The major characters of On Mystic Lake are types: Annie, the plucky heroine and eternal optimist whose major faults are her passionate love and her willingness to sacrifice her own needs for others; Blake, the overworked, inattentive, often cold and condescending husband who is overly concerned with appearances; Nick, the idealist with a painful past and a capacity to love "more deeply, completely than others" that has allowed life "to pummel him so brutally"; and Izzy, the traumatized child.

As a result of these characterizations, the lines are clearly drawn between villains and heroes. While Blake eventually sees the error of his ways, there is little to redeem him; ultimately he simply cannot recreate himself into a loving husband and father.

He does give the reader some satisfaction though when he at least realizes what he has lost in Annie. Annie, in contrast, has few qualities presented as...