The Skating Pond

by Deborah Joy Corey

Deborah Joy Corey’s The Skating Pond is a masterful and hypnotic exploration of the depths of human needs and desires. Told through the eyes of a young woman who has experienced more than her expected share of pain, this evocative novel explores the hidden truths of our lives with both candor and grace.

In the small fishing village of Stonington, Maine, the local pond is a hive of activity — in the summer, tourists flock to see the lilies in bloom; in the winter, it becomes the local skating pond, with boys playing hockey alongside pleasure skaters gliding around in circles. For young Elizabeth, going skating is less a pleasure than a chore, though watching her mother on the ice is a “she looked like something from a fairy tale, a gazelle, thin-necked and elegant.” Elizabeth also relishes the knowledge that every swish of her mother’s skates is an act of defiance of her father, who sees his wife’s skating as decadence — her proper place is at home, taking care of her family. For Peter, an artist who only paints fishing boats, life is not about taking risks, but living in fear of the past, of the future, and anything that could possibly bring you harm.

One winter Saturday, both parents and Elizabeth head down to the pond — Peter with his sketchbook, Doreen wearing a sequined skating skirt that looks like neon when she spins. But in a random accident, a stray hockey puck hits Doreen squarely between the eyes and she crumples to the ice. With this event, Elizabeth’s life changes completely.

Horribly disfigured, Doreen begins to hide herself from the outside world, her condition worsening every day. And when Doreen’s husband disappears one night with his new art dealer, leaving only a note, Elizabeth is left to care for her mother alone. Then when Doreen dies, the 15 year old is left to raise herself. With only her new dog for company, besides the visits from the boy next door who comes to check up on her, she gets by on macaroni and tomatoes and stops going to school. Elizabeth loses herself in solitude, until one day she begins an affair with a stranger, a visiting architect named Frederick who is her father’s age. In their sexually intense relationship she tries to find rescue, to learn what crucial element is missing from her own life. But when he leaves, and leaves her pregnant, it’s as if the world’s been ripped out from around her again. The neighbour Michael steps forward to marry her — yet despite her best efforts to have a “normal” life and raise their family, she never feels that her life is complete, or recovers from her grief, or truly loves. It is only when Frederick reappears, a decade later, and tragedy once again threatens to tear her world apart, that Elizabeth is forced to come to terms with her heart’s truths.

Rich in images and language that will transport you into the emotional landscape of one small town, The Skating Pond is a heart-wrenching yet beautiful book, one that reaches into the core of human longing. Deborah Joy Corey explores how love and desire, belonging and grief, can shape our very beings — the effects rippling through her characters’ lives until tragic events send them flowing in new directions once again.

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 2003

Reviews

[Mac Dubista Keso The Bibliobibuli v(=∩_∩=) · Rating 3 out of 5]

More to reading, less to reviews.

LOL!

:)

#Sorrynotsorry ^_^

[Kristine Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

INAPPROPRIATE for KIDS not old enough to think like an adult. Really. The first few pages were okay but it became gruesome when the child's mother had the accident. and then, when the family fell apart and the child is all alone..... a fifteen year-old posing nude to be painted bu a man 30 years OLDER than she is and then two days later they had ***?! that is so like unbelievable. she is a KID and then he's a grown MAN with a wife! and it all started when she was jogging on the sidewalk and became tired to come back home because she ran a very far distance so she hitchhiked.

At the end, the story is sad... or tragic? i don't know. i don't know if her husband--the one who accepted and truly loved her, not the man who painted her-- died or just ignore her. i have no idea. i've read the ending more than twice and i still can't decide which incident happened.

[Laura Bohnert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is extremely easy to fall into, marring the crude sexual content which seems to be a little extreme at times causing me to question the shelf upon which I found the book.... Other than that, it is a unique story that haunts you for a few days with the representation of spirit and, in the end, broken spirit and the fragility of a person/ persona. It compares impulse to choice and reflects despairing consequences.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird , in a weirdly wonderful way ! While the book is not for everyone , I appreciated the story's ability to remind how unforeseen events can shape an entire life . Corey's almost poetic writing style added to the story as well ;-)

[Carol Johnson]

Beautifully written. I hope this author writes many more! A love story about addictive, devastating love and loyal, deep, nourishing love. Lots of different relationships....mother/child, husband/wife, daughter-in-law/mother-in-law.....sweet stories!

[Katherine Gould · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time finishing it coz it's a sad story to the core.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was not my usual cup of tea, but I really enjoyed it. Beautifully written.

[Angella Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully written, visually stunning in its imagery. This book’s strength lies with its ugly, honest and authentic take on healing. Tells an all too common story of a lonely young girl lured into a relationship with an older man, who establishes a definition of love for her in her young and vulnerable state. When he leaves, she is forced to jump into a relationship with someone who will support her and care for her. She is rocked with constant change is not given time to grieve, so she is riddled with ties to the past.

The absolute best part of this book was Bertie and her son Michael. It broke my heart that both Elizabeth and Michael never fully let each other in.

I wish our main character had more of a personality from the start. Throughout the whole story, things just seem to HAPPEN to her. Which might be the point. But I wish we had more of her own internal monologue. Even though it was in first person, there was a degree of distance between us and the narrator.
It had a ton of potential to say something really impactful about the long term effects of emotionally distant parents and grooming, but it fell a little flat. Her mother kinda fell into the background by halfway through and we almost forgot about her. There was a lack of closure and the ending felt a bit rushed.

Overall a really good read.

[Lori Bamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

So beautiful. At first, the writing felt self-indulgent to me ... too many flourishes. But when I realized that many paragraphs demanded to be read as poetry, I fell into it and stayed mesmerized until the end. Almost a fairytale of a novel ... gorgeous.

[Barbara Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Kesong Hilaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

It went downhill.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

boring

[Carol Fillmore · Rating 1 out of 5]

This started okay but it progressively got weirder. To the point where I was wondering what is going on? Yes there are dysfunctional families where weird things happen on a regular basis but in this story, the author seems to have gone to the extreme. It's bizarre. It also does not seem plausible what went on and I ceased to care what happened to the sisters. Didn't feel anything for them or any of the other characters.
I did not finish this. It got too ridiculous. There are too many other good books out there to read.
Do not recommend this book at all.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say that I was hooked, the whole accident and the future wreck ahead was captivating, but not necessarily in a good way. By the time I got to the end I was sick of the protagonist's stupidity and naivete, it was forgivable when she was younger, but three children and a marriage later and she still hasn't learned anything???

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of child whose mother is a beautiful, frustrated figure skater and the father is a distant painter. Tragedy is all over in the book. The story finally boils down to who one family rises above tragedy and one family sinks beneath the weight. I can't say I would recommend this book because there are just too many downers.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting beginning about young girl whose mother is badly disfigured in a skating accident. As a teenager, the girl ends up in an abusive relationship with an older man, an artist who spends time in a isolated Maine studio.

[Merry · Rating 5 out of 5]

ME

[Jamie Ekens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captivating book. But the ending is stupid. >.<

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished it, but I didn't really care for the story. I couldn't root for the heroine, and the ending was confusing.

[Tarah Demerchant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book to be very melancholy. From the beginning to the end it was focused on the negative attributes of her life. Overall gave it a 3/5 because of this depressing feeling