Double Bind - Chris Bohjalian (2007)This is one of those books that I kept running into at the local bookstores. The vast increase in price of paperbacks has mean that I rarely buy a book, preferring to write down the details and request is from one of the local libraries. They usually do a good job, and I managed to get this relatively new book within a week of requesting it. Having an on-line catalogue and request system is awesome too.
The premise of this book was enticing. Laurel, a twenty something social worker, works for a charity helping homeless people. When one of the elderly men she has helped dies, a box of photographs are found with his belongings. Looking through these, Laurel discovers many photos of her childhood neighbourhood, photos of Jay Gatsy and most curious of all a photo of what could have been Laurel taken years earlier when she suffered an assualt by unknown attackers.
I felt the middle of the book dragged a bit, but it came together at the end and some things were explained and a twist in the tale enabled you to look at the story differently. Although an interesting start I felt it didn't reach the power of his earlier novels, Midwives and A Law of Similars. Still he is always an enjoyable author. A 3/5 from me.
No comments:
Post a Comment