When I think of the Little House series, I think about contentment, family, and happy times. Cozy dinners, lively music, loving hugs … it’s all part of the overall mood, isn’t it?
Then there’s By the Shores of Silver Lake.
The book certainly contains many scenes that evoke familial tranquility. The depiction of the New Year’s Day dinner in the Boasts’ tiny shanty is one of my favorites in the entire series. So is the image of Laura and Carrie sliding on the moonpath. But other than that? Silver Lake is dark.
Attempted murder. Hate crimes. Devastating illness. Death. Swearing. Theft. Embezzlement. Lying to the government. Drunken violence. It’s all in there.
Not that that’s a bad thing. In fact, my latest reread of By the Shores of Silver Lake garnered me a new appreciation for the book’s complexities. It truly is a transitional book. I guess I just never realized how transitional.
What say you? Is Silver Lake as dark as it seems to me? Am I missing darkness in the other books?