From the book jacket..."When college sophomore Laurel Estabrook is attacked while riding her bicycle through Vermont's back roads, her life is forever changed. Formerly outgoing, Laurel withdraws into her photography and begins to work at a homeless shelter. There she meets Bobbie Crocker, a man with a history of mental illness and a box of photographs that he won't let anyone see. When Bobbie dies suddenly, Laurael discovers that the was telling the truth: before he was homeless, Bobbie Crocker was a successful photographer who had indeed worked with such legends as Chuck Berry, Robert Frost, and Eartha Kitt.
As Laurel's fascination with Bobbie's former life begins to merge into obsession, she becomes convinced that some of his photographs reveal a deeply hidden, dark family secret. Her search for the truth will lead her further from her old life--and into a cat-and-mouse game with pursuers who claim they want to save her."

A good book with a surprising twist at the end. It made me go back and reread some of the pages. The story had a whole different meaning in the end. I read The Great Gatsby many, many, many years ago so I don't really remember it yet it is referenced in this book and comparisons are made in the acknowledgments and discussion questions at the end.

I decided to make a bookring with this book. The rules are pretty basic.

1. Journal when you receive the book.
2. Journal your thoughts after you read the book.
3. Pm the next person on the list for their address then journal when you mail the book. Media mail is fine.

Please try to move the book on within a month. If you will be keeping it longer (life happens), please journal or pm me so that I know where the book is. Please be considerate of the people on the list after you who are still waiting to read this book.

Participant mailing order:


1. Aberpeter,WA
2. svoight, TN
3. minesayn, OH
4. esq228, NJ
5. spoiledrotten, NJ
6. dabercro

Bookring complete. Thanks for your participation.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to the first participant, Aberpeter, in WA.

It's here! I'll get started on it as soon as I can so I can keep this ring moving along.

Chris Bohjalian crafts this story in such a way that lays the foundation with clues pointing towards the end of the book. I was definitely not surprised by anything that happened in the story, yet Bohjalian kept me reading, wanting to know more.

Laurel Estabrook is a social worker at a homeless shelter when she is given a box of pictures and negatives one of the recently deceased clients left behind. Laurel has been instructed to develop the remaining negatives and restore any pictures that she can. The shelter wants to use the photographs for a fundraiser. The more time Laurel spends on this project the more she closes herself off from her friends and family. As the book reaches its climatic end, all the pieces to the puzzle Bohjalian has crafted fall into place for a dramatic ending.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

dropping off at the post office - the book is on its way to TN

It's here and I will be starting it within the next couple of days, thanks

I really enjoyed the book and was caught up in the story and characters. The end was very surprising and unexpected. I do recommend this book to others. I have never read The Great Gatsby but now I will!

Will be off to the next reader within the next couple of days, will post the DC #

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Off to the next person in the ring!

DC# 9102128882300090078710

To the finder of this book:
Hello and congratulations! You have not only found yourself a good book, but a whole community of booklovers dedicated to sharing books with each other and the world. I hope you'll stick around a bit and get to know BookCrossing --maybe even make a journal entry on this book. You may choose to remain anonymous or to join (its free!)
Feel free to read and keep this book, or to pass it on to a friend or even set it out "in the wild" for someone else to find like you did. If you do choose to join and journal, then you can watch the book as it travels- You'll be alerted by email each time someone makes another journal entry. It's all confidential (you're known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address), free, and spam-free. Happy reading!

Received via the mail from svoight. I am looking forward to reading this book; I read one of his others, "The Law of Similars" while I was also taking a degree course in homeopathy. I enjoyed that one so imagine I will like this one as well. Thanks dabercro for including me in this ring, and thanks to svoight for sending it to me.

I kept wondering why there were fictional characters twisted within the novel. Although I read "The Great Gatsby" a long time ago, I may have to re-read it. I figured early on that there was a twist to this book, but couldn't figure it all out. An intriguing read,but still trying to decide how much I enjoyed reading this one. I suspect that if I re-read it before sending it on, I might have a different take on it. (however, will be mailing off to esq228 in the morning)

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Thanks dabercro for the opportunity to participate in your bookring. It has been posted via media mail to esq228...enjoy the book!

Arrived earlier this week. Will start on it right away. Thanks for sharing!

Just finished this the other day -- I enjoyed it and was really surprised by the ending. I will definitely have to read the Great Gatsby now. :) Will be PMing next reader and will get this out asap. Thanks for sharing.

6/15 Update: Sent to next reader today!

received in the mail today as part of a bookring. Will be next book to read.

Read this as part of a bookray and must admit I did not enjoy this as much as some of this authors other books. I found this story to be too predictable. The story itself did not have an even flow to it.

Thanks anyway for including me in the ray.

sent this off this afternoon to dabercro. Thanks so much for including me.

Book arrived yesterday. Thank you to all for your participation and JE's.

Reserved for bookstogive's General Literature VBB.

Chosen from bookstogive's General Literature VBB. Sending to lovesreddesert in Salt Lake City, UT.

I was engrossed in this book, and felt a little cheated at the end to find out that Laurel was the psychiatrist’s patient, but I still liked the book.