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At the Bottom of New Lake (Warmer collection) Kindle Edition

by Sonya Larson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars 505 ratings
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A girl growing up in Cape Cod explores the collectible debris of a once-perfect world she’s too young to remember. But as the past resurfaces, so do old questions about her place in society.

To Chinese American teenager Chuntao, New Lake is a beautiful haven where she can hunt for treasures once swallowed up by a big flood. But when she’s caught scavenging by her biology teacher, a woman whose own past has been swept away, Chuntao is faced with an imponderable question: Which world was better—the ideal one she never knew or the destroyed one that now belongs to her?

Sonya Larson’s At the Bottom of New Lake is part of Warmer, a collection of seven visions of a conceivable tomorrow by today’s most thought-provoking authors. Alarming, inventive, intimate, and frightening, each story can be read, or listened to, in a single breathtaking sitting.

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  1. Book 6 of 7
    Warmer
  2. Print length
    20 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Amazon Original Stories
  6. Publication date
    October 30, 2018
  7. File size
    4150 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sonya Larson’s short fiction and essays have appeared in The Best American Short Stories 2017, American Short Fiction, American Literary Review, and Poets & Writers, among others. She currently works as director of the Muse & the Marketplace literary conference in Boston. Larson lives in Massachusetts.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07H7DK5KZ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amazon Original Stories (October 30, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 30, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4150 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 20 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars 505 ratings

About the author

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Sonya Larson

Sonya Larson

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Sonya Larson’s short fiction and essays have appeared in Best American Short Stories 2017, American Short Fiction, American Literary Review, Poets & Writers, Writer’s Chronicle, Audible.com, West Branch, Salamander, Memorious, Solstice Magazine, Del Sol Review, Red Mountain Review, The Hub, and more. She has received honors and fellowships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Vermont Studio Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, St. Botolph Club Foundation, and more. She currently works as Director of the Muse and the Marketplace literary conference, hosted by GrubStreet in Boston. She received her MFA in fiction in the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. Sonya lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, and is currently writing a novel.

Customer reviews

3.4 out of 5 stars
3.4 out of 5
505 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Merry blessings
3.0 out of 5 stars Goog
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2021
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Oceanside becomes lakeside. After the flood, waters are rising, the oceans waters rise and swallow all the mansions. What was far away from the ocean, is now a lake of water, a young girl dives in to retrieve the wealth of a world that was before her. Read and enjoy!
One person found this helpful
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Debora Santo
4.0 out of 5 stars Headline: Is it too much to expect of younger generations to fix our mistakes?
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2023
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Plot: Chuntao, a teenage girl and our main character, feels like a nod to the Little Mermaid, collecting what is now trash in New Lake, where stuff from the flooded homes can be found like hidden treasure. She has a crush on Sandra, her friend from school, and we see how differently they react when they get in trouble with their biology teacher.

Likes: I enjoyed this story of not fitting in, which once again highlighted how the elderly and rich are destroying the world while expecting the younger and poor to fix it.

Dislikes: None.

Recommended audience: Those who like short stories, tales that poke at our morals, with a crush between two teenage girls.

Rating: I rate this 4/5 stars, as I likes the story, but some other from the collection resonated better with me personally.
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RoseEllen
5.0 out of 5 stars While this is speculative fiction, the premise the story is based on could well happen.
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2021
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I read this short story because I like eco-science/speculative fiction and this is one of several stories related to the potential effects of global warming. I teach English composition and this semester I asked students to read newspaper articles and short stories about global warming, focusing in particular on issues related to how global warming is making there be too much water in some places (like Cape Cod and the coastal area of New Jersey) and too little water (in places like California, and the more inland areas of the American southwest. At the Bottom of New Lake is set on Cape Cod, a place that just about all people from Massachusetts or New England think of with fondness. While there are a few people around who aren't fans of the Cape, for the most part everyone around here likes to go there to see the ocean and enjoy the beaches etc. In addition, he Boston Globe has published articles describing how climate change is wreaking devastation on New England's arm into the sea. This story set 10 years or so after a new lake is formed in the middle of the Cape where once there were expensive houses is pretty much a logical extrapolation of possible events! Yes the story is a bit heavy with pathos related to the sadness of this new iteration of the Cape, but at the same time I strongly believe that its message needs to said and shared. If we don't stop abusing the earth we are going to end up losing access to places like Cape Cod and the Island where people love to while away their summer day. Read this story - I am only focusing here on the reality of what might make the story no longer a story, but it is a good story as well - whether or not a storm creates a lake in the middle of Cape Cod at some point in the future.
2 people found this helpful
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Riley
2.0 out of 5 stars Great premise - mediocre delivery
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2021
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I thought this would go in an entirely different direction. It also ended suddenly, and the writing was awkwardly phrased throughout the story. All in all, it was anticlimactic instead of impactful.
8 people found this helpful
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Cissa
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting premise; awkward implemetation
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2019
The premise was great. Cape Cod has been flooded by global warming, and while the adults remember the old days, the kids they teach are- appropriately- more involved with what is than nostalgia.

The way it was handled, though, was a problem for me. The teacher- the avatar of the Older Generation- was utterly inappropriate in her nostalgia, and her insistence on seeing salvage as an outrageous blend of burglary and grave-robbing.

The characters were two-dimensional, which was unfortunate since the author chose to depict the conflicting perspectives exclusively through the characters and their interactions.

I did find the premise interesting, but it needed more depth and richness to bring it to life.
4 people found this helpful
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J.M. Northup
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting View
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2022
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I liked Chauntao's view of the world over the teacher's. It gave an interesting perspective of how disaster broke down the barriers in many ways. It showed that poverty was something much greater than lacking posessions and that the accumulation of "wealth" might be more damaging than the simple things in life.

I liked that Chauntao recognized the hypocrisy. She appreciated the beauty around her, relishing in what she had opposed to mourning what she lacked. She fiesty spirit made me think that's what we all need to survive difficulties.

I didn't like that her mom was called a racial slur. I didn't like that her congressman didn't help her. I agreed that her issue should have been just as important. It made me sad.

I recommend this quick read. It really made me think about things from a different angle. It made me less afraid of climate change because it reminded me to value the simple, embrace the joy, and love deeply.
One person found this helpful
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Deborah
1.0 out of 5 stars Short Story
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2023
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Short story of what? One minute it’s about a school girl diving for items lost when the beach houses were flooded and lost under the water. Then she’s in class writing her congressman about climate change and arguing with her teacher. Awful. Made no sense to me.
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Scout
5.0 out of 5 stars Without self pity
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2023
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Sonya Larson tells a story of a young girl who is poor, but has a loving mother. The girl is stoic with regards to her poverty but single mindedly longs for reciprocity in her affection for a classmate. The main tension is with a teacher who at first seems sensible, but is revealed to have greater reverence for what has fallen than what is being raised. This is a stark but hopeful story told without precious self pity or moralizing aloofness. Very powerful.
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