beach, at the cabin, or in your own backyard—either way, you’ll feel as though you belong at the Camp at East Grand Lake.
Thank you to University of Calgary Press and to Zg Stories for providing me with a copy to read and review.
East Grand Lake By Tim Ryan University of Calgary Press, 2023, pp. 167 ISBN: 978-1-77385-445-8