Needle Lake - by Justine Champine (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Fourteen-year-old Ida was born with a hole in her heart. Forbidden from most physical activities and considered strange by her teachers and peers, she prefers spending time alone, memorizing countries and capitals on her globe and imagining the world outside the tiny logging town of Mineral, Washington. One afternoon, in walks her cousin Elna, here to stay for a few weeks. Ida hasn't seen Elna since they were young, and she's immediately drawn to her older cousin, who's everything Ida is not: confident, glamorous, charismatic, and daring. Elna lives in San Francisco, a city Ida's only seen as a dot on her globe. She doesn't treat Ida like she's a fragile kid whose heart might give out at any moment. She isn't scared off by Ida's quirks and fixations. Ida is enraptured. Then, on Christmas Eve, a man dies out in the woods near Mineral, and the two cousins suddenly share a secret beyond the scope of anything Ida has dealt with before. Fear begins to mix in with the reverence Ida feels towards her cousin, especially when she discovers Elna is hiding more than she ever suspected"--

Book Synopsis

Two cousins on very different sides of teen girlhood spend a winter together that changes both of their lives forever.

"A searing, unforgettable novel that captures the intense and dangerous alchemy of girlhood."--Chelsea Bieker, author of Madwoman

And once, after Elna came to stay, I watched a man drown there on Christmas Eve, his body trapped beneath the ice.

Fourteen-year-old Ida was born with a hole in her heart. Forbidden from most physical activities and considered strange by her teachers and peers, she prefers spending time alone, memorizing countries and capitals on her globe and imagining the world outside the tiny logging town of Mineral, Washington.

One afternoon, in walks her cousin Elna, there to stay for a few weeks. Ida hasn't seen Elna since they were children, and she's immediately drawn to her older cousin, who's everything Ida is not: confident, glamorous, charismatic, and daring. Elna lives in San Francisco, a city Ida has seen only as a dot on her globe. She doesn't treat Ida like she's a fragile kid whose heart might give out at any moment. She isn't scared off by Ida's quirks and fixations. Ida is enraptured.

Then, on Christmas Eve, a man dies out in the woods near Mineral, and the two cousins suddenly share a secret beyond the scope of anything Ida has dealt with before. Fear begins to mix with the reverence Ida feels toward her cousin, especially when she discovers Elna is hiding more than she ever suspected. Brimming with lush prose and careful observation, Needle Lake is an arresting portrait of girlhood and the overwhelming, sometimes dangerous intensity of adolescence.

Review Quotes

"Haunts and dazzles . . . Immersive, atmospheric, and wise, this is a spellbinding exploration of identity, belonging, and the treacherous journey through adolescence. Needle Lake cements Justine Champine as a brilliant and original voice."--Chelsea Bieker, author of Madwoman

"Filled with stomach-twisting turns and spot-on evocations of autistic adolescence, Needle Lake impressively blends thriller and own-voices narrative. Justine Champine truly understands the wonder, beauty, and horror of neurodivergent girlhood."--Devon Price, PhD, author of Unmasking Autism

"The book navigates [Ida's] intertwined challenges with a deft beauty, told in eloquent retrospect. . . . [Needle Lake's] strength lies in its loving and fascinating exploration of its central characters, who share DNA but have grown into polar opposite teenagers."--swamp pink

"The main message--about finding a way forward when you're both vulnerable and fiercely intelligent--felt so powerful, and Ida's autistic-coded voice is handled with such care; I turned the last page feeling protective, proud, and hopeful for her future."--Biliolifestyle

"Suspenseful, immersive, and intoxicating."--Marisa Crane, author of A Sharp Endless Need

"Haunting and gorgeously wrought, with characters so alive and real they leap off the page and prose so exacting it took my breath away . . . Justine Champine has once again proven herself to be a master of small-town American psychological drama."--Gabrielle Korn, author of Yours for the Taking

"Needle Lake is girlhood at its most chillingly relatable. Adolescent cousins become young adults with a secret that reveals more than they bargained for about humanity--especially, and including, their own. Beautiful and deliberate prose pulses like an invigorating nightmare. . . . For fans of Brutes, Nightbitch, and Boy Parts."--Marissa Higgins, author of A Good Happy Girl

"The heart of this coming-of-age novel beats in Champine's careful and thorough depiction of a girl on the spectrum who also has great, yet misunderstood, academic gifts. A standout; authentic voice and gritty detail give this novel power."--Kirkus Reviews

"Champine (Knife River) offers a coming-of-age story that starts as a slow burn but quickly ignites into a bonfire in a shocking ending."--Library Journal

"The sharply observed sophomore effort by Champine (Knife River) examines the double-edged bond between two teen girls. . . . This satisfies."--Publishers Weekly

"Readers who enjoy Freida McFadden's fast-paced thrillers will appreciate Champine's tautly plotted tale of psychological suspense with a poignant coming-of-age story at its heart."--Booklist

About the Author

Justine Champine's short fiction has appeared in The Kenyon Review, Epoch, and Los Angeles Review of Books. She holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and lives in New York City. Needle Lake is her second novel, after her debut, Knife River.