Orient

A Novel

By: Christopher Bollen

Narrated by: Michael Rahhal

“A gorgeously written book whose literary chops are beyond doubt. Come for the prose, and stay for the murders.” — USA Today

“This is beach reading that’s as intelligent as it is absorbing.”— People

A gripping novel of culture clash and murder from the acclaimed author of A Beautiful Crime and The Destroyers. As summer draws to a close, a small Long Island town is gripped by a series of mysterious deaths—and one young man, a loner taken in by a local, tries to piece together the crimes before his own time runs out.

Orient is an isolated town on the north fork of Long Island, its future as a historic village newly threatened by the arrival of wealthy transplants from Manhattan—many of them artists. One late summer morning, the body of a local caretaker is found in the open water; the same day, a monstrous animal corpse is found on the beach, presumed a casualty from a nearby research lab. With rumors flying, eyes turn to Mills Chevern—a tumbleweed orphan newly arrived in town from the west with no ties and a hazy history. As the deaths continue and fear in town escalates, Mills is enlisted by Beth, an Orient native in retreat from Manhattan, to help her uncover the truth. With the clock ticking, Mills and Beth struggle to find answers, faced with a killer they may not be able to outsmart.

Rich with character and incident, yet deeply suspenseful, Orient marks the emergence of a novelist of enormous talent.

Masterfully written

Masterfully written with suspense until the very end. There are sentences that brought me inside the characters with a insightful, metaphorical ease. Must read for lovers of literature and mystery alike.

Slow going

Well written but overly long, especially for a story that is trying to build and maintain suspense. If you have time to invest, enjoy literary writing, and are a patient listener, this is a good book. If you are looking for a page turner, this is NOT for you. Good narrator, but somehow lacking in emotion, although he does a multitude voices quite well.

A talented writer

Mr Bollen writes beautifully and knows his way around a metaphor. I think this could have been more tightly edited— there is a lot of excess that doesn’t move the story forward. As others have noted, the ending was far-fetched and borderline sloppy, certainly not satisfying.
I read this on the tail of A Beautiful Crime which I found considerably better.

Only in Chap 2, but will return

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I can tell already that I won't make it through this book, especially considering it's so long. Bigoted neighbor, long descriptions, nothing happening - no action to make me want to keep listening. At this point I don't care about these people and in fact dislike them. Not a good sign.

Has Orient turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not necessarily the genre but definitely the author.

Great read and rear

Although this book stated off very slow once I got into it I tried to listen to it every chance I got. It is well written with a very engaging story line that will keep you guessing until the very last chapter. The characters are well developed and the main male (Mills) character pulls at your heart strings more and more as the story progresses. I highly recommend this book. The reader is fantastic. I would definitely listen to books where he is the narrator.