Prior Lake, Minnesota is the inspiration for the fictional town of Acorn Lake, Minnesota in Jean Harfenist's new book "A Brief History of the Flood." The book is a collection of short stories set in the 1960's and centered around the Anderson family. The stories follow the developement of the Anderson's daughter, Lillian--from young child to young adult. Lillian is a small town girl dealing with an alcoholic father and a mother who views the world like a romance novel. Lillian is also trying to avoid her mother's mistakes and is focusing on becoming a self-sufficient working woman. Harfenist grew up in Prior Lake and says Minnesota is an essential element to "A Brief History of the Flood." Jean Harfenist is the author of "A Brief History of the Flood." The book is published by Knopf.

This file was digitized with the help of a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).