The Homecoming of Samuel Lake
By, Jenny Wingfield
The Homecoming of Samuel Lake reveals the intimate issues hanging over the Moses family. As with most authentic families there are some characters you love and respect, others you admire and look up to, and some you despise and hopefully pray will vanish into thin air.
Set in rural Arkansas during the 1950’s the setting is surprisingly unique and charming. A small farm house with a service station in the front and a bar for ‘regulars’ in the back; the Moses family comes together to mourn a death, a lost career, and a fireless marriage. Their acts of service lend them to befriending one small neighbor boy who ultimately has more serious problems then all of the Moses’s put together.
Loving a character like Swan Lake was easy, for more reasons than her fabulous name! Often compared to Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, Swan is struggling to come to terms with the uncertainty her life has presented. Wise beyond her years she understands the importance of true friendship and the sacrifice it requires. What she doesn’t understand is the extent of evil she will be forced to endure in her attempt to do the right thing.
Well written and page turning, The Homecoming of Samuel Lake will leave you loving the goodness of mankind and hating the reality of evil. The ending may leave you deeply disturbed, but focusing on the existence of modern day miracles will get you through it.
Good is more prevalent than evil, even in disquieting times such as these. When evil reaches out to harm our children we must remember the times we are touched by the hand of a miracle.
