A consultant for the University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies travels to a small Massachusetts town to investigate a child who claims to have memories of a past life, only to plunge into her own dark past.
That’s the premise of New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver’s new novel, “The Girl in the Lake,” out today. In the novel, Kate Willis, a psychology professor who conducts research in UVA’s Division of Perceptual Studies, is skeptical of the validity of “recalled death experiences.” Her uncertainty begins to unravel when the child describes details surrounding the death of Kate’s former best friend, Becca, who died 20 years ago at a nearby summer camp.
“I have been obsessed with the Division of Perceptual Studies at UVA for so many years, I can’t even remember how it began,” Oliver said in an interview with UVA Today.
Oliver is the author of several young adult novels, including “Before I Fall,” which was adapted into a movie, as well as a mystery novel, “What Happened to Lucy Vale.” A graduate of the University of Chicago and New York University, her closest connection to UVA came when she visited Grounds with her cousins for a college tour. But her abiding interest in the department’s research served as an important source of inspiration for the novel.
[Lauren Oliver Speaking]
We like to think of reincarnation as a ghost story, but for 50 years, the University of Virginia has treated it as a science.
Dr. Ian Stevenson recorded over 2,000 cases of children who claimed to remember another life.
They call them CORT: cases of the reincarnation type.
On average, these memories start at just 35 months old.
75% of these children can describe how they died.
Many even have birthmarks that match their past life injuries.
My new thriller, “The Girl in the Lake,” is built on this research.
It follows a psychologist who thinks she’s seen every scam and delusion until she meets a six-year-old who remembers a secret that no one was supposed to know.
“The Girl in the Lake” will be publishing on June 1, but it is available now to pre-order.
Click the link in my bio to check it out.
Rather than fictionalize a similar department at another university, Oliver said she wanted to bring attention to UVA and the studies its researchers conduct.
“There’s a vision of science that looks at everything in the universe as matter, essentially. And there’s a vision that’s more open-minded and exploratory, that looks at a wide variety of phenomena. I find that so compelling,” she said.
Founded in 1967 by Ian Stevenson, the Division of Perceptual Studies conducts academic research on extraordinary experiences, such as recalled death experiences, that traditional science can overlook. It makes UVA one of a handful of universities in the United States to have dedicated research on consciousness.
“I come from an academic family, and I admire academics. … The research compels me because these are serious academics who are looking at a ton of things that have evidentiary value, which are the subjective experiences of many different kinds of people,” Oliver said.
Kate, Oliver’s protagonist, is cynical about the idea of past life experiences, despite working with UVA’s Division of Perceptual Studies for years. She has encountered too many cases where children were coached or traumatized into false memories. But she begins to question her own scientific certainty as her interviewee, Henley, recalls more details about Becca’s life and death, including things Kate has tried hard to forget.
Oliver, for her part, believes there’s a lot we still don’t know about how the mind works, and the novel leaves open the question of whether Henley’s memories are genuine.
“People who read the book have very different opinions about where I land on that question. It was a challenge, figuring out the psychic dynamic of Kate and Henley, and making sure it’s less clear whether this girl has genuine past life memories,” Oliver said.
