DESOLATION
LAKE
a novel
Desolation Lake is the story of a spiritual journey that begins at a Studio City private school and ends 11,000 feet above sea level, in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Life, Death & Love
Converge on the
Ground Floor of Heaven.
Mount Humphreys in the eastern Sierras.
WATCH THE TRAILER . . .
A scandal devastates an exclusive Los Angeles private school. Leo, a respected teacher fondly called “Doc” by his students, soon finds himself in the crosshairs of a powerful and vengeful school board member.
And when he is accused of a crime of which he is innocent—or is he?—he turns fugitive.
At Desolation Lake in the eastern Sierra Nevadas, two miles above sea level and light years from the life he has known, he must confront his demons and make a critical decision. The unforgiving yet sublimely beautiful environment and the torments and joys of the human spirit combine to drive the story to its powerful and revelatory conclusion.
Recent Reviews . . .
“An impressive novel—topical, compelling, suspenseful—that sees life whole.”
— Amazon Review, five stars
“This Is a spiritual, reverential, smart, and beautiful story that uses language to flawlessly describe both ethereal landscapes and the inner workings of the human condition.”
AMAZON REVIEW - 5 stars
"High Sierra backpacking and great similes – two pleasures that I relish."—JOHN JENKINS
“Jeffrey Kwitny has written a moving story which involves education, love, religion, and High Sierra backpacking, and this believing reader appreciates the respectful way that religion is treated. It is probably no accident that the author chooses to have much of the plot take place around Desolation Lake. The ominous name of the lake is one of many examples of foreshadowing that the author uses to give readers clues of how the plot might progress.
”Mr. Kwitny demonstrates a strong respect for and knowledge of literature and other works of art. He works these components into the novel not to show off his knowledge or his research, but because they are integral parts of the plot and character development.
”This novel contains a great collection of figures of speech, particularly similes. Perhaps my favorite is “Father Tom stopped to rest, contorting his upper torso as he twisted out of his pack, which clung stubbornly like a giant, piggybacking aphid.”
AMAZON REVIEW — 5 stars
“Desolation Lake gradually drew me in over the first chapter or two and, before I realized it, I soon found myself caring a lot about the characters and racing to find out what happens to them. What makes this book so powerful is the way events are woven together with psychological, emotional, and spiritual challenges and transformation. To paraphrase one of the characters in the book, I felt I had been immersed in the troubles entangling each of them yet was gently invited to be with them as they gained glimpses of the truths and miracles of existence. In so doing, the author gently invites me to see the truths and miracles of my own existence.” — Neil Baker
Excerpt …
“As we waited for help to arrive, the sun rose slowly, and Mount Humphreys looked unusually luminous to me. The thunderstorm had battered the mountain most of the night, but only a few scattered pools of rainwater, trapped in pockets of rock, provided testimony to the night’s drama. The exposed boulders at the base of the mountain looked to me, in my shaken state, like the skulls of an ancient, vanquished race of giants. Blood still blotted the soil around the two men in great dark patches like colossal bruises.
Unable to move—he was clearly in terrible pain—the stranger told me his story over the course of that shimmering morning as we waited for Search and Rescue to arrive.”
—from DESOLATION LAKE
