The second lesson Lehane said he learned is that once an author finishes a book, any interpretation of the work that is not totally irrational should not be dismissed.

Lehane challenged the audience to accept varying interpretations of his work after several attendees appeared to seek definitive explanations of the symbolism in Mystic River.

“I’ve begun to worry that in America, we can’t hold two ideas in our hand at one time,” Lehane said.

FROM PAGE TO SCREEN

Lehane—who did not write the screenplay for the film of Mystic River but said that he had been able to review the script before production began—also spoke about adapting his book to the big screen.

The majority of authors feel as if Hollywood screenwriters do not do their books justice, Lehane said.

“Most people who have film adaptations get really tight smiles on their faces when you ask them about it and say, ‘Oh yeah—it’s good,’” Lehane said. “In private, they say bad things about it.”

Although Lehane said he enjoyed the film of Mystic River, he added that he did not think the movie was capable of capturing the full force of his book.

“I respect the film and am a great admirer of it, but I don’t feel comfortable comparing it to my book,” Lehane said. “Even the greatest film is just a Cliff’s Notes compared to the book.”

“But I’m comfortable with that because I love the film,” he added.

Furthermore, Lehane suggested that he had never expected his words to be flawlessly transferred to the set.

“My feeling about Hollywood is like the joke about the man who came out of a whorehouse and said he didn’t feel loved,” he said.

Lehane admitted that a significant difference between books and movies is that in a movie, each scene has to advance the plot.

“There’s a scene in the book where Sean goes and talks to his father about the day Dave was abducted 25 years ago,” Lehane said, explaining that the scene does not appear in the film. “It’s the best scene I’ve ever written, but it had nothing to do with the plot.”