Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore

Abstract

Reviewed by: Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore Fiona Hartley-Kroeger Mc Lemore , Anna-Marie Lakelore . Feiwel , 2022 [ 304 p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250624147 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781250624154 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 7-12 Bastián Silvano and Lore Garcia—both brown, trans, they/them, and neurodivergent—met once as children, when Bastián took Lore through the legendary world under the lake to escape from bullies on a field trip. Years later, when dyslexic Lore moves to town in search of a fresh start, Bastián has filled the world under the lake with the alebrijes (painted papier-mâché creations that come to life in the lake) they make to release the anxieties of living with ADHD. When the lake and Bastián's creatures begin to cross over to the everyday world, the resulting manifestations are both frightening and strangely beautiful as waters flood their homes, glitter bursts in the air, and eerie laughter echoes in the walls. Bastián and Lore make their way toward each other by discovering the relationship between these happenings and their own anxieties, traumas, and flawed coping mechanisms. The meandering plot may slow some readers, but there's plenty of appeal in the gothic turn of McLemore's magical realism and in the interweaving of emotional and external landscapes. As they navigate their neurodivergent, nonbinary identities, Bastián and Lore realize together that "once you get past the fear of being seen, you can get to the part where you know you're not alone." An author's note is included about McLemore's autobiographical experiences that inform the novel. [End Page 195] Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois