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The Double Bind (Vintage Contemporaries) by…
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The Double Bind (Vintage Contemporaries) (original 2007; edition 2008)

by Chris Bohjalian

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2,6671725,411 (3.64)158
Working at a homeless shelter, student Laurel Estabrook encounters Bobbie Crocker, a man with a history of mental illness and a box of secret photos, but when Bobbie dies suddenly, Laurel embarks on an obsessive search for the truth behind the photos.
Member:kellbung
Title:The Double Bind (Vintage Contemporaries)
Authors:Chris Bohjalian
Info:Vintage (2008), Paperback, 416 pages
Collections:Your library
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The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian (2007)

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Showing 1-5 of 168 (next | show all)
Enjoyed other Bohjalian books so this was of interest to me, just because of the writer. It kept me engaged throughout but the surprise twist at the end was rather disturbing. I returned this to a free library because I wouldn't read it again and wouldn't recommend to any of my friends. ( )
  belleek | Dec 17, 2023 |
I just stumbled across this book and decided to give it a shot because I typically like "psychological thrillers" on film and decided I might like to read on. Wow. A.Maze.Ing. By far one of the most engagingly complex novels I've read in a while. The author's descriptive detail and "back story" asides were usually enriching rather than distracting, and he very successfully creates characters that come to life in the mind's eye.

I just came off of reading Juliette, which was very engaging...and The Double Bind was even more difficult to put down! I am thrilled to discover there are still writers out there telling original stories with well-crafted prose. Can't wait to find another Bohjalian book. ( )
  Kim.Sasso | Aug 27, 2023 |
Still turning this one over in my head. I know Bohjalian is a prolific and generally well regarded contemporary novelist and this is the first of his books I've gotten around to reading. There were a few prose quirks that I didn't really care for: sloppy editing revealed through a couple of grammar mistakes and homophone spelling errors; an expository sort of tone in the narration that comes off as a bit amateurish; dialogue that frequently seemed unnatural and a little tin-eared. The author also makes a habit of describing every female character in terms of her (usually "slim" and "athletic" and "toned") body which got a little annoying. It also felt a little overwritten and long for a book of this type, which is meant to be plotty and couldn't-put-it-downy.

Plot-wise, I do have to give him credit for keeping me guessing through to the end. I am trying to make sense of it in retrospect. The Gatsby thing was odd and confusing for some time but I shrugged it off as some sort of author's-choice magical realism kind of device and went with it; it of course made sense by the end.

Some character elements were a little odd. The unmarried Baptist youth minister comparing various pleasant life experiences with great sex, more than once? Etc.

Not sorry I spent three days' worth of spare time reading it but wouldn't necessarily press it on a friend and not sure if I'll read anything else by the author. ( )
  MrsReily | Jan 22, 2023 |
Enjoyed this read, as I have enjoyed the other Bohjalian books I have read.
This one keeps you guessing until the end, and who wants a mystery that goes any other way?
If you like a good story-teller, Bohjalian is for you. ( )
  mattorsara | Aug 11, 2022 |
Bookclub book by? ( )
  PatLibrary123 | Aug 9, 2022 |
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» Add other authors (2 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Chris Bohjalianprimary authorall editionscalculated
Denaker, SusanNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
"Oh, I know who Pauline Kael is," he said. "I wasn't born homeless, you know."
Nick Hornby- A Long Way Down
Dedication
For Rose Mary Muench and in memory of Frederick Meunch (1929-2004)
First words
Laurel Estabrook was nearly raped the fall of her sophomore year of college.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Working at a homeless shelter, student Laurel Estabrook encounters Bobbie Crocker, a man with a history of mental illness and a box of secret photos, but when Bobbie dies suddenly, Laurel embarks on an obsessive search for the truth behind the photos.

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Book description
After surviving an attack while biking, Vermont college student Laurel Estabrook decides to volunteer at a homeless shelter where she meets Bobbie Cocker, a mentally ill man who claims to have been an established photographer and whose life she becomes infatuated with.
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Chris Bohjalian is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.

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