The book begins with a haunting scene of a father walking into the cold vastness of Lake Michigan, and from there it stretches into a sweeping and layered narrative that mixes family history, secrets, art, desire, and the way the past claws its way into the present. At the center is Davis Beckwith, heir to a complicated family legacy, and Selene, a young Englishwoman whose charms and tangled impulses drive much of the story forward. Their relationship unfolds against a backdrop of wealth, decay, and long shadows of tragedy, with the author weaving together voices, memories, and settings in a way that blurs the line between truth and invention.

Reading it pulled me in slowly at first, like wading into deep water. The prose has a deliberate, almost meditative rhythm, and sometimes it lingers on detail long enough to feel claustrophobic. Yet I found that same attention to detail intoxicating. The rooms, the objects, the little observations of human behavior felt alive. I loved the way the author treats silence and absence with as much weight as spoken words. At times, I was frustrated with how opaque the characters could be, but that frustration worked in the book’s favor. It mirrored the way secrets seep into family life, how you can love someone without ever really knowing them.

Emotionally, the book left me uneasy and restless. I alternated between admiration for the writing and irritation at the characters, especially DB, who often seemed passive to the point of vanishing. Selene, on the other hand, is magnetic and maddening, brimming with contradictions. I didn’t always like her, but I couldn’t look away. The novel made me think about the lies we tell ourselves and others, and how much of love is invention. I felt caught between awe and discomfort, which is not a bad place for a novel to put me.

I’d recommend this book to readers who like fiction that doesn’t rush, who enjoy atmosphere and layered family drama, and who don’t mind a story that raises more questions than it answers. If you like being unsettled and pushed to look harder at the ties that bind people together, LIPS is well worth the read.

Pages: 339 | ASIN : B0F9FYY7ZD