Lake Lachrymose

Lake Lachrymose is an enormous lake that is the setting of The Wide Window. The name "Lake Lachrymose" can also refer to the small little coastal village.

Description

It was discovered by and named after explorer Ivan Lachrymose.^[1]

The lake is enormous, large enough to attract hurricanes to the area. It is noted to be very difficult to sail during storms. However, when calm, it is described as quite pretty.

The lake is known for its population of predatory Lachrymose Leeches, known to attack anyone who smells of food, causing a restriction to be imposed around the city forbidding swimming less than thirty minutes after eating.

There are several features in and around the lake, including:^[2]

Captain Sham's Sailboat Rentals
Carp Cove
Chartreuse Island
Cloudy Cliffs
Condiment Bay
Curdled Cave
Lavender Lighthouse
Rancorous Rocks
Wicked Whirlpool

Captain Widdershins mentions that he patrolled Lake Lachrymose for years in his submarine, the Queequeg, implying that Lake Lachrymose has an access to a main ocean.^[3]

The Fickle Ferry takes passengers to Damocles Dock, which is at the edge of a small town.^[2]

Town

The town of Lake Lachrymose functions as a resort, and tends to be crowded during times of nice weather. However, it tends to be nearly empty during the off-season, likely due to the lake being so large that hurricanes become an issue.

The town is paved with a cobblestone road, curling around the buildings like a snake.

The town contains several shops and restaurants:

The Anxious Clown
Lake Lachrymose Police Department
Look! It Fits! - clothing store
Several closed, boarded-up stores
Unnamed Grocery Store, with barrels of limes and beets up front

Outside of the town is a cliff that held Josephine Anwhistle's house before it crashed into the ocean during Hurricane Herman.^[2]

Trivia

Lachrymose means "tear-inducing". This could be a reference to Aunt Josephine's sadness and weeping when she lost her husband in the lake. It also creates imagery of a lake being filled with tears.

Appearances

Books
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Books)
1. The Bad Beginning (1999):	Absent	7. The Vile Village (2001):	Absent
2. The Reptile Room (1999):	Absent	8. The Hostile Hospital (2001):	Absent
3. The Wide Window (2000):	Debut	9. The Carnivorous Carnival (2002):	Absent
4. The Miserable Mill (2000):	Absent	10. The Slippery Slope (2003):	Absent
5. The Austere Academy (2000):	Absent	11. The Grim Grotto (2004):	Mentioned
6. The Ersatz Elevator (2001):	Absent	12. The Penultimate Peril (2005):	Absent
13. The End (2006):		Absent
All the Wrong Questions
Who Could That Be at This Hour? (2012):	Absent	Shouldn't You Be in School? (2014):	Absent
When Did You See Her Last? (2013):	Absent	Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights? (2015):	Absent
File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents (2014):		Absent
Snicketverse
Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography (2002):		Appears
The Dismal Dinner (2004):		Absent
The Beatrice Letters (2006):		Absent
29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy (2014):		Absent
The Hero of the Story (2017):		Absent
Poison for Breakfast (20??):		Absent
Other Snicket Books
The Baby in the Manger (2002):		Absent
The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming (2007):		Absent
The Lump of Coal (2008):		Absent
The Composer Is Dead (2009):		Absent
13 Words (2010):		Absent
The Dark (2013):		Absent
Goldfish Ghost (2017):		Absent