Book Review: Stone Creek by Victoria Lustbader

Victoria Lustbader’s novel Stone Creek is a poignant look at love and losses.  She shares the lives of four central characters who each wrestle with a significant loss and search for a redeeming love.

Lily, a beautiful and intelligent woman in her mid-40s is married to Paul, a slightly older high-power NYC attorney who adores her.  While Paul jets around the country to work on a high profile corporate case, Lily retreats to their second home, a gorgeous McMansion in the idyllic village of Stone Creek, about an hour outside the city.  Here she is able to contemplate her earlier decision not to have children, and struggles with the implications of that decision.

Danny is a Stone Creek “townie”, a handsome and considerate widower raising his 5-year-old son, Caleb, after the sudden death of his beloved wife Tara.  His mother-in-law, Eve, blames Danny for Tara’s death, and constantly undermines Danny’s efforts.  Danny and Eve both mourn, yet secrets and animosity keep them from being able to grieve together.

When Lily and Danny encounter each other in Stone Creek, the instant attraction cannot be denied.  As they spend more time together, they discover truths about their own strengths and vulnerabilities; the relationship helps each one grow, but how far will it go? 

Lustbader writes from the heart; the characters are authentic in their losses and the way they handle them.  Grief and passion are the ends of the spectrum of emotion evoked throughout Stone Creek.  In an interview on Book Club Girl Lustbader has said that personal experiences influence her work, although it is not autobiographical.  Her descriptions of people and places are so detailed and rich that the reader feels a part of the scene (you can hear more about her writing process and the way she “stages” her novel in the above-referenced interview).  

Stone Creek is Victoria Lustbader’s second novel, following the success of Hidden, historical fiction based in New York City in the 1920s.  You can read more about these two published works, a hint about her current project, suggested discussion questions and a biography of the author at her website.