Chris Bohjalian

"The Double Bind" offers the chance to step into the afterward of one of the most famous, and most respected, novels of the 20th century, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s "The Great Gatsby."

Author Chris Bohjalian’s former novel "Midwives" was selected for the Oprah book club and he won the New England Book Award in 2002. "The Double Bind" was published in hard cover in 2007 and is now available in paperback.

Just as Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatsby reinvented himself, the protagonist of "The Double Bind," Laurel, is in the midst of a similar transformation. The reader follows her as she rebuilds her life after a tragic incident and tries to solve the mystery of Bobbie, a man who is staying at the homeless shelter where she works.

Bohjalian’s inspiration for the novel wasn’t just the characters of "The Great Gatsby," he was also moved by his research into the life of Bob Campbell, a photographer who wound up homeless.

While "The Double Bind" offers the reader a chance to escape into a story of the past that many know well, Bohjalian is also expert at moving the present-day story along and creating the perfect timing for what I call the "Sixth Sense" moment. In the 1999 movie, "The Sixth Sense," directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the ending brings the first-time viewer a surprise which recalibrates the entire movie and makes you want to watch it once more.

That same type of moment in "The Double Bind" is certain to have readers flipping back the pages to review the story and compare their first understanding with the new light of the ending.

Bohjalian has made a special effort to reach out to book groups and offers a reading group center on his Web site at www.chrisbohjalian.com. On the site, he offers reading group guides, back stories about some of his books and the chance to register for a 30-minute conference call with him during group discussion. Also featured are unique movie-style "trailers" for some of his books, including "The Double Bind."