It’s been a long time since I’ve read “The Great Gatsby,” which plays a large role in Chris Bohjalian’s “The Double Bind.” Bohjalian’s book made me want to read “Gatsby” again and maybe revisit “The Double Bind” afterward.

I wish that I hadn’t read anything about “The Double Bind” before I read it. I enjoyed it quite a bit anyway, and I’d recommend it.

If you’re planning to take my recommendation, don’t read any further. Spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned.
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I’ve never seen or heard an opera before, and I’ve never really been inclined to do so. In Ann Patchett’s “Bel Canto,” though, the author captures the potential opera has to move and alter a person. It made me want to run to the record store to steep myself in Maria Callas and Puccini.

Beyond Patchett’s proficiency for translating the music to the page, “Bel Canto” is a stunning story. The blurring of the line between good and evil is beautifully paced, and although there is a quite large cast of characters, most all of them are well drawn and memorable. The story is wonderfully romantic and tragic — just what I would imagine opera to be.