Needle Lake by Justine Champine

Synopsis

Two cousins on very different sides of adolescent girlhood spend one winter together that changes both of their lives forever.

And once, after Elna came to stay, I watched a man drown there on Christmas Eve, his body trapped and twitching beneath the ice.

Thirteen-year-old Ida was born with a hole in her heart. Forbidden from most physical activities and considered strange by her teachers and peers, she prefers spending time alone, memorizing countries and capitals on her globe and imagining the world outside the tiny logging town of Mineral, Washington.

One afternoon, in walks her cousin Elna, here to stay for a few weeks. Ida hasn’t seen Elna since they were young, and she’s immediately drawn to her older cousin, who’s everything Ida is mature, self-assured, charismatic, and daring. Elna lives in San Francisco, a city Ida’s only seen as a dot on her globe. She doesn’t treat Ida like she’s a fragile kid whose heart might give out at any moment. She isn’t scared off by Ida’s tendency towards rigidity and fixation. Ida is enraptured.

Then, on Christmas Eve, a man dies out in the woods near Mineral, and the two cousins suddenly share a secret beyond the scope of anything Ida has dealt with before. Fear begins to mix in with the reverence Ida feels towards her cousin, especially when she discovers Elna is hiding more than she ever suspected. Brimming with lush prose and careful observation, Needle Lake is an arresting portrait of girlhood and the overwhelming, sometimes dangerous intensity of adolescence.

Rating

Overall Rating:

5/5

*There aren’t significant scares or gore, so I have not included ratings for my “Spooky” or “Gore” scales

Content Considerations

Tumultuous/Borderline Abusive Relationship with a Cousin
Disability Due to a Heart Disorder
Drowning

Full Review

Quick Take

Needle Lake by Justine Champine is a tense and dark winter novel that features impeccable autism representation, with a focus on the characters involved – primarily the main two cousins. Their relationship is edged in ice, and as the reader cracks the surface, a relationship dynamic reminiscent of that of Audrina and Vera in My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews reveals itself.

Tell Me More

Filled with essential representation and dread, Needle Lake by Justine Champine is a must read. It has messy characters, disturbing thrills, and a slow burn that wraps the reader in ropes of thorns.

This is the second book I have read by Justine Champine. The first being her debut – Knife River – last year.

Upon reading Needle Lake, I have come to find that while Champine’s books appear as thrillers upon first glance, they are incredibly character driven. The main characters in both books are flawed, all too human, and evolve throughout the stories.

But Needle Lake was different in a very special way.

Ida is autistic and has a physical disability with her heart. The autistic representation rings with a familiarity that I latched onto in the first few pages. As a late diagnosed person with AuDHD, I found myself reflected in her, much like I have with Emily Austin’s characters and books.

The way Champine wove a character centered story that puts the reader in the shoes of a young autistic woman was beautiful. She did so in a way that will help those who are not autistic get a glimpse into what being an autistic person is like.

Like Emily Austin’s writing and autism representation, Ida’s story is one of pain, misunderstanding, and finding oneself again amidst the disdain or chagrin of those around her.

It is clear that Champine puts her heart and soul into her characters and stories, making her an author I will read anything by. Creating characters who are fleshed out and flawed, but the reader can’t help connect with, is a skill that not every author has. Champine’s gift is giving voices to people who don’t always receive the representation they deserve.

If you love books with autistic and disability representation, or toxic/abusive family dynamics, this book is for you. It sheds light on how we don’t always realize the harm loved ones might have on us at the time, which was hard to face head on – yet so necessary.

Champine’s books are not easy to digest, and that is my favorite thing about them.