Staff Pick
Reeling from the loss of her grandmother, and unable to provide her ailing mother with the financial and medical support she needs, Lena drops out of college and volunteers to take part in a mysterious research study. The benefits are unreal: a handsome payout; free room and board; and — most crucially — full coverage of her mother’s medical expenses. But the study’s strict nondisclosure agreement and invasive screening process are the first of many red flags. A work of eerie, absorbing fiction with disturbing parallels in the real world, Lakewood is a remarkable debut. Recommended By Tove H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
NPR Book of the Year 2020
Electric Literature: One of 55 Books by Women and Nonbinary Writers of Color to Read in 2020
Lit Hub & The Millions: Most Anticipated Books of 2020
Ms. Magazine: Anticipated 2020 Feminist Books
Refinery29: Books by Black Women We are Looking Forward To Reading
One of The Millions' Most Anticipated Reads of 2020
Amazon Book of the Month Pick
Audible Editor's Pick
Essence's Pick
Glamour's Must Read
Ms. Magazine's Anticipated Read of 2020
A startling debut about class and race, Lakewood evokes a terrifying world of medical experimentation — part The Handmaid's Tale, part The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
When Lena Johnson's beloved grandmother dies, and the full extent of the family debt is revealed, the black millennial drops out of college to support her family and takes a job in the mysterious and remote town of Lakewood, Michigan.
On paper, her new job is too good to be true. High paying. No out of pocket medical expenses. A free place to live. All Lena has to do is participate in a secret program — and lie to her friends and family about the research being done in Lakewood. An eye drop that makes brown eyes blue, a medication that could be a cure for dementia, golden pills promised to make all bad thoughts go away.
The discoveries made in Lakewood, Lena is told, will change the world — but the consequences for the subjects involved could be devastating. As the truths of the program reveal themselves, Lena learns how much she's willing to sacrifice for the sake of her family.
Provocative and thrilling, Lakewood is a breathtaking novel that takes an unflinching look at the moral dilemmas many working-class families face, and the horror that has been forced on black bodies in the name of science.
Review
"An impressive debut. Megan Giddings has produced a novel of great emotional intensity. Her brilliant storytelling skills are on full display in this story which unfolds with subtle prose that deftly explores powerful themes of family, loss, responsibility, and friendship. Lena Johnson is a masterfully rendered protagonist, reminiscent of the characters of Toni Morrison, Gayl Jones and Jesmyn Ward, while appearing utterly new and fresh." Jeffrey Colvin, author of Africaville
Review
"Chilling...Giddings is a writer with a vivid imagination and a fresh eye both of the body and of society. This eerie debut provides a deep character study spiked with a dose of horror." Publishers Weekly
Review
“Like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale or Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives, Lakewood compels even as it unsettles. Megan Giddings writes with a scalpel and I'd follow her characters anywhere.” Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble
About the Author
Megan Giddings is a features editor at The Rumpus, a channel of the Los Angeles Review of Books, and a contributing editor at Boulevard. She is a recipient of a Barbara Deming Memorial Fund grant for feminist fiction. Her short stories have been published in Black Warrior Review, Gulf Coast, and Iowa Review. Megan holds degrees from University of Michigan and Indiana University. She lives in Michigan.