Camp Lake

John A. Heldt gave me the opportunity to read Camp Lake the fifth and final entry in the Carson Family Chronicles before its release today. He provided an ecopy for me.

Readers of my reviews know that I am an avid (weak term) follower of his work. Camp Lake is the fifteenth book I have had the pleasure of reading, and yes, it is by far the best he has written.

Heldt's work is so layered and nuanced. At first blush it reads like a simple feel good book about a family's adventures traipsing through time in an effort to reunite. But when the reader gets more involved, the layers unfold taking us deeper into the story. The depth here is nothing short of incredible. The second half of the book is so riveting, I couldn't stop reading. I wound up staying up much later than normal because I couldn't think of putting it down.

Sure we have a story of teens at camp (Camp Lake see?) but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Various family members, following their own leads, have scattered literally across the country in search of the wayward Carson elders. The strength of familial bonds and love individual characters share is so heartwarming. Author Heldt has the ability to manipulate our emotions at will. We move through the whole range of emotion; from deep despair to overwhelming joy and all points in between. The real trick though is that he can make us experience multiple emotions at the same time, kind of like real life family. 

One of the things I liked most about Camp Lake was that after resolving the main story line of the series, Heldt spends a good portion of the book taking the family beyond where many authors would stop. Not an actual epilogue in the usual sense but a comforting end to the story. How he wraps up a troubling story line floored me. Even though the resolution stares us in the face, I never saw it coming. After, I thought "Duh!  of course". 

As with all of Mr. Heldt's work, we have people behaving like people. Sometimes good sometimes bad, but always realistic. No violence in this installment but there are teenagers who acquire alcohol and sneak off for romantic interludes. I'm older now, but I remember such activities in my youth (don't you?).

I could go on and on about Camp Lake but I guess I've gushed enough. As I've said before; John A. (never forget the "A") Heldt has gotten better with each book I've read. He is such a great story-teller, I can't wait to read where he takes us next. He keeps setting the bar higher and higher. 

I am going to miss the Carson's, I encourage everyone to give this book and this author a read. I truly believe you will come to enjoy his work as much as I do. Enjoy!

Mike