From the Desk of Alex Messenger:
Dear Reader,
I’ll admit, I was nervous — about to launch a novel about survival in deep cold, and winter was being chased away by sunshine and meltwater. But winter returned. On launch day last week, we were socked with big flakes of snow and Lake Superior, the setting of The Ice on the Lake, was pummeling the shore with curling dark waves.
It was a perfect backdrop to talk about Hugh McLaren and his desperate journey and challenges on the ice. And it mirrored real life as well. This story was inspired by an incident that happened in February of 2021, when 26 anglers broke free from shore while ice fishing on the big lake in Duluth, Minnesota. A member of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, I had heard the page, knew my colleagues were out shuttling these fisherfolk to safety while I was stuck at work. Later, I stood on shore and watched across miles of shimmering sub-zero degree air and sun-sparkled ice as our airboat picked up the last stranded fisherman. He was miles from the others, alone, and walking to where he thought the ice might still be touching the Wisconsin shore across the enormous bay.
Soon, the man was in the boat and headed for land, but I thought to myself, “what if no one knew he was there?”
I started writing The Ice on the Lake that same day.
The margins get razor thin on the ice. I wanted to dive into what it would have been like for that last fisherman in 2021, if no one knew he was there, if he just kept drifting. I wanted to explore how he got there in the first place.
The Ice on the Lake is a story of survival, regret, and redemption, set on the frozen expanse of Lake Superior. It’s a story of love, loss, family, and resilience.
Wherever you are when you read his story, I hope you enjoy this journey with Hugh McLaren, and the cold hard edge of winter wind.
Best,
Alex Messenger
Alex Messenger is an author, former wilderness guide, marketing specialist, photographer, and volunteer search-and-rescue operator. His love of adventure, nature, and cultures has taken him all over the globe, but the Northwoods have always been his favorite place. His memoir of surviving being mauled by a grizzly bear, The Twenty-Ninth Day, was a Wall Street Journal bestseller and finalist for the Minnesota Book Awards. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Men’s Journal, and Outside. He lives in Duluth, Minnesota.
