Some books stay with you for years after finishing them, and Mystic River is one of those books.   It is a complex and rich story of three boyhood friends who  go in different directions over the ensuing years.    We start with 11-year olds Dave Boyle, Jimmy Marcus, and Sean Devine playing in the street.    Dave becomes the victim of abuse and the effects of the trauma last to the end of his life.    Twenty-five years later, the three are brought together again by a tragedy, the murder of Jimmy’s daughter.   Sean is a homicide detective investigation the case, and Dave eventually becomes a suspect.

Mystic River is a murder mystery story, but Dennis Lehane weaves deep characterizations and mutiple ties in a slow burning plot that follows the doomed lives of damaged people.   Each man must face his life choices,  regrets, and  secrets.   Their families and friends are wound into the traumatic events and are also damaged by the events that unfold.    Themes of family ties, love, revenge, grief, karma, and hope are explored from the perspective of  Dave, Jimmy, and Sean, but also their wives and children.      It is never a simple tale and the ending is full of irony and poignancy.   Like the wedding guest I put the book down “a sadder, but a wiser man.”

This book is highly recommended.  4.5 out of 5.0 stars4.5

An audiobook excerpt: