Needle Lake by Justine Champine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In the small logging town of Mineral, Washington, 14-year-old Ida lives with her single mother who runs a neighbourhood store. Ida is a neurodivergent girl born with a hole in her heart; not allowed to do anything too physical, bullied at school, all Ida wants to do is be on her own and study her maps.

Unexpectedly one day, her 16-year-old cousin Elna comes to stay with them. Ida has only met her a couple times, last when she a young child. Elna is from San Francisco; Elna’s mother is Ida’s mom’s younger sister. With her mom in rehab, Elna is forced to stay with Ida and her mom. Elna is so different from Ida. She is bold, brave, confident. She also appreciates Ida in a way that no one has before. She treats Ida normally.

As the two spend more time together, an undercurrent of darkness comes increasingly apparent. Ida starts to wonder about Elna, and a horrific incident at the lake on Christmas Eve, sets them off on a trek away from everything that Ida has ever known. Away from the home for the first time, at Elna’s urging, to go with her to a happier place, to her world in California.

This is a bit of a coming-of-age story, written in voice of Ida – it seems like a memoir. The author draws you into the scenes and weaves in Ida’s inner thoughts so effectively. You experience her emotions and perspective. But it progresses into more than a study of adolescence, as Ida learns more about Elna and even more about her family and secrets.

This was a short, intense read, I was engrossed and read most of it in one sitting. A four-star read. Thanks to the author, Random House and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy.




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