Ever wondered what life was like for women before the feminist movement? Before the suffrage marches? Before women were ‘allowed to’ use contraceptives?
Book: The Lake Of Dreams
Kim Edwards
Penguin
384 pages
Rs399
Ever wondered what life was like for women before the feminist movement? Before the suffrage marches? Before women were ‘allowed to’ use contraceptives?
Lucy Jarrett has returned to the Lake of Dreams, the town she grew up in, after 10 years. When she was 17, her father had asked her if she wanted to go fishing with him. “Dad. Really. I’m hardly little anymore,” she replied. So her father went out fishing alone. And never returned.
That was when Lucy was a teenager. She’s 27 now, and a successful hydrologist living with her boyfriend Yoshi in Japan. But she can’t let go of the memory of that night: if only she’d said yes to her father, he might not have drowned in the lake.
When she returns to her lakeside home, she realises everything’s changed. Not just the town, but the people too. Her brother is having a baby with his girlfriend and his loyalties have shifted. Their mother has a boyfriend and is planning to sell the house. And her childhood flame Keegan Fall has a son and a successful business of his own.
While trying to fit in with the changed dynamics of the household, Lucy finds old pamphlets locked under a window seat. These are from the 1800s and list basic facts about contraception, women’s rights, and the importance of letting the girl child play with her brothers. More interesting is a letter from Rose Jarrett. Lucy has heard lots of stories about her family but never the name Rose.
Lucy sets off on a quest to find out who Rose was. With every letter that Lucy uncovers, she finds that she can relate to Rose.
Rose wasn’t a leader in the feminist marches. She had seen a bunch of women walk past her garden one day and, inspired by their demands, joined the march. The group was arrested and Rose’s brother (Lucy’s great-grandfather) had cut off relations with her because she had “disgraced the family name” by going to jail.
Ostracised by her family and separated from her 3-year-old daughter, Rose was taken in by a feminist leader. Rose’s letters give Lucy an idea of the kind of life she had led — her dreams, love for her daughter, and desperation at never being able to go home. The letters also give Lucy an insight into the suffrage movements of the 1800s and liberties — like contraception and being able to study and work — she had so far taken for granted.
Lucy, the narrator, compares Rose’s story with her own. How she too feels left out in the cold because her family moved on while she hadn’t been able to put behind her the night her father died. This is the primary flaw with The Lake Of Dreams. How do you compare the guilt of being a catty, rebellious teenager with the anguish of a woman shunned by her family, separated from her daughter?
But Edwards’ strength lies in her characterisation, and that is what ultimately makes this book a rewarding read.
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