Spoiler Alert (but not major plot points)

Mystic River is a novel by Dennis Lehane that was published in 2001. It is a dark, ominous brooding about a crime in the present that is emotionally linked to a crime in the past. It involves three childhood friends in an Irish neighborhood of Boston, who were forever marked when one of them was captured by a child molester; as adults, their lives have settled into uneasy routines that are interrupted by the latest tragedy.

It is a novel of love, secrets, faith, family, and friendship in which characters are marked by the past and find themselves in conflict with the darkest truths of their own hidden selves.

I was in a bookstore, and it's title already grabbed my attention. I decided to buy it after reading the description. Mystic River was the first foreign novel that I read. It hooked me into reading psychological and mystery thriller novels. Mystic River also made me more obsessed with Lehane's mystical works.

Mystic River is worth reading. A fiction novel that seems to be reality, giving lessons you can use in real life. A story that can make you think about the people around you. With its nerve-wracking twist and heart-pounding ending, it can make you think about yourself and your place in the world.

This is my first ever book review written, which is also about my first foreign novel read. So this will be a detailed and comprehensive review.

Review

Plot

The plot of Mystic River is interesting, unpredictable, and engaging. Its subplots and main plot work with unity. The plot can easily be followed by the passage of time from scene to scene. The scenes connect to each other cohesively to drive the plot. It does not contain scenes that do not seem to have a point; all scenes are relevant to the plot. There are themes and issues in the plot that the readers will relate to. For me, the characters, setting, conflict, and genre fit perfectly into the plot. A plot that can drive your heart fast, capture your emotions, and blow your mind. Mystic River's plot is phenomenal.

Conflict

So throughout the book, there are numerous conflicts, either external or internal, between the main and secondary characters. The conflict in the beginning leads to bigger conflicts that will affect the whole story, like the abduction of one of the main characters, which leads to the end of their friendship. There are too many conflicts in the novel, so some remain unresolved, but it is part of the plot. The major plot point in the story is not directly stated and is hard to identify. Significant conflicts force characters to make tough decisions and actions that contribute to the plot. The conflicts of the story serve the interests of the readers, wanting them to crave more. In my opinion, even though some conflicts are not resolved, they still enhance the plot and remind us that characters, and even us, can not resolve everything.

Characters

The protagonists in the story are the best friends from childhood who separated their paths; Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus, and Dave Boyle. The antagonist is not clearly stated and represented; it should be discovered by readers as they read. But it may differ depending on the reader's comprehension, analysis, and gut feeling. The characters do not have consistency in their behavior; obviously due to conflicts. Just like what happened to the three main characters when Dave Boyle was abducted and molested ,their strong friendship ended and changed them and their lives. Characters' past, feelings, and visions are clearly brought out in the novel, resulting in a clear understanding of them and the story itself, with mystery still present. Characters are shown rather than told by the author, which may conjure up images in the minds of readers. Even though there are many characters, from main to secondary characters to extras, the story still revolves around the protagonist and still maintains the plot. Characters are sympathetic because of their realistic characteristics; they feel what we feel; there are no exaggerations that lead readers to have biases, love or hate one character and be affected by the story. They all differ in the story; there are static, dynamic, flat, and round characters that relate to their behavior and attitude. The secondary characters enhance and enrich the main characters' stories because of their influence and actions, just like the death of the secondary character, Katie Marcus, daughter of one of the main characters, who tried to find justice for her daughter.
In my opinion, the author based the characters' behaviors, actions, and feelings on what we can actually see with other people, like the main characters, Jimmy, who will do everything for justice for his daughter; Dave, who murdered a molestor because he once experienced being molested; and Sean, who has dedication to a job he ought to have. The characters are near to reality,unlike other characters in different stories who have contrasting and unbelievable characteristics and behavior. They are really affected by the past and changed by conflicts with humans, the characters in the book.
Point of View
A third person's POV was used throughout the story. It was a limited POV, which is common for mystery and thriller books. It is consistent from the first chapter to the last. This kind of POV does not directly state what characters think and feel but is well represented by the author through their actions. In my judgment, the author did a good job of telling a story, even though the POV is limited to third person. In this POV, readers get a mystic view of a mystic work by a mystic author: Mystic River. Details are clearly shown, feelings, actions, and memories are vividly described, and the plot is perfectly represented.

Setting

In the book, the author presents a believable and interesting setting, a place with poverty, gangs, violence, and more. The fictitious "East Buckingham" is based on the town of Charlestown in Boston, where the author lives. The setting really fits the lifestyle, actions, and behaviors of the characters. Most of the time, the setting was described from detail to detail, resulting in wordy descriptions but ones that could lead readers to have the picture of the setting in their mind. In my opinion, the setting is perfect for the characters and the plot. The setting had a huge impact on the story, so the author described it well. It has a slice of real-life mystery elements: poverty, crimes, hatred, and more, not a utopian setting like those in fairy tales. The setting in Mystic River is a reality printed in a book.

Dialogues

In the book, dialogues contribute to the enhancement of characters, plots, and the whole story. Dialogues sound natural based on the setting and characters. There is slang and curses in some dialogues because the characters live in a poverty-stricken community. The characters' speech and style of talking really fit their personality, just like Inspector Devine. He speaks with formality and civility because he is a police officer. The length of dialogue varies depending on the scene. All contribute to the plot, with no unnecessary and uninteresting dialogue. In my view,the author made a book with a rollercoaster ride of emotions with drama, mystery, and suspense made possible with its powerful dialogue. The dialogues are clear, yet the plot is still unpredictable, leaving readers speechless.

Tension

Most characters are sympathetic, so readers care about them, increasing the tension. There are tensions created in some scenes that were left hanging, letting readers' excitement and curiosity grow. The elements in the book, such as characters, plot, and conflicts, are interesting and presented in a way to cause tension to make readers keep reading while slowly savoring the author's well-crafted sentences. In my opinion, the combination of tensions from mystery and thriller and the tension of drama is what made Mystic River remarkable, piercing readers' hearts and,at the same time, blowing their minds.

Pacing

The book's pace is mostly slow because of its genre. The story's mystery and thriller genres combined with drama contributed to a perfect pace that fits the plot. There are several fast-paced things, like scenes with less dialogue and some narration. In exciting scenes,the pace is slow,hooking the readers and creating tension. The slow pace enables the reader to have foresight, suspicion, and wonder what will happen next, which is exactly what a mystery novel should have. The pace also enables the reader to savor the emotions of the characters and feel sympathy in dramatic scenes. The pacing is well-planned; it suits the plot and scenes, so it results in well-written work.

Voice

In my observations about reading mystery and thriller books by different authors, the writing style of Dennis Lehane's "Mystic River" seemed original and it is different from the writing styles of other authors of the same genre, like James Patterson and John Grisham. They all had different diction or choice of words, narration, plots, and structures. Lehane's work doesn't have any cliches. There are a lot of descriptions in the work expressed by the author through direct words, minimal flowery words, and figures of speech, yet they can still enhance the readers' imagination. The author did not try to impress readers by using high-falutin words; he just used words that people usually used. Dennis Lehane's voice is well-founded, resulting in a well-written book. A mystic voice of the author in a mystic work, The Mystic River.

CONCLUSION

The book has a jaw-dropping twist and a heart-wrenching ending, with a well-planned plot that makes readers engage more. Its characters are realistic,getting the sympathy of readers. The book's detailed setting and pacing enhance the story. Dialogues spiced up the plot. Then,its conflicts are hard to resolve yet enrich the story. The voice of the writer is authentic and unique. The POV can give you the perfect perspective on the story. Over all, Dennis Lehane really made a mystic story: the Mystic River.