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In Review: Six Years – By Harlan Coben
As Reviewed by Macy Walsh
Fans of renowned mystery and thriller writer Harlan Coben know him as the master of a particular kind of story. His enthralling tales often portray people’s lives suddenly unraveling, their pasts summoned back into a rapidly shifting present as secrets are peeled back to reveal more secrets. Coben brings us all that and more in his latest absorbing literary effort, Six Years.
As the title suggests, six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone. Six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd. After all this time, Jake is still haunted by memories and questions. Was it really just a whirlwind summer romance, a brief escape from the real world? Jake had been finishing his political science dissertation at a writer’s retreat in Vermont when he met Natalie, an artist, at the Creative Recharge Colony down the road. But when she suddenly married “an old boyfriend,” Jake complied with her request to “leave us alone.” And no matter what, he’s a man of his word… at least until he hears that Natalie’s husband has died. There’s no longer any “us” to leave alone, allowing Jake to reach out to her.
The wedding in the novel’s opening passage is quickly followed by a funeral where Jake hopes to reconnect with the freshly widowed Natalie. But things take a strange turn when Jake realizes the grieving woman in the big black hat isn’t Natalie and that the dead man’s kids are older than they should be. More complications follow. When Jake calls Natalie’s sister, she doesn’t know him. When he travels back to Vermont, none of those familiar faces remember him. And the Creative Recharge Colony isn’t there at all – never has been, according to everyone he meets.
Jake’s best friend suggests that Jake imagined the whole romance during a weak period in his life. But Jake knows better and clues suggest that something sinister is going on. It turns out that Natalie’s supposed husband was murdered. Someone seems to have followed Jake back from Vermont, after which he gets an email that might just be from Natalie herself. A little more than halfway through the book, someone finally tells our hero, “This is bigger than you can imagine.”
What’s impressive here is how tightly constructed the narrative actually is, with the plot repeatedly circling back on itself, moving ever homeward rather than farther into the unknown. And with all of that, Coben leaves nearly nothing wasted. Minor characters, seemingly incidental details, stray remarks – all of it helps serve the storytelling in some way. The beauty of his craftsmanship lies in how often he lures us into not perceiving what’s clearly right in front of us.
As a narrator, Jake is companionable enough. Even in the tensest scenes, he’s loose and friendly, not just conversational but downright chatty; my favorite example is when he’s being stalked by two groups of gunmen and pauses to reflect on how adrenaline works. His determination against all odds seems completely in character as well; his love will truly find a way. But articulating the depth of that love is a weak point in the novel. When Jake delivers a grand soliloquy about why he can’t let Natalie go, it’s all about moments that stole his breath, living for her laugh, seeing forever in her eyes, needing to listen to his heart. To Coben’s credit, he seems to know these sentiments are cliché. Reflecting on romance, Jake notes that falling in love “makes you start talking like a bad country song.” Despite this, Coben remains a master storyteller with a strong grip on what makes a compelling tale filled with tantalizing mystery. Paramount Pictures agrees as they have recently acquired film rights to Six Years with Hugh Jackman slated to play Jake.
Coben is one of the best thriller writers in the business, and he delivers another amazing novel that will resonate with readers long after the final page is turned. Don’t wait six years to read it!
