The Deep End of the Ocean: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Varied, confusing at times and rushed ending, but excellen!
Review: "The Deep End Of The Ocean" by Jacquelyn Mitchard is one superb piece of fiction. The story is compelling, engrossing and at times quite moving. As a writer myself, I would give just about anything to be able to produce a piece of work this fine. Ms. Mitchard really made me feel as though I were inside the heads of these characters, in particular mother Beth and eldest son Vincent.

I couldn't help feeling, however, that Ms. Mitchard had been informed in advance by her publisher -- or had decided herself -- *exactly* how many words or pages the book HAD to contain.
In the beginning of the book, she wrote as though she had all the room in the world, and therefore leisurely elaborated needlessly on details that simply were not essential. I sensed as I was reading it that the life story of the woman whom Beth's high school sweetheart eventually married would have no bearing on the overall plot, and I was correct in that assumption.
Then, Ms. Mitchard took me through seemingly every excruciating detail of the lives of the members of the troubled Cappadora family, especially those of Beth and Vincent. In doing so, she periodically mixed the action of the story with flasbacks to past events that were occurring in either Beth's or Vincent's mind, and she did so in a slightly confusing manner. More than once, I found myself wondering whether I was reading the story's action or just a memory from years earlier which one of the characters was recalling.
About a hundred pages before the end, it seemed as though another writer had taken over. The style, attitude, means of expression and even vocabulary changed significantly and quite noticeably. I was suddenly reading one of Richard Price's witty and sometimes vulgar novels about street gangs instead of this moving, emmotional story about relationships, family ties and a mother's worst nightmare. I didn't mind that in the least, however. Both have their appeal and value for me.
Then suddenly, as though she were working with a sign above her desk which read "Book must end on page 447," Ms. Mitchard brought the story to a screeching and grinding halt. It's not as if I didn't like the way it ended -- I did. It could have been much sadder and a lot more disturbing. I just came away with a lot of questions and the feeling that there should have been more, that something was missing . . . and that Ms. Mitchard had been under pressure to wrap it up in a hurry.
Still, like I said earlier, "The Deep End Of The Ocean" by Jacquelyn Mitchard is one superb piece of fiction. I would recommend it to just about anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully, hauntingly written; a masterpiece.
Review: As the mother of a 3-year old, I would normally not come near a book like this; it is simply too difficult to handle. However, I had read several reviews that praised the skill of the author, so I felt compelled to "try it." It is full of wonderful analogies, and the sections that let you inside the mind of a teenager (the older brother who "lost" his 3-year old) are truly insightful. It is a hard book to read, not only because of the tragedy of an abducted 3-year old, but perhaps more so because of the way the abduction tore up the rest of the family for years after. Normally, I would read a book of this length in just a couple of days, but I found myself moving more slowly through it -- partly to savor her excellent prose, but also because it is so disturbing. Every time I spent a half hour with the book, I felt I had to put the book down and go check on my own precious son. It is a unique read

Rating:
Summary: finding Hope
Review: Deep end of the ocean, brings characters alive though use of imagery. The description of losing her made me feel sad.I would have not given up on her with all the hope she had in finding her son and moving on with the family she had left to care for.Beth who tried to move on with her family had to deal with her son vincent who does try to act like the rebel. His mother tried to move on but was doing things to make him feel worse and make her cry and worry about her family more.Beth who tries every day to make her life better would try more things to get her mind off the time she left her son for a few moments. When she returned he was gone. Reading this book may build your self esteem in finding hope for yourself in the world.

Rating:
Summary: Unexpectedly touching
Review: I read this book to compare it to the movie that was just coming out, expecting to find the book a bit better than the movie. Well, I wouldn't be able to compare the two. I did not see the movie because I didn't want it to lower my opinion of the book. Jacquelyn Mitchard has an interesting and unusual style of writing, which I found to be a refreshing change from that of many other books. Mitchard's character Beth is especially different. Beth is a mother who blatently states her dislike of her own children and her own life, yet goes to her high school reunion where her life is torn apart by the kidnapping of her youngest son, Ben. I did not feel that she deserved pity for what her life had become; instead, my heart went out to Vincent, or Reese, whose entire existence was changed (for better? for worse?) by the disapearance of his younger brother, which he feels inside that he is truly responsible for. Jacquelyn Mitchard has shown an extrordinary writing style and descriptive ability, along with wonderfula characters, which is what makes this such a touching book.

Rating:
Summary: Intensely absorbing opening shifts into wallowing self-pity
Review: Initial reviews of "Deep End of the Ocean" lavishly praised the provocative situation - a child abduction - and the entire family's subsequent nightmareof not knowing what had become of their child. Over time, the family literally comes apart, slowly, inexorably. I found the shifts in point- of-view disconcerting - from Beth the angry, guiltridden, nearly catatonic, bereaved(?) mother to Sam the workaholic father, to Vincent, the sullen teenager brother, and back. The opening sequence with Beth's panic-stricken anguish is riveting. The book, however, drags after the opening scenes and the family drifts into lethargy and dissolution. It's amazing the father holds his side of the family together and continues to support Beth. The son Vicent could be any teenager but with a more significant reason for his angst. The younger daughter is undeveloped. Perhaps, from a man's viewpoint, I was disappointed that the "spin" near the end of the book didn't live up to expectations. It's truthful in revealing that men handle tragedy, no less deeply, but differently then women. I too, slowly devoured this book, partially because after the opening highlight, it moves so slowly forward. I will give "Deep End" credit: it is more of a character study of an American family in crisis than a suspense thriller with a tidy ending. Mitchard has not opted for easy answers or easy characters and it's this feature that encourages thoughtful discussion.