A gripping novel of culture clash and murder: 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...
Suspenseful and haunting, Bollen's thrilling novel Orient is a provocative take on the troubled American dream, in the vein of Lionel Shriver or AM Homes. At the eastern edge of Long Island, far from the hustle of New York City, stands Orient, a village that has been home to a few families for hundreds of years and is now - reluctantly - opening up to wealthy weekenders and artists from the city. On the last day of summer, a young man with a hazy past appears, and, not long after his arrival comes a series of events that shatters the peace in this isolated community. A strange, twisted creature washes ashore on the Sound and, soon after, a human corpse is found floating in the water. An elderly woman dies in bizarre circumstances and a house fire erupts out of nowhere. Fear and suspicion mount until everyone's secrets threaten to be exposed. But who is Mills Chevern? What is his real name and why is he here? As all eyes shift towards the orphan drifter, Mills elicits the support of Beth Shepherd, an Orient native who is hiding a secret of her own. 'A compelling novel of tragic suspense. Bollen has a gift for tightly drawn characters and an ominous sense of place' AM Homes 'A taut and elegant suspense about strangers and strangeness, suspicion and forgiveness, reinvention and confession' Joshua Ferris 'Secrets, parochial gossiping, casual xenophobia, proximity to a large water and a decent body count: what more could you need from a thriller. Bollen's rich novel has all the right ingredients and he serves them up suspensefully as he tears down his version of the American dream' Fiona Wilson, The Times 'Bollen writes expansive, psychologically probing novels in the manner of Updike, Eugenides and Franzen …The generic and literary pleasures of this novel sit well together and are of the highest order' Jake Kerridge, Daily Telegraph 'Bollen's elegant portrayal of adultery and envy on American's East Coast can't fail to recall John Updike' John Dugdale, Sunday Times 'Deeply seductive … Orient is like Donna Tartt novelising Twin Peaks while F. Scott Fitzgerald fixes cocktails' John O'Connell, Guardian
Description:
Amazon Best Mystery of 2015
A gripping novel of culture clash and murder: 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...
Suspenseful and haunting, Bollen's thrilling novel Orient is a provocative take on the troubled American dream, in the vein of Lionel Shriver or AM Homes. At the eastern edge of Long Island, far from the hustle of New York City, stands Orient, a village that has been home to a few families for hundreds of years and is now - reluctantly - opening up to wealthy weekenders and artists from the city. On the last day of summer, a young man with a hazy past appears, and, not long after his arrival comes a series of events that shatters the peace in this isolated community. A strange, twisted creature washes ashore on the Sound and, soon after, a human corpse is found floating in the water. An elderly woman dies in bizarre circumstances and a house fire erupts out of nowhere. Fear and suspicion mount until everyone's secrets threaten to be exposed. But who is Mills Chevern? What is his real name and why is he here? As all eyes shift towards the orphan drifter, Mills elicits the support of Beth Shepherd, an Orient native who is hiding a secret of her own. 'A compelling novel of tragic suspense. Bollen has a gift for tightly drawn characters and an ominous sense of place' AM Homes 'A taut and elegant suspense about strangers and strangeness, suspicion and forgiveness, reinvention and confession' Joshua Ferris 'Secrets, parochial gossiping, casual xenophobia, proximity to a large water and a decent body count: what more could you need from a thriller. Bollen's rich novel has all the right ingredients and he serves them up suspensefully as he tears down his version of the American dream' Fiona Wilson, The Times 'Bollen writes expansive, psychologically probing novels in the manner of Updike, Eugenides and Franzen …The generic and literary pleasures of this novel sit well together and are of the highest order' Jake Kerridge, Daily Telegraph 'Bollen's elegant portrayal of adultery and envy on American's East Coast can't fail to recall John Updike' John Dugdale, Sunday Times 'Deeply seductive … Orient is like Donna Tartt novelising Twin Peaks while F. Scott Fitzgerald fixes cocktails' John O'Connell, Guardian