In the spring of 2020, Lara begins to tell her three children the story of how she once dated a man who went on to become a movie star. It’s a wistful yet performative recollection of youth, one that has the potential to clarify family secrets and heal old wounds. Ann Patchett’s latest novel toggles back and forth between Lara’s run-in with fame, acting opposite a future A-lister at a Michigan theater company on Tom Lake, and life during the pandemic at home with her grown daughters. The enchanting novel captures at once the slow burn of a summer spent in a sprawling, camp-like setting, where half a day feels like “a solid six months,” and the seemingly endless span of cloistered life during COVID-19 lockdown. For an extra treat, download the audiobook read by none other than Meryl Streep. —Eliana Dockterman
Buy Now: Tom Lake on Bookshop | Amazon
Looking for more book recommendations? Sign up for Worth Your Time
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
