The Aching Plane by Cody Lakin

An inventive and continually surprising novel, The Aching Plane by Cody Lakin tells an intimate story about grappling with the past. Since Charlie lost her friend Marion who disappeared when she was only twelve years old, and then her mother who left home when she was seventeen, she has been dealing with deep issues of abandonment. In her twenties, she finds her lifelong hallucinations are getting worse, and one day, she receives a call: Marion is back, and she’s alive, challenging Charlie’s sense of reality. At once surreal and true to life, Lakin’s novel works most of all for its thread of deep emotion, dealing delicately with issues of trauma and depression, while exploring how hope can lift us out of dark places. Moving, dreamlike, and meaningful, the novel has a lasting impact on the reader because of Lakin’s sensitivity towards his eclectic group of characters.