If you have missed the books of Chris Bohjalian, you are missing out on some of the best and unique writing around today. Each of his many novels is a gem and very different from the book that might have come before.
I have lots of favorites, but “The Double Bind” (Vintage, 2008) is one that can”t be missed. If you only read one of his wonderful books, try this one.
Typical of his writing, “The Double Bind” offers a compelling story with exquisite detail and language that flows easily and beautifully, enticing you to read on. One of the great delights in reading his work is that there is always a very unexpected surprise. When I got to the “surprise” in “The Double Bind,” I actually made an audible gasp.
In this story, you meet a young woman who has experienced a tremendous trauma and follow her as she seeks to make sense of what has happened, why and who was involved. She invokes the characters of Fitzgerald”s Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan in a search that jumps in and out of the jazz age while staying frighteningly current.
The genius of Bohjalian is that you are completely in tune with the initial hypothesis of the story, making the inevitable “surprise” a stunner. Read it! You will want more.
Shirley Hunter
Lake County
