Labyrinth Lake: A Life Story

Labyrinth Lake is a semi-autobiographical account targeted at middle school aged girls. This account spans before the author's life up through her sophomore year of high school. (All of the names have been changed for privacy.) The manuscript is twenty chapters long and written in the form of vignettes. The manuscript contains a fictional beginning and ending. The beginning shares a real life scenario of a daughter and a father's interaction. Afterwards, it follows the daughter, in her need for independence and self-discovery to where she meets a character of a classic American novel, To Kill a Mockingbird and she is asked a haunting question. The main character is asked the question what one element of her soul she wants to keep. In real life remembrances she numerates what elements of her life she finds most important to her as an individual. As every person must find for him or herself family and friends are two completely different but essential relationships to be a well rounded person. Through each remembrance, the main character learns a lesson to the contrary of friendship or family closeness presented in the situation. Each chapter starts with a now memorable quote from influential members of history. These quotes directly link to the vignette. The book begins with a quote by journalist Sy Safransky about his personal realization of loving himself and as the actual text of the book, the quote begins with a dream. Because of the unique structure of vignettes, the book never actually climaxes at any one chapter. These quotes followed by the remembrances act as a fortiori which bring the book together. The final chapter comes with a deep and shocking realization and the quote that introduces it symbolically has an unknown author.