Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Hardcover)

Tom Lake is a #1 New York Times bestselling novel by Ann Patchett, published by HarperCollins in August 2023. Selected as a Reese's Book Club Pick, this hardcover edition runs 320 pages and is set against the backdrop of a cherry orchard in Northern Michigan during the spring of 2020.

The story follows Lara, whose three adult daughters have returned home during the pandemic. While working together to harvest cherries, the daughters coax their mother into recounting the story of a summer romance she had years earlier with Peter Duke, a man who would go on to become a famous actor. The narrative weaves between two timelines — Lara's youth as a rising actress at a summer theater company called Tom Lake, and her present life as a wife and mother — exploring themes of youthful ambition, love, regret, and the quiet rewards of an ordinary life.

Ann Patchett is the author of numerous acclaimed novels including Bel Canto and Commonwealth, and a co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville. Tom Lake showcases her signature storytelling craft, blending intimate family dynamics with reflections on the roads not taken.