Mystic River

Dennis Lehane

There has been some mention of Dennis Lehane's Mystic River recently, and I finished it just last night. Again, it didn't really have a significant impact on me, maybe shocking revelations have become the norm. With his Kenzie and Gennaro series, you grew to know and love his characters and therefore, a tragedy that him them, hit you too. The characters in MYSTIC RIVER, were just that, characters. I never felt like I really connected with them or understood their motivations. Compared to his series, this book seemed to be more reflective and some of the passages in it were beautiful. I especially liked his descriptions of the rough neighbourhood in which the story was set, its characters, the desperation that some of them felt - being trapped in a cycle of mediocrity with no way of getting out, or the blandness of suburbia and middle America. The plot felt a little secondary to me - I read it just because it moved the story along but his power of description is succinct and more than makes up for the slightly flat plot. All in all, I'd say it was a worthwhile read but I think that Lehane can do a lot better.