A HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE

 

I REALLY LIKED THIS ONE, LADIES!

The author of this book is Josh Malerman and the ISBN is 978-0-593-23777-9.  The subject matter is PISCATORIAL LOVE, as defined several different ways while the characters proceed through the story.

This is the kind of book the Naked Apes call "Young Adult Fantasy," and as such it is a PERFECT RECRUITING TOOL for bringing in large numbers of Homo saps who are developmentally geared to FIGURE OUT WHAT PEER GROUP THEY SHOULD BELONG TO.  Those of you who started out as humans no doubt remember the copycat phase of the teens, trying on different friend groups and wardrobes to see what works best.  Prep-school inmates shed their kilts and neckties to become after-school stoners or skaters.  A skater falls in love with a jock or a cheerleader and decides to try out for the football team.  A nerd reads a book that sets her on fire...or in this case IT MIGHT PUT HER IN THE WATER.  NEVER TO RETURN. (Humans go through so many crazy phases, I swear.)  Those who ultimately belong with us may find the first clue to their true home in these pages. 

Anyway, this is just what happens to the kids in this story.  Amelia and James decide that their first date ought to be a CANOE EXCURSION -- with remarkable results.  Soon all they can think about is the house they've found under the lake, and all they want to do is get back to it and explore.  

Part of the fantasy in this fantasy novel is the way these kids get into the inside of the house. They JUST HAPPEN to have access to a dive suit with a working compressor, quickly supplanted by scuba gear which they purchase with funds from their part-time jobs and use without ANY adult supervision.  They are also allowed to stay out all night together at the lake.  Nobody even seems to ask them where they've been.  This detail alone should make you ask whether the author is, in fact, a FISH who never needs to ask where his children are.  Let me tell you right now, if you are one of my fish readers, that HUMANS ARE NOT LIKE THAT AT ALL.

Well, the story just gets BETTER AND BETTER from here and I won't spoil it for you.  The message at hope at the very end, when the house at the bottom of the lake...well, that would be a spoiler but it's the PERFECT METAPHOR for what we are about here.

If you are a recruited human adult wondering how to introduce your human kids to a better life, TRY THIS BOOK.