The Ice on the Lake

Description

A haunting story of survival and redemption on the frozen expanse of Lake Superior.

The harsh winters of Duluth, Minnesota, don’t bother Hugh McLaren. Decades after the death of his wife and estrangement from his children, the only respite from his troubled thoughts comes from ice fishing alone on the windswept expanse of Lake Superior. Out on the ice, Hugh can drop a line in search of monsters of the deep and be free of his own demons.

But when a routine exam turns into a terminal diagnosis, Hugh enters a new spiral of guilt and regret–about the loss of his wife and his own troubled upbringing–making him consider how he might mend his broken relationships with his children. To push aside his internal turmoil, Hugh goes onto the ice to fish during a severe storm, but as the blizzard rages on, he is forced to reckon with worsening conditions and the even colder storm inside himself.

The Ice on the Lake is a novel of resilience and determination–both to survive the fury of nature and to reconcile with the ghosts of the past.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Author: Alex Messenger
Published: 03/10/2026
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
ISBN: 9798228300095
Pages: 224
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 1.19″ H x 9.22″ L x 6.07″ W

About the Author
Messenger, Alex: –

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.