Title: The Double BindAuthor: Chris Bohjalian
Sometimes I feel like I learn a lot more about the author's proclivities from reading a book than about his characters. Bohjalian seems kind of obsessed with hot chocolate and coffee drinks, describing in detail the way they're smothered in whipped cream. I don't feel like that tidbit is coming from his characters, but rather from his own opinions about the drinks. And generally I don't think that's a sign of a good writer.
The Double Bind is an engaging story about Laurel, a twenty-something social worker who goes on a quest to trace a set of photos left by a recently-deceased client to their rightful provenance. If you're like me and jump ahead to the end when the book starts to get good, just for a sneak peek, you might be sort of let down when you get to the end. A lot of the bang of the book feels built on being surprised by the ending. Although the bang at the end was pretty good, I'd rather have a book stand on good character development than a sneaky plot twist.
No comments:
Post a Comment