As much as I love reading fiction to escape, I want to escape into fiction that feels real.

Few fiction authors offer a more realistic escape than award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright.

The first book of hers I read, I actually listened to: The Souls of Lost Lake, early last year. A close friend had been suggesting Wright’s suspense stories to me for a few years, and I finally got around to the only audiobook my app had.

I don’t usually read Gothic suspense, and contemporary stories (with romance) aren’t always my cup of tea, but The Souls of Lost Lake pulled me in deep, with characters, themes, and scenes that lingered with me long afterward.

I loved so many things:

-The camp setting. The modern half of the story takes place at a camp in the Wisconsin woods (where I know firsthand how vicious the mosquitos are), from which a young girl goes missing. Having gone to camps of various kinds since childhood, I felt nostalgically comfortable in this personally familiar, literarily unique setting.

-The dialogue that could have come from my conversations yesterday. Wright’s characters sound like real people, not just names on a page. Time and time again I found myself smiling because of how normal the dialogue was, whether in a moment of angst, excitement, teasing, or just saying “hey.” (Also, shoutout to Kathryn Markey for her skilled reading that helped convey this normalness.)

-A main character named Arwen, with a brother named Pippin? It doesn’t get better than that. 🙂 Yes, the main character goes by Wren but her full name is Arwen. Her dad used to be a literature professor and is a magnificent Lord of the Rings nerd. This Lord of the Rings nerd appreciated the nod to this beloved fantasy world, tucked in a rural Wisconsin romantic suspense.

-The dual timeline. The only thing better than a good story is two good stories—in the same book. I couldn’t believe how masterfully Wright delivers not just one but two stories, and twines them together despite the century between them. As much as I hated to be jerked from one century to the other at all the worst moments, I loved the constant switch of narration between Wren and Ava and their respective struggles, settings, and mysteries—and the way they overlapped into a cohesive theme and meta-story.

-Ava’s tragic background and struggles in her small community. While Wren’s story interested me, it was Ava’s story that gripped me. I felt sorry for her, what she had gone through, and what she was facing as a lonely young woman misunderstood (often willfully) by the people around her. Her journey to faith and companionship, and ultimate resolution of the mystery shrouding her own mind, was sweet and beautiful.

-The surprise of whodunit. I never saw it coming. Never. In a million years. And it was creepy. Not over the top, but still disturbing. It all made sense though, and after holding my breath for a couple chapters I enjoyed the resolution and peaceful ending of both stories.

-The deep theme. In my opinion, what makes a good story isn’t just its authenticity, its surprises, or its creativity, but also its depth. And Wright knows how to write a story with depth. Through its twists and turns of loneliness and loss, The Souls of Lost Lake weaves an impacting theme of being found, known, and loved.

–The real emotions, from situations that both could be and are reality. If you’re looking for a feel-good, everything-is-peachy escape, The Souls of Lost Lake isn’t for you. There’s real life in this story, with real hardships, which means there are real emotions. From losing a mother figure and ending a relationship to trying to figure out what happened and navigating a romantic attraction—while there are plenty of good situations and emotions in the story too, it was the way Wright didn’t shy away from the painful moments of reality that impressed me.

-The details that place you in the setting and the action. This is where I love authentic fiction, when I feel like I’m there. And I was there in Wisconsin’s back woods, both now and a hundred years ago. I was with Arwen and Ava, doing what they were doing, feeling what they were feeling, from stepping onto the coffee shop porch to running from a potential murderer. Wright’s description with just-right details delivered a 100% believable read.

-The creep factor. I’m not one for haunted houses or scary thrills, but I actually enjoyed the spooky parts of this story. They were never disturbingly dark or graphic, just frightening enough to give you that fun little shiver up your spine and raise your BP a bit.

-the message of hope. Yes, the dark moments are dark and the scary moments are scary, but as a Christian author Wright always brings the story back to the light: the real light of Jesus and the hope we have in Him. The bedrock truth of hope in this story shows powerfully, especially with the way it supported the themes mentioned above, and it resonated with me. (You may just cry.)

There were only two things I didn’t love:

1) the predictable, Hallmark-y romance. I could tell from page one what was going to be the romance and where it would end, and I wasn’t wrong. And while one of the real love interests came across more original, the supposed love interest read like a Hallmark protagonist (looks and all). When I do read books with romance (and I do, guys, okay?—just notice it’s books with romance, not romance books), I prefer more originality to the appearance, dynamics, and obstacles of the relationship.

2) some repeated description and language. This is a minor complaint. As one who reads for aesthetic stimulation (good writing) as well as for a gripping escape (good story), critic me would remove a few points for the repetition or occasional shortcut that, if given more care, would add just an extra tang to an already lovely read.

Overall, I tip my hat to Ms. Wright as an author whose books offer a master class in telling multiple stories, balancing darkness with light, and ultimately delivering a believable escape—an escape that not only takes you away from your reality but also ministers to you and encourages you for your return.

Whether you enjoy gripping suspense, dual-timeline stories, clean romance, or a bit of spookiness (or all of the above), I highly recommend Jaime Jo Wright’s The Souls of Lost Lake. Come for the story’s suspense; stay for the story’s soul.