Friday, May 18, 2007

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

Laurel Eastbrook is attacked while a sophomore in college and her life is forever changed. She delves deep into photography and doing her best to help others. But when one of the clients of the center she works for dies, she learns that he was telling the truth that he was a famous photographer. So she works on finding out what led him to come to Vermont. She is afraid someone will take the pictures and keeps them with her all the time.

The story presented by Mr. Bohjalian is off the wall and sometimes odd. I found the descriptions done well and I really felt like I was feeling what Laurel was. He got into depth on a lot of things. The words were well put together. I thought the story was well done until the end shocked me.

Laurel was trying to get to back to her life. She was trying to reclaim it and thought she could if she only she could figure out what the pictures she had represented. She went all over the place and even went to see her assailant in jail. Her roommate, her boyfriend and her boss all tried to help her to comprehend what was really going on.

I give this a 3/5 because the psychiatrist’s notes along the way had me questioning from the beginning of what was going on. The twist at the end truly surprised me. I am not sure I could recommend this book cause it was weird! It was well written but my opinion your mind will change by the end of the book. I think this will be the only book I read by this author and that is not normal for me.

Off to read Step on a Crack by James Patterson than 2 romances.

6 comments:

Literary Feline said...

This one is among my TBR collection. I have read mixed reviews of it from fellow bloggers, but I'm looking forward to seeing what I think. I like off the wall sometimes. It depends on how well the author can pull it off. :-)

Lover of Books said...

I don't want to give too much away so I won't say anymore. lol It was good but yeah the ending was a shocker!!!

Joy said...

I rated it less than you. I felt tricked and I didn't like that, so ultimately I didn't like the book. I think Bohjalian should have "pulled it off" as Literary Feline says, in a way to not make me feel that way.

I e-mailed back and forth with Chris Bohjalian and I found him to be a man of integrity. My rating has nothing to do with him as a man. I actually will read another of his to remove my blah feeling. :)

Lover of Books said...

Yeah I remember that. Oh, well. I don't know we'll see I may read another one of his.

alisonwonderland said...

this one wasn't my favorite of Bohjalian's novels, but i've loved all of his books that i'd previously read. the twist at the end of The Double Bind did trouble me a bit, but reading some of the discussion about it i found on the web - including some of Bohjalian's own thoughts - helped me overcome that troubling feeling, and i would recommend it - if nothing else, for the discussion about the twist that would develop!

Lover of Books said...

Yeah the twist was something else! I will think about reading other books of his. :)