Review: The Law of Similars

Title:  The Law of Similars

Author:  Chris Bohjalian

Published:  March 14, 2000

# of Pages:  336

ISBN:  978-0679771470

My Rating:  3.5/5

From the number one bestselling author of Midwives comes this riveting medical thriller about a lawyer, a homeopath, and a tragic death.  When one of homeopath Carissa Lake’s patients falls into an allergy-induced coma, possibly due to her prescribed remedy, Leland Fowler’s office starts investigating the case.

But Leland is also one of Carissa’s patients, and he is beginning to realize that he has fallen in love with her.  As love and legal obligations collide, Leland comes face-to-face with an ethical dilemma of enormous proportions.  Graceful, intelligent, and suspenseful, The Law of Similars is a powerful examination of the links between hope and hubris, love and deception.

Here’s the thing about The Law of Similars – it’s a good book, it’s interesting and page-turning, and definitely compelling.  However, it is by far my least favorite of anything I’ve read by Bohjalian, which definitely hindered my enjoyment of the book.  Bohjalian is one of those authors that, in general, I love.  I plan on eventually reading everything he’s written because everything I’ve read from him thus far has been fantastic.  But in comparison to the three books by Bohjalian I’ve previously read, The Law of Similars, to me, was a disappointment.

I feel awful saying that because it truly is a good book.  The story did hook me, but just not to the degree that I was expecting.  The premise was compelling, but just not to the degree that I was anticipating.  Notice a pattern here?  I think my expectations were just a bit too high because of my experiences with his other books.  And it’s not that I didn’t like it – I absolutely did – I just didn’t love it, and I wanted to love it.

Here’s the bottom line… I still highly recommend Bohjalian as an author.  And if you’re the type of person who likes to read everything by a favorite author, The Law of Similars is not a waste of time.  By far.  But if you’re planning on experiencing Bohjalian for the first time, I would suggest starting with Midwives or Trans-Sister Radio instead.  In my opinion, those books showcase his talent much better.  This is a good book, but definitely not his best.

I couldn’t find any other reviews of this one, so if you’ve reviewed it, just let me know in the comments and I’ll link to ya!

Before You Know Kindness

 Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian

Summary:  Bohjalian’s new novel begins with a literal bang: a bullet from a hunting rifle accidentally strikes Spencer McCullough, an extreme advocate for animal rights, leaving him seriously wounded. The weapon—owned by his brother-in-law, John, and shot by his 12-year-old daughter, Charlotte—becomes the center of a lawsuit and media circus led by Spencer’s employer, FERAL (Federation for Animal Liberation), a dead ringer for PETA. The many-faceted satire Bohjalian (Midwives, etc.) crafts out of these events revolves around Spencer and Jon’s families, but also involves a host of secondary figures. Bohjalian excels at getting inside each character’s head with shifts of diction and perspective, though he makes it difficult for readers to connect with any one in particular. This is in part because his portraits are often unsympathetic; the characters are allowed to hoist themselves on their own petards. While some are credibly flawed—Spencer is both a loving father and an obnoxious activist—others are cartoonishly mocked with their own thoughts, like high-powered attorney Paige, who mourns the loss of her leather chairs and briefcases, hidden away for as long as FERAL is a lucrative client. If there is a grounded center to this work, it is 10-year-old Willow, Spencer’s niece, who distinguishes herself from this baggy ensemble by always trying to do the right thing. She alone is spared the narrator’s irony, and it is Willow, years after the accident, who has the last word. Bohjalian’s skewering of the animal rights movement gets the better of his domestic drama, but his skillful storytelling will engage readers.

My thoughts:

Bohjalian is an author I truly enjoy.  He has such a gift for painting pictures of realistic characters, who are flawed but so incredibly lovable (kinda like real people) that you can’t help but rationalize everything they do wrong.  He actually reminds me of another author I love to death, Jodi Picoult, and any fans of hers I think would love Bohjalian’s books as well.  This story was packed with rich and interesting characters just like the other two books of Bohjalian’s I have read.  The nice thing about this book is that there are several “main” characters – 7 in all – but when you’re finished reading it you really feel like you understand each and every one of those individuals.  Not only do you understand them, but by the end of the book you’ve formed an opinion on what exactly you think happened, and which characters’ personalities you liked and which ones you did not.  That is the true genius of his books – not that the stories are amazingly suspenseful and intriguing, but that the characters are so rich and truthful and lifelike that you feel like you are living the story along with them.

Another one of Bohjalian’s books that I’d strongly suggest is Midwives.  I read this a long time ago, but it’s still up there as one of my favorites, and so far is my favorite book that he’s written.