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Lake Effect
2024 Winner of The Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction, selected by Lauren Groff
Wild places and hidden urban spaces exert a gravitational pull in Lake Effect, the debut story collection by Hillary Behrman. On the surface of an ancient bone-dry lake, amidst pockets of urban wilderness, on top of unmapped mountain ridges, and in cities ranging from Seattle to Istanbul the characters in these stories are always on the move but rarely headed to where they want to be. Viv’s tenuous grip on reality is shattered when she is forced to leave her desert outpost. Paula’s real and dream life become indistinguishable. Oliver can’t shed the hold of family lore as he negotiates his love affair with Daniel. Siblings, Alex and Marcie, are comforted and scraped raw by intimacy as they traverse the years from juvenile vandalism to a labor and delivery gone terribly wrong. Miles searches for his mother in a homeless encampment beneath a maze of freeways. And in the aftermath of her mother’s death, Sam finds herself on a frozen lake miles from shore with a virtual stranger. These stories exist at the intersection of social isolation and fierce intimacies and call into question the limits of our well-intentioned efforts to care for each other.
Wild places and hidden urban spaces exert a gravitational pull in Lake Effect, the debut story collection by Hillary Behrman. On the surface of an ancient bone-dry lake, amidst pockets of urban wilderness, on top of unmapped mountain ridges, and in cities ranging from Seattle to Istanbul the characters in these stories are always on the move but rarely headed to where they want to be. Viv’s tenuous grip on reality is shattered when she is forced to leave her desert outpost. Paula’s real and dream life become indistinguishable. Oliver can’t shed the hold of family lore as he negotiates his love affair with Daniel. Siblings, Alex and Marcie, are comforted and scraped raw by intimacy as they traverse the years from juvenile vandalism to a labor and delivery gone terribly wrong. Miles searches for his mother in a homeless encampment beneath a maze of freeways. And in the aftermath of her mother’s death, Sam finds herself on a frozen lake miles from shore with a virtual stranger. These stories exist at the intersection of social isolation and fierce intimacies and call into question the limits of our well-intentioned efforts to care for each other.
- GenresShort StoriesScience
292 pages, Paperback
Published May 12, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 26, 2026
Absolutely stunning and so well-crafted. One of the best short story collections I've read in a long time.
June 17, 2026
Gorgeous, gripping, and tender.
May 12, 2026
Really fantastic collection of stories! Highly recommend.
August 21, 2026
Read THIS book! Unlike anything I've ever read before. Each story is such an intimate portrait of people on the fringes, told with so much clear-eyed heart and longing. Behrman's language is poignantly fluid, urgent and soft, seamlessly passing from one character's innermost secrets to another. I often found myself holding my breath, surprised by impossible circumstances and choices. Each story deserves close reading and a long exhale after to sit and metabolize what just happened to characters and reader alike. Best read sipping warm tea with a splash of bourbon.
July 20, 2026
Tbh didn’t realize this was short stories when I bought it. I really liked it tho.
August 1, 2026
Like a lot of short story collections, I really enjoyed about 75% of these. That takes nothing away from the other quarter. They were all well written and poignant.
Did Not Finish
August 26, 2026Dnf
Wanted to finish it
But at some point, I couldn't find myself beeing curious bout the story
Wanted to finish it
But at some point, I couldn't find myself beeing curious bout the story
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews