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For generations, the Campbells have lived happily at Dulough, an idyllic, rambling estate on the windswept coast of Ireland. But upkeep has drained the family coffers. Faced with the heartbreaking possibility of having to sell, John Campbell makes a very difficult decision; to keep Dulough he will turn the estate into a tourist attraction. He and his wife, daughter and son will move from the luxury of the big house to a small, damp caretaker’s cottage. The upheaval strains the already tenuous threads that bind the family, and when a tragic accident befalls them, long-simmering resentments and unanswered yearnings are forced to the surface.

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Reviews

Fabulous Magazine, Sun on Sunday
'Beautifully written debut'
Daily Mail
'Johanna Lane writes in an easy melodic style and she shows a real talent for understanding the separate sorrows and secret dreams that simmer beneath the surface of even the closest families'
Irish Independent
Lane's prose is graceful, textured and her elegant stye reflects the Campbell's glazed retrograde world
Harper's Bazaar
Quiet novels like Black Lake don't get much air-time, but it's worth cutting through the noise and losing yourself in this gently devastating read
Book Bag
This is a charming story with gems for the thinker while being populated by interesting people for the lover of an easiy absorbed tale'
Irish Mail on Sunday
'An elegantly written story'
Irish Independent
'Lane's prose is graceful, textured and her elegant style reflects the Campbells' glazed retrograde world'
Woman & Home
'What won me over was the touching depiction of the two children'
Bella magazine
'A beautifully atmospheric and poignant debut'
Woman’s Way
'I found I could not put this book down'
Image magazine
This ultimately becomes a story of the importance of home, whatever its history, told in highly lyrical prose'
Evening Echo
'A poignant and haunting tale that really resonates'
Publishers Weekly
'A haunting debut'