Dennis Lehane is the writer behind a lot of those Boston-set movies that came out over the last few years- Mystic River, Shutter Island, and Gone Baby Gone are all based off of his books. Somehow I had never heard of him until finding that Ryan owned most of his stuff, and as such it's been added to my log. I haven't seen the movie adaptation of Mystic River before but vaguely knew of the premise- something about trio of young boys in 70s Boston surviving an abduction, setting the stage for one of their daughter's murder 30 years later. While never presented as a simple whodunit, I found the actual mystery at the heart of the book very compelling- I really didn't see the ending coming, but Lehane sprinkled plenty of small hints throughout. In addition to the murder, Lehane explores some deeper issues- gentrification, the philosophy behind organized crime, and the long lasting but unspoken effects of child sexual abuse. Despite delving into some pretty gruesome details, the book was a pleasure to read so I'll get some more Dennis Lehane books posted here soon- Gallagan has like 6 of them.November 30, 2011
Mystic River
Dennis Lehane is the writer behind a lot of those Boston-set movies that came out over the last few years- Mystic River, Shutter Island, and Gone Baby Gone are all based off of his books. Somehow I had never heard of him until finding that Ryan owned most of his stuff, and as such it's been added to my log. I haven't seen the movie adaptation of Mystic River before but vaguely knew of the premise- something about trio of young boys in 70s Boston surviving an abduction, setting the stage for one of their daughter's murder 30 years later. While never presented as a simple whodunit, I found the actual mystery at the heart of the book very compelling- I really didn't see the ending coming, but Lehane sprinkled plenty of small hints throughout. In addition to the murder, Lehane explores some deeper issues- gentrification, the philosophy behind organized crime, and the long lasting but unspoken effects of child sexual abuse. Despite delving into some pretty gruesome details, the book was a pleasure to read so I'll get some more Dennis Lehane books posted here soon- Gallagan has like 6 of them.
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Good to know the book was good. I saw the movie a few years ago and expected something shitty because, cynically, I'd figured everyone was overrating it. But, no - solid movie. I do wonder what "mystery" and unforeseeable ending you're referring to - clearly the book emphasized or ordered things differently than the movie did, because the movie was more of a drama than a mystery or twist-ending type of thriller. I also loved Gone Baby Gone. Maybe I should see Shutter Island.
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