First published 2001
Mathilda Neumann breaks through the ice of a Wisconsin lake on a winter night in 1919. Her death sends shockwaves through her small rural community and tears apart the lives of those closest to her. Her young daughter Ruth must now navigate a world without her mother. Mathilda's sister, already struggling with her own demons, finds herself thrust into an unexpected role. Her husband faces questions he cannot answer about that fatal night. The story unfolds through multiple voices, jumping between different time periods as each character grapples with their memories and secrets. Slowly, the events leading up to that winter evening come into focus. Family loyalties strain under the weight of hidden truths. Each revelation brings the survivors closer to understanding what really happened when Mathilda went under the ice. This is a story about the lies families tell themselves and the devastating power of secrets that refuse to stay buried.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: multiple-narrators, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Wisconsin
Period: 1919
368 pages · Paperback · Random House Publishing Group
Content warnings: death