Point of View

The author has written the novel from the first person point of view of the main character Lara Nelson. This point of view is essential to understanding the author’s overarching thematic considerations throughout the novel. Indeed, Lara must tell her own story in her own words and using her own voice, because her daughters have asked her to tell them about her past. Therefore, throughout Tom Lake, Lara is situated in the present while actively recounting experiences and episodes from her past. She is therefore attempting to convey previously inarticulable and compartmentalized facets of her experience. Her first person narration captures this facet of her character’s internal work.

Lara’s narration of the past lives in contrast with her narration of the present moment. The reader might refer to passages from Chapter 6 in order to better understand this formal dynamic. While physically separated...