Lake Effect: A Novel

Set in 1977 on Cambridge Road in Rochester, New York, a community shaped by Kodak and Xerox prosperity and Catholic tradition, Lake Effect follows two families whose lives are altered by a single decision with lasting consequences. When Nina Larkin receives a copy of The Joy of Sex from her newly divorced friend, she confronts the lack of intimacy in her marriage. As her oldest child, Clara, experiences first love, Nina undergoes a midlife awakening and begins an affair with a prominent neighbor. This relationship offers Nina newfound freedom but threatens both families' reputations and disrupts Clara's transition to adulthood. Decades later, Clara is a successful food stylist in New York City who has never moved past the scandal. When a family wedding draws her home, she faces her unresolved feelings and makes a decision that transforms her life. The novel explores love and desire, the relationship between mothers and daughters, loss and grief, and the obligations we hold toward those closest to us.