In the Lake of the Woods

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Summary: Obsession's flower blooms both love and mystery
Review: On the surface, In the Lake of the Woods sketches an infectious tale of loss, frustration, and confusion, recounting the events surrounding Kathy Wade's peculiar disappearance in northern Minnesota's harrowing wilderness. Kathy's husband, John, becomes the focal point of the narrative, and we come to learn his story as the mystery is explored. John's story, of course, serves only to deepen and expand the mystery, as we uncover details from his past, regarding his obsession with magic and secrecy, his involvement in one of the Vietnam War's more disturbing incidents, and an embarrassing landslide defeat in a recent Senate primary.

In the midst of this suspense, O'Brien paints also a portrait of honest, disturbing love, inspiring in its idealism and tragic in its convoluted zealotry. John Wade's personal and political motives are continually traced to his bizarre designs on others' affection, be it his abusive father, his callous wartime companions, or his increasingly distant wife. As we delve deeper into Wade's psyche and past, we begin to realize the magnitude of a scarred heart's crippling capabilities.

O'Brien weaves an even more compelling mystery into the book by introducing a third-party narrator, ostensibly a journalist or scholar who's spent four years of his life investigating Kathy's disappearance, John's life and career, and the thousands of peripheries and tangential stories involved. The narrator must come to terms not only with the varying degrees of conjecture and truth in his reconstruction of Wade's story, but also with his maddening obsession for a resolution to the case.

In this sense, the narrator reflects much of the frustration O'Brien likely intended to evoke in his captive audience. Readers looking for a handily packaged mystery - a suspense whose complex intrigue is dissolved brilliantly (or conveniently) in some fantastic whirlwind climax - will very likely leave this book with an angry headful of disenchantment and virulent critique. But O'Brien recognizes this potential turn-off, and his narrator gives an early warning that readers who seek answers had best look elsewhere.

After all, how appropriate would it be for a story that explores the merits of conjecture and "diligent but imaginative reconstruction" to be resolved and cheapened by a dose of absolute truth?

Most effective in O'Brien's presentation of truth as an abysmally subjective construction is his employment of the narrator, who interjects the story with his own hypotheses and conjecture, as well as scads of evidence that point toward certain factors and possibilities in Kathy's disappearance as more evident than others. Through these welcome departures from the narrative, we are drawn inexorably into an undying quest for comfort in the absence of truth.

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Summary: Another excellent O'Brien work
Review: Throughout most of his first twenty years of writing, Tim O'Brien used fiction to come to grips with his experiences in the Vietnam War. In his 1994 novel, In the Lake of the Woods, O'Brien does not exactly shift his focus (readers would have to wait until 1998's Tomcat in Love for that) but he does widen his scope. Yes, the story's protagonist, failed politician John Wade, is a Vietnam veteran. However, the novel, describing the mysterious disappearance of Wade's wife after his landslide loss in a Senatorial race, is about more than the war and its ghosts (although both are certainly addressed). In the Lake of the Woods is also about the addictive nature of merit; America's destructive relationship with its most ambitious sons and all that can go wrong in the process of healing. It is a bold and brainy book unafraid to dig deep into the American psyche. It is also one that shows O'Brien's knack for readjusting the conventions of fiction. Chapters entitled "Hypothesis," narrate possible explanations of Kathy Wade's disappearance while ones labeled "Evidence" consist of quotes elaborating on John's mindset, some from friends and family and others from existent sources as diverse as court testimony from those involved in the Mai Lai massacre and guidebooks to Wade's childhood hobby, magic tricks. In the Lake of the Woods shows O'Brien continuing to flex his muscles and show why he is one of today's writers most worth reading.

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Summary: A politician is always a politician.
Review: This story concerns a failed politician who moves into a cabin in the woods to lick his wounds. The scenery as described is absolutely gorgeous, and the lake plays a big part in the absence of his wife. His despondency about the loss of an office he should have had and his lack of any kind of successful future leads him to do some very strange things.

When the loving wife is gone, he tries to lead the police astray with the idea that she took the boat out and rowed away all the way to Canada. No body was ever found, so we really don't know what happened as the writer gives suppositions of how she would have disappeared on her own and the reasons for doing so.

The fact that he spent so much time in the boathouse the night of her disappearance certainly makes one suspicious of his actions. When the heat gets too much for him, his neighbor (who loves to dauble in politics) lends him a good motorboat and a cell phone; he too disappears into the night.

Suspenseful and well-written, this story can be seen in your imagination as the author spins a webb of beauty in nature in the woods on the lake. Too bad I can't swim or I might be tempted to search out such a place.

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Summary: Spellbinding
Review: After reading the initial short story that became O'Brien's "The Things They Carried," I found myself interested to read his other material. "In the Lake of the Woods" lives up to the same beautifully, haunting prose that makes up O'Brien's style. The "problem" (and I place this in quotes since I don't really see it as a problem) with O'Brien's work, is that one isn't sure whether he is writing fact or fiction. His memories of Vietnam that make up "The Things They Carried" make one question whether they are fact of fiction. (And I mention this here since the ghosts of Vietnam have their hold over the main character of this novel as well.) The same holds true for "In the Lake of the Woods." O'Brien uses character interviews and references, footnooted in the Evidence chapters to build his narrative to its climax.

"In the Lake of the Woods" tells the story of a disintegrating marriage, that neither partner is ready to admit to. John and Kathy Wade have escaped to a cabin in the woods for two weeks until the world around them has calmed down. John is a politician who was slaughtered in the last election when the dark secrets of his past are revealed. And as a politician, he cannot have any "skeletons" in the closet (how apt that I read this in an election year). The two hardly communicate, their bond is fragile and their future uncertain. To complicate matters, John wakes up one morning to find Kathy missing. The locals suspect foul play; John claims he is innocent, but he is not above reproach. The novel then sets about trying to uncover the mystery not only of Kathy's disappearance, but of John's secret past.

O'Brien has again proven himself a master story-teller. One is immediately enthralled by the main characters and their mysteries. While reading, one is torn between like and dislike for John Wade, known to his war buddies as the magician, and one wonders just what tricks he has up his sleeves. The tricks that O'Brien has are his vivid characters and beautiful prose. His chapters fluctuate between differing points of view to offering evidence to what happened, as well as to what might have happened. O'Brien ends his novel by giving the reader the ending, allowing them to choose the scenario they like best. This is the only way a novel of such depth and intrigue could have ended; leaving a mystery unsolved, as though the "facts" of the story were real. Perhaps they are.

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Summary: Review of Tim O'Brien's In the lake of the woods
Review: I'd like my first comment to be an overall five stars, you've got to read this book type of comment. Reading this book for a class, I had to stop at a certain page, which was one of the hardest things for me to do; it's a page-turner, but not like trashy books. This is literature at its best, in unconventional form.

Tim O'Brien captures in this book the moral dilemmas of the Vietnam War as well as the moral dilemmas as a modern human, as a politician, as a lover, as a husband, and as a possible murderer. This worldview is on the nature of our humanity and our motivations, and some people think it's pretty glum.

I read a "warning" from a teacher's community of reviewers and they described the book as "vulgar" and "gruesome." This is not a horror story. It's more the account of what maybe took place at one time in our history in Vietnam. Although the placement of our character John Wade was in "My Lai" which is an actual part of Vietnam, but perhaps a more symbolic motion to remind the reader that this is fiction, we can't forget that our author was a part of Vietnam and probably has a good notion of the type of violence that went on there; after all who could be more accurate then somebody who has actually been there? Though the novel has been blamed for confusing fact and fiction, there is a disclaimer in the front of the novel affirming that it is a work of fiction and must be read that way. If the reader does not do what the reader is told, the there will be disappointment from the ambiguous ending of what really happened. Tim O'Brien was asked about the truth of this novel and responded, "The literal truth is ultimately to me irrelevant . . . what matter is what happens in our hearts." When reading this book it's evident, this work is from his heart, and the ultimate truth, or lack of it in this novel, is completely irrelevant because it's not what the book is about. He didn't sit down to write about a murderer, or an escaped wife, he was writing people, and if they fascinate you, then this book will too.

The tone of the book could be taken as rage and the themes could be explained as the lack of truth and hope and meaning in life. There does seem to be a distorted view of marriage and sex and love since John Wade does stalk his girlfriend-turned-wife and perhaps kills her? But the question isn't answered, so no reader can assume, and Tim O'Brien sets the reader up to know that this book will never have a clear-cut ending very early on in the novel. Th\e reader has a choice then, he offers to set it down if that's not good enough for the reader.

The biggest strength in my opinion is the sheer artistry in which O'Brien paints the dramatic line of the novel. The unconventional prose form really added to the unconventionality of the story. The ambiguity of the narrator and his connection to John Wade just made you think even more. The chapters with only the evidence listed gave such a tremendous strength to the exposition provided. The mystery of the Northern Minnesota setting on the water made a perfect escape route for concrete answers to the mystery. And the love that was spoken between husband and wife was enough for a reader to want to find what that feels like. This is not the first work I've read by O'Brien; in fact it's one of the many. This so far was my favorite and with my high recommendation.

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Summary: Hununa's take on Tim O'Brien
Review: Tim O'Brien's In the Lake of the Woods is written in a similar style to the rest of his fiction books. He uses scattered information to get the reader in a similar mindset as the main character. In the Lake of the Woods deals with John Wade, a failed senator dealing with problems in his marrige. A war veteran, John Wade owed his unhappy childhood to his father's suicide. Instead of dealing with these pains openly, he tended to brood and harm less lively beings, such as plants. His wife, Kathy, had dealt with his absense during the war, the constant stalking when she returned, however once John's political career seemed to finish, problems between them increased.Kathy then dissapears, and at this point O'Brien branches off with two different choices for the reader to decide on. Was Kathy's dissapearence her own choice, or did John decide her future? Reading through friend and family interviews, you must decide for yourself. This book is an excellent example of the emotional damage war veterans must deal with, and reading John's solutions may aid the reader in their final descision, as well as dealing with war veterans in their own life.

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Summary: In the Lake of the Woods Book Review
Review: This book was selected for my book group as this month's choice. I have Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried" several times and was really looking forward to this book. I can't say that I am disappointed, but that I am perplexed. While I found the chapters recalling John Wade's experience in Vietnam compelling, the Hypothesis chapters and the Evidence chapters left me wanting something more conclusive.

In part, the chapters labeled "Evidence" made me think that Wade was actually on trial -- literally, though he was figuratively. As a result, I went through a large part of the book thinking that the truth would emerge.

All told, I'm still putting the pieces together. I would recommend it, if only because it does make you think. Is it a book I would read again? Probably not.

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Summary: Story Lines
Review: In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'brien is a great book. The way he writes the story and the style he writes it in lends to a truly unique book that I would recommend to anyone to read.

O'Brien doesn't write the book like an ordinary book. Instead of just writing the story in a linear format he divides the book into four different story lines. One a bout how John's wife might have disappeared, one about what is currently going on, one about John's past, and one about the evidence. With the author switching between these plots it kept me on my toes, and not sure what to expect next.

These plots lead to a book where the reader doesn't know what was going to happen. This made it hard for me to put the book down. He even ends the book without the reader knowing what has happened. This makes the reader want to read on but there's nothing there to read. I would recommend this book to anyone because it is such a unique book.

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Summary: In the Lake of the Woods, Unique not Weird
Review: I believe that this book, contrary to popular vote is not weird it is very unique. Tim O'Brien created a real to life mystery about a senator hopeful named John Wade who mysteriously lost his wife one morning after his hopes to be a senator were smashed due to some things that had happened in Vietnam several years earlier. This book had me captivated throughout the entire book. There were moments that even had me guessing if this story really happened. It is extremely addicting to read because Tim O'Brien hypothesis chapters that led you to want to get to the end of the book to see which one was the correct hypothesis.

The only thing that had some people not liking this book, was the way Tim O'Brien wrote this book. He had numerous chapters entitled Hypothesis. These chapters tell of what may have happened to John Wade's wife and left the reader wondering if some of these things written in these chapters really happened. There are also several chapters entitled evidence. These chapters dig into John psyche through an interview type format. Although these chapters seem redundant and a little boring, if read carefully they really foreshadow what happens at the end of the book. However redundant these chapters seemed, they were extremely important to the book because they added to the suspense and mystery of John's wife's disappearance.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I rated it 5 stars out of 5 because I couldn't put this book down.

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Summary: "In the Lake of the Woods": The Art of Illusion
Review: Tim O'Brien has created a modern-day masterpiece with, "In the Lake of the Woods". John Wade and his wife Kathy Wade are escaping the headlines that plague the Minnesota news. After running for US Senate and losing by a landslide nothing seems like it used to. Their relationship is on the rocks they're deep in debt and after such a loss it will be near impossible for John to get back into politics. So they figure the lake air can't do any harm, at the very least it's a place to regroup and start over.
After a few days at the cabin something seems terribly wrong when Kathy is gone all day... then all night. John finally calls his neighbors who loaned him the cabin. Then he calls the local police who consist of one full time officer and a dairy farmer who works for a little extra income. Thoughts quickly turn against John and he is suspected of foul play.
John Wade grew up in a home where an alcoholic father, who loved him but always showed the opposite, always tormented him. Young John was an aspiring magician. He loved going down to the magic store to just look. He would practice in his basement for hours. When his father committed suicide John was devastated. He still played in the basement but would talk to his father as if he were still alive, sometimes yelling at him.
All this pain never left John he took it wherever he went, never talking about it. He even took it to the University of Minnesota where he met Kathy. He and Kathy dated and fell in love, except he would follow her around when she didn't know it. Kathy and John are married soon after college. But John is called to duty for the Vietnam conflict. Right away it seems that war is too much for this man already carrying emotional baggage but he carries on. During his tour of duty he encounters something no man should ever see, hear, smell, feel or experience. His entire platoon of men can't take the fear and killing any longer. Like many people already know the Viet Cong could never really stood out from ordinary people in their villages. These soldiers were fighting against ghosts. They finally snapped and started to massacre an entire village. John Wade, who was known by his war buddies as "Sorcerer" for all his magic tricks, was right in the thick of it.
This is what killed his soul and his political career. Although only one man was ever charged with war crimes for the My-Lai massacre the rest will carry the pain to their graves. Did John Wade kill Kathy, the woman he loved so much, the only friend he had left in this world. Soon after the investigation began John Wade ran off in the Lake of the Woods. A lake in Minnesota that is surrounded on three sides by Canada. Did they run away together? To start anew? They had always talked about running away to Verona, Italy.
This book is one of the better books by Tim O'Brien. He is so masterful in the art of suspense. This is not the conventional style of writing by many authors. It does not follow a linear story line. It jumps around from past to present and even to hypothesis's. This was a National BestSeller in 1994 and proclaimed "One of the best books of 1994" by "Booklist Magazine" Editor's Choice.
On a closing note I would like to point out how many ironies there are in this book. For instance Tim O'Brien leads you to think they may have run away together to Canada. It's ironic that the main characters may have ran away to Canada to escape the burden of war placed upon them, and how draft dodgers escaped to Canada to escape the burden of war all together. All in all this book is very intelligent and captivating, I highly recommend it.