The Deep End

by Chris Crutcher

Book Overview

Wilson Corder has seen some ugly things in his job as a therapist working with families in crisis. But he's about to be involved with a terrifying kidnapping and a shocking murder that will forever... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0821744259
• ISBN13: 9780821744253
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Zebra Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

A happy discovery for fans of Crutcher's YA fiction

If you like Chris Crutcher's young-adult books, go back and try this thriller. The main character is a child and family therapist with his own history of anger and mistakes. The plot isn't all that subtle, but it will pull you through the book with a few violent shocks and a lot of affection for the characters. I especially liked the glimpses of what it's like to work with kids in play therapy. The details are a bit dated ("He's got one of those cellular phones.") and a few of the characters are stock (biker with the heart of gold, for example) but the emotions ring true as they do in all of Crutcher's books. I have a huge crush on him for the way he speaks out for kids and keeps it real.

The Deep End

Wilson's job as a therapist provides many opportunities to see into the lives of abused or neglected children. Sabrina is Jerry's sister and she is missing. Wilson counsels Jerry and his mother, Peggy, and with the help of the police, tries to find Sabrina and bring her back to safety. Wilson realizes that there is something about the night Sabrina was taken from her home that does not fit with the story Jerry and Peggy have told him. Wilson soon finds himself in the middle a dangerous situation that involves the kidnapping of the most important people is his life. This highly intensified mystery leads Wilson through events that leave him a changed person. His own children are in danger and Wilson will do anything to insure their safety. Sabrina is found but at the same time, other people are also involved that add to the suspense of the story. A young child named, Craig, is introduced as a burn victim and his stepfather, Dr. Bonner, is accused. This is when the book really gets interesting. Through the eyes of Wilson, we are able to "see" the abuse with such clarity and realism. Chris Crutcher has the experience from his own counseling to adequately portray these young victims. There is a heart breaking murder that was somewhat unexpected. The story does follow the old "good guy gets the bad guy" scenario, but by the time that happens, you are ready for it! The conclusion of the book forced me to ponder the desperate situation that young children and adults face when abuse is present. I have thought about this book many times since finishing it. I highly recommend this book to young adults.

An exciting book with an important message.

This is, as the subtitle to the book suggests, a novel of suspense. For me it did more than just keep my attention and entice me to keep turning the pages. The importance of what the author calls "tribal" parenting needs to be mass communicated. As Arthur Miller suggested in his play years before, children and even adults are "all our sons." Maybe there are a few stick figures here and there in the book, but so what, the story and theme make the novel very worthwhile to read.

The feeling of the book was very intense and real.

Reading books in first person has always been something I enjoy to do. You can tell who the main character is(Wilson Corder) and you get to know him very well and experience what he feels every moment of the book . The author Chris Crutcher did an exhilerating job portraying the life of a therapist in a realistic manner. When Wilson had to deal with his patients it didn't seem fake at all. It sounded like Chris had, had similar certain experiences and wrote from his heart. Portraying someone in writing or in acting who is not yourself is a difficult thing to do, and by reading The Deep End I felt like it was pulled of nicely and the task was greatly accomplished, not only in worlds but by feeling.