One thing that my 2008 readings seem to have in common is that they are definitely not "feel good" reads. Much like the majority of the movies that found themselves into this year's oscar pool, they were, in fact, downers. No laughing, no drifting off to sleep in a smiling peaceful state, no playful banter and recommendations to co-workers at lunch. These books made me sad. I am not sure how this is happening. Maybe its because I have been taking these recommendations from other sources, primarily focusing on books I would not have picked for myself. I'm normally a happy person, despite the giant shit that 2007 took right on my head. I generally read books that reflect my otherwise jovial nature. I only hope that the rest of my hand-chosen-by-others books are a little more hopeful. (I'm like Meg Ryan in Harry and Sally: I don't think melancholy and cynicism make you deeper or more intelligent. Just less fun to be around)

That being said, I thought "Drowning Ruth" was an achingly beautiful book. It is the story of the Starkey family , who live in rural Wisconsin, a landscape both beautiful and harsh and permeated by intense isolation. Though much of the story takes place in the spring and summer months, the long, cold winters take prevelence in the overall tone of the novel. Much of what is hinted at, in the landscape, the past, and in the characters themselves, is covered in snow and thick, inpenitrable ice.

The other overpowering force in the story is Lake Nagawaukee, the lake next to which the Starkey's farm resides, and in which a small island, also in the family's posession sits. The lake is a constant force, with many of the character's defining moments taking place in or next to the lake. Ruth's mother, Matilda, drowns in the lake during the winter of 1920. Ruth, herself, insists that she, too drown that same day when she was only 3 years old. Ruth's Aunt Amanda, the only other person who was there that day, insists that Ruth is mistaken: she is still alive, after all, so how could she have drown? In a series of flashbacks that are scattered throughout, we learn that Amanda's decision to leave her hometown and pursue a career in nursing came about shortly after witnessing Matilda and her boyfriend (later her husband) Carl playfully flirting and swimming in the lake. Her later decision to return home was solidified by the thought of returning to what she calls "her island" in the lake. Amanda's final struggle and eventual decision to reveal the secret truth she has been hiding from Ruth for many years comes after another tragedy on the lake that she is connected with.

The author, Christina Schwarz, skillfully doles out bits of the story in measured doses, skipping back and forth from character to character and from present to past and back again. In this way, she builds complex and very real characters whom I ended up caring about even though I originally found many of them unlikable. The story moves along at a slow but engaging pace, like spring emerging from a long winter. And when the snow finally melts and Amanda's secret is revealed, I was honestly surprised, saddened, and touched by the revelation.

I am definitely looking forward to reading other works by Christina Schwarz. Though she did not make me laugh, she did make me care about her characters and their story. What a fabulous author and a fabulous novel!