Kapka Kassabova's To The Lake is a compelling and wide-ranging study of the two lakes: Ohrid and Prespa, which are the oldest lakes in Europe, situated where four countries (Albania, Bulgarian, Greece and Macedonia) come together. It is an exploration of home, identity and belonging and the ways in which the lakes have an enduring hold on those with a connection to them. As Kassabova, whose maternal grandmother was from Ohrid, writes early in the book: “I have travelled to distant lands. I have made my bid for freedeom. Yet here I am, by the Lake, looking for answers.” That these answers remain as elusive as they are fascinating is one of the achievement of the book. It's also very good on how history, politics and economic pressures pull people and peoples apart: "The people of the lakes had been one people who, across time, borders and benighted policies, had become enemies'. That is the lesson of the book and one which is becoming more and more important to heed all of the time.