Predictable Twists and a Problematic Protagonist: The Orphanage by the Lake Review

★★

Hot Take: The Orphanage by the Lake had a compelling premise and dark atmosphere… but one of the most frustrating main characters I’ve read in a thriller.

Trigger warnings/Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, Stalking, Sexual harassment

The introduction to this book had me really excited about the trajectory of the story. We’re brought into the setting of NYC and the life of Hazel, a struggling private investigator who initially feels like your everyday girl trying to figure her life out.

By the middle of the book, I was already calling the ending. It was like a neon sign saying “culprits here”… or maybe that’s just all the NCIS and SVU I’ve watched. Rule of thumb: whoever sticks closest to the investigation is usually guilty.

My biggest issue was the way the main character was written. At first, Hazel comes across as pensive and introspective, with a decent understanding of human behavior. Her inner monologue is sometimes self-deprecating, but also funny and relatable, because we’re all our own worst critics. There were even a few lines I found myself highlighting because they were genuinely thought-provoking.

But as the story went on, I found myself disliking Hazel more and more with each chapter. For someone whose job is literally reading people, her lack of awareness often felt unrealistic.

SPOILER ALERT

Hazel’s fatal flaws are comparison, insecurity, and her deep need to be accepted. When Sonia Baretto is introduced, Hazel immediately wants to see the best in her because she sees qualities in Sonia that she wishes she had herself. Sonia quickly recognizes this and uses Hazel’s need for approval to win her over. Hazel ignores obvious warning signs and places her trust in Sonia far too easily. Personally, my trust issues would never allow me to call someone a “good friend” after only two interactions.

The same pattern appears with her love interest, Andrew DuPont. Hazel seems blinded by his wealth, charm, and good looks, which prevents her from recognizing the danger in both him and Sonia. Her desire to be associated with attractiveness, charisma, and wealth clouds her judgment. Secretly, she seems to crave the approval of those around her, including her family, and often looks for that validation through dating white men. 

Her relationship with her roommate and friend Kenny, was another frustrating part of the story. Kenny clearly cares about her deeply; he cooks for her, listens to her, and consistently shows up as emotional support. He genuinely sees and appreciates her for who she is. Yet Hazel repeatedly dismisses him and even weaponizes his feelings for her at times. Even giving her attention to the police officer Bobby, whom she doesn’t describe in the most positive terms, before ever considering the adorably quirky Kenny.

As a reader, it sometimes felt like Hazel was trying to distance herself from being “other” and align herself with whiteness. This shows up in her dating history and in the way she reflects on certain experiences from her past, including the “smelly” incident she endured in high school. The book hints at deeper tensions around identity, class, and belonging, but never fully explores them. That felt like a missed opportunity because it could have added much more depth to Hazel’s character and the choices she makes throughout the story.

For me, with first-person POV stories, I have to connect with the narrator’s core values in some way. Unfortunately, Hazel fell flat. It often felt like everything was happening to her, and she just allowed it. While some of this may stem from the trauma she experienced, the story never truly pushes Hazel to confront her own patterns or grow from them.

For a book dealing with such dark and serious themes, I expected a much stronger character arc and a more surprising payoff. Instead, the story felt like a thriller in which the reader is ten steps ahead of the protagonist the entire time, making the journey more frustrating than suspenseful.

Final thoughts: A strong premise and dark atmosphere, but predictable twists and a frustrating main character kept this from being the thriller it could have been.