Cameo Lake [Mass Market Paperback]

Benson "Ben" Turner was a famous rock star in the 70s. Now he lives a hermit-like existence on Cameo Lake. He has recently been the subject of much gossip as many of the summer residents believe he is responsible for the death of his wife the year previously. He spends much of his time composing music in her memory.

Living in close proximity and sharing a raft on the lake, Ben and Cleo become friends. When circumstances at home dictate Cleo's husband Sean leaving the children at the lake after their scheduled two-week visit is over, the children, Tim and Lily, become friendly with Ben as well. They keep wanting their mother to invite Ben over for meals and soon they have occasional meals together and Ben becomes a great help to Cleo in keeping the children occupied so she can write.

Cleo's husband Sean had had an affair early on in their marriage. And although she has forgiven him, she certainly hasn't forgotten it. When Sean seems to be spending more and more time at the office and is unavailable to take her phone calls, she becomes more and more suspicious of his actions. Still she doesn't go any further in her relationship with Ben than friendship. But as her suspicions are confirmed, Ben is a source of support to Cleo and she begins to question her real feelings for Sean.

Although the conflict in the story resolves itself a little too easily, some very real issues are addressed which bring this story out of the depths of simple melodrama. The issues Cleo has with her mother-in-law, Alice, a woman of an early generation who had chosen to stay with her own husband (Sean's father) after his marital indiscretions and the very real sense of loss Cleo feels as she not only loses her husband but the closeness to his family which she cares very much for, is very real and poignant. Cleo's parents had divorced when she was young and she never felt really loved. Sean's mother and sisters have become her family and she is hurt by some of their actions and rightfully so.

Ben's reasons for continually being obsessed with his wife's memory, seems a little misguided given later revelations (which could be seen as a spoiler so won't be detailed here) and I questioned whether, given his feelings toward her, he would have treated her memory in the way he did. But I am willing to overlook that to enjoy this story in which both Ben and Cleo treat their situations with maturity when they certainly could have had their emotions over take their common sense.

While CAMEO LAKE doesn't have the emotional intensity of her earlier book, HAWKE'S COVE, it's nevertheless a pleasant read which many readers will enjoy. CAMEO LAKE should particularly appeal to readers who enjoy books by such authors as Barbara Delinsky, Luanne Rice, and Kristin Hannah, but the first-person POV she uses keeps the reader at arms length with Ben, someone I would love to have had more of an emotional connection to as a reader.