The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In Chris Bohjalian's astonishing novel, nothing is what it at first seems. Not the bucolic Vermont back roads college sophomore Laurel Estabrook likes to bike. Not the savage assault she suffers toward the end of one of her rides. And certainly not Bobbie Crocker, the elderly man with a history of mental illness whom Laurel comes to know through her work at a Burlington homeless shelter in the years subsequent to the attack.

This was the first Chris Bohjalian book I read and still remains my favorite. I like how this author takes a simple story, adds simple twists and turns - and then at the very end - throws me completely for a loop. I love when a book does this!



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