Reviewed by Tammy
TITLE: At The Lake
AUTHOR: Geoff Laughton
PUBLISHER: Harmony Ink/ Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 158 Pages
BLURB:
Shane Martelli and William Houghton come from very different backgrounds. They meet at a high-end summer camp in the Adirondacks, where Shane works as a lifeguard to earn some money and begin saving for college. William is one of the guests, and he doesn’t want to be there. As far as William knows, his father only dumped him at the camp so he could spend time with his latest mistress. When Shane figures out William can’t swim, he offers to teach him. William enthusiastically responds, but when an unexpected storm blows in, William is caught in the water and Shane comes to his rescue. They barely reach shore before lightning strikes the dock—close enough to damage Shane’s hearing. The following summer both boys return to the camp. Shane doesn’t let his use of hearing aids stand in his way. William is now a counselor-in-training. The attraction between them is undeniable, but how can they possibly make it work? Once camp is over, a week at William’s family home in the Hamptons will determine if the love that bloomed at the lake can survive in the real world.
REVIEW:
At The Lake is a very sweet and loving coming of age story.
Shane Martelli is a 16 year old lifeguard at Camp Huntington. Shane gets the lifeguard position because his father is a mechanic who works on the cars of one of the men on the camp’s board of directors. It’s while he works at summer camp that the fact, he likes boys, really comes into focus.
William Houghton is an almost 15 year old first time camper. William gets sent to camp by his father who has to go to Switzerland on business. William’s mother and new husband live in Hawaii. As a product of a broken home William is very quiet and unsure of himself.
Shane and William first meet after Shane wins a race against another lifeguard who is a bully. William is so far in his shell that everyone thinks he is stuck up, but when Shane draws William out of his shell over a very late dinner, he discovers that William can’t swim. William is very embarrassed and thinks everyone will make fun of him because he can’t swim so for the next few weeks, three days a week Shane teaches William how to swim after everyone has left the lake and the more confident William becomes with swimming, the more friends he makes. Then one afternoon a storm is coming and William can’t be found. Shane finds him floundering in the lake, but just when he drags him out of the water there’s a great boom of thunder and lightning hits the dock right near them. Unfortunately, even though Shane protects William, Shanes own ears are damaged beyond repair.
The next year Shane is invited back to Camp Huntington and with a lot of soul searching he decides he has to face his demons. Fortunately for Shane and his parents, William’s father has stepped up and paid for the best treatment for his hearing loss. He’s not totally deaf, but almost, and as such, he has to wear state of the art hearing aids. Shane’s parents don’t want him to go back because of the accident but it’s a testament to them that he doesn’t give up and hide! When William arrives back as a camper/counsellor in training their friendship gets deeper, but also more confusing for them. During the six weeks of camp the boys come to realise they love each other but more importantly they can talk to and rely on each other. Their relationship is cemented when Shane spends a week with William and his father after camp ends. It’s during this week, while they are both trying to work out how they are going to tell their parents they’re gay but still have their love and support that Shane realises that parents see more than their children think.
The way the author has handled this particularly prickly topic is a credit to him. It is a beautiful story with all the ups and downs of teenage love and angst! I would definitely recommend this book for any parent/guardian who isn’t sure about their child/children.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Harmony Ink Press ( Dreamspinner Press)