In the Lake of the Woods is a novel by Tim O'Brien, author of Pulitzer Prize-nominated The Things They Carried. An example of O'Brien's recurring Vietnam War theme, In the Lake of the Woods follows the struggle of John Wade to deal with a recently failed campaign for the United States Senate. After moving to Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, John discovers one morning that his wife Kathy is missing. Through the use of flashbacks of John's childhood, college years, and Vietnam experiences, as well as testimony and evidence from affected characters, the novel creatively introduces several... hypotheses for the disappearance of Kathy Wade, leaving the decision up to the reader. The main storyline often branches out to flashbacks of significant events in John Wade's past. John's childhood is constantly referred to as the advent of his persona, Sorcerer. As a child John was frequently abused verbally and emotionally by his alcoholic father, whom to other children seemed the perfect father. John often visited Karra's Studio of Magic, where he bought the Guillotine of Death, purchased by his father. John was devastated after his father's death and channeled his grief into magic.
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| Author: | Tim O'Brien |
| Genre: | War novel, Fiction, Mystery |
| Year published: | 1994 |
| Number of editions: | 6 |