Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club

Florence Miller, later Florence Sterenud, is Mariel’s mother and one of the four narrators of Lakeside Supper Club. Florence’s narration takes place primarily during her childhood, with a focus on 1934, when she and her mother, Betty, move to Bear Jaw after a chance encounter with Floyd Muller. Florence’s childhood peregrinations leave her with a determination to look out for her own interests and a desire to find a true home (despite perennial mistrust of such potential homes). Florence initially feels frustrated with her mother, Betty, who insistently looks for the bright side of bad situations. She grows attached instead to grouchy Archie Eastman, who is romantically involved with Floyd, Florence’s eventual stepfather.

Florence has a complicated relationship with the idea of motherhood. She does eventually come to see Betty as a strong woman who deserves better than an unfaithful husband. This leads her to reveal Archie and Floyd’s affair, though this is also motivated in part by Florence’s fear of losing her father figure, Floyd. However, this newfound perspective on Betty does not change Florence’s ambivalent feelings about becoming a mother. Florence breaks up with Al, whom she loves, due to their differing opinions on wanting children; despite her doubts, she ends up convinced by her husband, Gustav, to have a child. This does not transform Florence into a nurturing figure: She is a highly overbearing mother, which leads to friction between her and her daughter, Mariel.

Florence is frequently represented through Mariel’s narration and intermittently in Ned’s. Ned’s understanding of his mother-in-law is largely influenced by Mariel, who is frustrated with her mother’s habit of selfishly inserting herself into Mariel’s life (for example, by controlling the planning of Mariel and Ned’s wedding, something they circumvent by eloping). The most damaging event to the mother-daughter relationship is the death of Mariel’s son Gus, which she blames on Florence. Though Florence denies being selfish and stubborn, she does eventually admit fallibility: She insists that she cannot be left alone with baby Julia after her role in Gus’s death. Florence ultimately becomes a source of support for her granddaughter after Mariel’s death from cancer.

Ned Prager is one of four narrators of Lakeside Supper Club. He is Mariel’s husband and Julia’s father, and appears in their narrations, as well. Born to a wealthy family who operates the restaurant chain Jorby’s, Ned is optimistic and prone to romanticism. He dreams of a happy future in which he and his sister, Carla, run Jorby’s together, and falls in love with Mariel at first sight. He tends to see the best in others, even when they disappoint him, and struggles with grief after blaming himself for the accidental death of his son, Gus.

Ned struggles to find purpose after finding himself unsuited for becoming the head of the Jorby’s corporation. He tries to develop an identity in several ways: He loves being a father to Gus, but this role is disrupted by Gus’s death and Ned’s subsequent grief. Then, Ned reinvents himself as a provider for his family by building them the perfect home in Bear Jaw. When that project ends, Ned becomes consumed with baseball memorabilia. Ultimately, he learns that he is best suited not for the leadership role he was assigned at birth, but for people-facing service work: Ned thrives tending bar at the Lakeside and is even happier when he bartends at another establishment, where he is not expected to manage anything besides the bar.

Ned is a loving and supportive father to Julia. Though he struggles with her decisions to travel far away for college and later to sell the Lakeside (which holds memories of his wife, Mariel, that he hoped to share with his daughter), he ultimately accepts her choices even when he doesn’t necessarily agree with them.

Julia Prager is the fourth narrator of Lakeside Supper Club. She is Ned and Mariel’s daughter and Florence’s granddaughter, named after Julia Winthrop, Florence’s grandmother. Julia narrates two chapters at the end of the novel, which trace her childhood and early adulthood. These years are characterized by the absence of her mother, Mariel, who died when Julia was very young. Instead, Julia grows up very close to her father, Ned, and her grandmother, Florence, both of whom act as figures of support in her life. Julia yearns to feel connected to Mariel and ultimately finds this connection while walking quietly in the woods, one of Julia’s preferred pastimes.

Julia loves the Lakeside as a child, but her preference for quiet over the bustling restaurant leads her to sell the restaurant when she inherits it at age 21, despite conflicted feelings about ending her family’s legacy. To mitigate some of these feelings, she chooses to sell the Lakeside to a local Bear Jaw entrepreneur who will maintain the spirit—if not the full identity—of the place, rather than taking a more lucrative offer from a city-based restaurateur. Ultimately, Julia is happy with the financial freedom afforded by this choice. At the end of the novel, Julia looks toward her adult life with both pleasure and trepidation at the unknown.

Betty Miller, later Betty Muller, is Florence’s mother and Mariel’s grandmother. Betty struggles to make a life for herself and her daughter after Florence’s father, who returns from World War I with violent tendencies and possibly post-traumatic stress disorder, abandons them. Betty is optimistic and opportunistic; she continually looks on the bright side of things (much to her daughter’s frustration) and always urges Florence to do whatever she can to boost their financial situation.

Despite this optimism, Betty has a practical streak. When Floyd pursues her, Betty’s interest in him is framed as more pragmatic than romantic—she realizes that Floyd is probably gay, but values that he provides a safe home and lucrative work. However, their marriage is not completely companionate: When Betty learns of his affair with Archie, she separates the two men.

Betty is a savvy businesswoman; for many years, the Lakeside’s success is due primarily to her influence. Her practicality is mixed with sentiment throughout her life: When Betty decides to leave the Lakeside to Mariel instead of Florence, it is an act of love, rather than strictly business—love for her granddaughter and for the restaurant.