Despite the monster in the lake, and the ghost that lives in Willie's house, there is nothing scary about this book. The true monsters of Templeton were the people who lived, loved, fought, and died there throughout the years. In many ways, this book tells the story of a woman who is finally growing up. Willie, who lived a fairly privileged and idyllic childhood in many ways, just was not able to get herself together out in the "real" world. Despite the prestigious college she went to, despite her competence in her chosen field (archaeology, the symbolism of which is only now hitting me), Willie can't seem to take that last step into being responsible for herself. Her pregnancy, her return to her hometown, her realizations about her mother, and most of all her research into her family, finally bring her to a place where she can find herself in the mess of high expectations, failed relationships, and career suicide that she left in her wake.
The story alternates between present-day Willie and characters from the past, and it is this narrative structure that shows how talented Groff really is. She wrote sections of the novel as the journal of a 19th century woman, as letters between two 18th century women, as the son of the founder of Templeton, as a nameless Indian girl, and as the monster itself. Each voice felt authentic, and each one revealed a little bit more about the sprawling family of which Willie was a product. The story is intricate and multi-layered, and I think that the revelations about the various Temples, Upton, Averells, and others were well-paced. While there is some magical realism, this novel is not really that. While there are some historical fiction elements, it's not really that, either. In the end, I think that this book defies any clear-cut description, which to me makes it even more intriguing and enjoyable to read.
