Somerville Writer Lesley Pratt Bannatyne sings her "Lake Song'

Recently, I caught up with Somerville writer Lesley Pratt Bannatyne to talk about her new book "Lake Song: A Novel in Stories." Bannatyne is best know for her books about Halloween, but she is also an accomplished fiction writer, as evidenced by her new book.




How has it been for you as a writer in Somerville, after all these years?

Being in Somerville–it's been 36 years, give or take—is something I almost don't think about until I go somewhere else. What's amazing about this city becomes clear. Years ago, when Robert Goss, Gary Duehr, and I wanted to stage a theatrical walking tour of a Somerville neighborhood, complete with fireworks! it was the city of Somerville that gave us the green light, firefighters, and its blessing. Where other cities saw only headaches, Somerville (and here I include both the city officials and audiences) were game. When poet Denise Provost and I proposed to display “locally sourced literature” at the Davis Square Farmer’s Market, they said sure, and we were able to set up a table to introduce shoppers to books by Somerville writers (of which there are an incredible number!). Somerville Library, too, gave us space to hold a Somerville Readers and Writers Festival not long ago. Maybe it's because we live so close together that this can happen, or maybe it's because we have awesome organizations here. Whatever the reason, it makes this city a place where new ideas flourish, and that can only be good for creativity.



Your new book takes place in the Finger Lakes region of upstate NY from 1906-2006 . Why did you choose this time frame?


I wanted to tell a story about the long tail of trauma; about generations connected through events and place, and how the past colors the present. The sweep of the 20th century seemed right for it. I could draw on history and culture to create a very real time and place so that readers feel they’re on familiar ground. Bootlegging, the Kennedy assassination, space missions, the rise of spiritualism–these all ride in the background of the book. The characters and plot, though, are completely invented.



A body of water, Okisee Lake is a symbol, and in a way a major character in this book. How does this lake center the story? Does it connect people? Does it seal their fate?





I was on Revere Beach recently - the waves are so mesmerizing, and endless. Our ocean here makes us feel its vastness. A lake, I think, makes you feel held. When I was trying to imagine a place that would support the small community of Kinder Falls, I chose a place I know deeply, which is the Finger Lakes in west central New York State. Okisee (a fictional lake loosely set on Keuka) holds a collective memory, I suppose, and stands in as a repository for all the history that's happened on its shores. The lake is both the site of the tragedy that begins the book and the symbol of hope that ends it.



The setting is a small town in rural New York.  There seems to be a Spoon River anthology or Our Town vibe in the book...but on a much more visceral level.  Is a small town a great microcosm of our society at large?


I imagine that most things in the society at large can be reflected in the interactions of neighbors in a small town. But this book is character-driven more than ideological. These folks are farmers, grifters, miners, driving instructors, lovers. They set fires, read tarot cards, sell Avon, build houses with their own hands. Putting them in a small town is like putting them in a pressure cooker. Things heat up quickly in a small town.


Are you from a small town? How much research did you do?


I'm from a suburb of Bridgeport, CT. But my connection to upstate New York is lifelong. My grandparents bought a cottage there when they were newlyweds, and I've visited every year since I was born. It’s given me a good taste of rural life. You need a grocery store? 12 miles. You want something to do? Climb up a creek. Catch a fish.


The research I did was focused on specific historic events that had an impact on the characters. Yes, the Klan was active in New York state in the 1930s (and before and beyond that). Yes, companies from all over the US tried to drill gas out of the shale underneath this part of our country. The 1965 East Coast blackout, our country’s first major electrical outage, is very real, and many were terrified it was a Russian attack, or aliens. Yes, there was a gang called the Albany Ketchup Murderers. I love finding details in the historical record that add color to a story.


I originally got interested in this part of New York state because it birthed an unusual number of utopian communities and religions: this was where Joseph Smith Jr. received the golden plates that would become the Book of Mormon. Shakers have a history here, the Millerites (who believed the world would end in 1843), and of course, Spiritualism. It's a fascinating place, and it seemed rich with possibilities.



Why should we read this book?


Lake Song is a multigenerational saga set around the Finger Lakes in rural New York, and it's gently haunted. If anything about that intrigues you, I think you should read this book.


I’m thrilled it won the Grace Paley Prize for short fiction, and thrilled it’s now out in the world (thank you Mad Creek Books).