Tom Lake

During the spring of 2020, as the world grapples with a pandemic, Lara Nelson finds her three adult daughters—Emily, Maisie, and Nell—returned to the family's cherry orchard in northern Michigan. With time on their hands, the daughters badger Lara to recount the full story of her youthful romance with the now-famous actor, Joe Emmett. Years before meeting their father, Lara had a brief but impactful relationship with Joe during a summer stock theater production of 'Our Town' at Tom Lake. As Lara meticulously weaves together tales from her past, moving between the idyllic present and her ambitious, hopeful youth, the daughters begin to piece together a new understanding of their mother, her choices, and the profound ripple effects of first love. Patchett masterfully explores themes of memory, identity, the nature of performance, and the enduring power of family, revealing how the stories we tell—and the ones we keep—shape our lives.