Still Missing

by Beth Gutcheon

Book Overview

Alex Selky, going on seven, kissed his mother goodbye and set off for school, a mere two blocks away. He never made it. Desperate to find him, his mother begins a vigil that lasts for days, then weeks, then months. She is treated first as a tragic figure, then as a grief-crazed hysteric, then as anreminder of the bad fortune that can befall us all. Against all hope, despite false leads and thedesertions of her friends and allies she believes with...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399125787
• ISBN13: 9780399125782
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group
• Length: 364 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Hard to put down...

Normally this type of book, I find depressing, but this time I still couldn't put it down. Being a mother, I have to admit, this is one of my worst nightmares, but Beth Gutcheon made you feel like you were experiencing exactly what the mother was going through from the first moment the boy was lost to the end of the book. So far I think this is her best book I've read. It's defintely worth giving it a try.

You won't believe it was written 20 years ago.

It's true, this book about a missing boy was written 20 years ago. This is my first time reading it, and it stayed pretty modern. If I didn't know it was written early 80's I don't know if I would have guessed. There were few clues.I enjoyed this book because it was so heart-felt. You really are pulled in by the drama. The mother...what it's like to be her. And you start to wonder too, where is Alex??Very much recommend this book. So far my favorite by Gutcheon

HEARTWRENCHING, COMPELLING, AND BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN...

This is a story of hope, loss, and faith, despite seemingly insurmountable odds. It is the story of a mother's belief that her six year old son, who was abducted while on his way to school, is alive somewhere and just still missing. Harvard University professor Susan Selky, seperated from her husband, Graham, lets her six year old son, Alex, walk the several blocks to his school all by himself. One morning she says good bye to him, not realizing until later in the day when he does not return home after school, that he simply never made it to school that morning. The police are notified and an immediate manhunt ensues for the missing boy. The story follows the impact that the boy's disappearance has on Susan and Graham, as well as the reaction of those closest to them and of the public at large. It explores their relationship, as well as their relationship with others in the context of the tragedy which has befallen them. You definitely feel her pain. Sensitively drawn and well written, the books explores the avenues that Susan travels in her steadfast search for her son. What happens is sure to keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat. The author plays on the reader's emotions and keeps the tension taut throughout the story, making for a real pager turner of a book. The suspense is kept up until the very end, where it boils over into a crescendo of a finale. This is, without a doubt, one of the best suspense novels to be found.

A Success

I have enjoyed several of Beth Gutcheson's other works, but found Still Missing to be very compelling. The book starts out with an everyday occurrence - Alex Selky, almost seven years old, leaves his house to walk the three blocks to school. However, the day becomes far from ordinary when, eight hours later, he does not return and his mother Susan realizes he is missing.The novel then takes the reader through the process of locating a missing child: the initial burst of energy and compassion, the police procedure, and the attention by friends; which is inevitably coupled with a decrease in interest and loss of faith when the child is not found. Gutcheson guides the reader through both the actual happenings in the investigation of the crime and the way it effects the characters relationships with each other. Overall, I found the book a compelling read, well worth the time.

A dramatic story of waiting and wondering.

STILL MISSING is one of the greatest books Iv'e ever read. The wondering and waiting of this story keeps you flipping through the pages, wanting to find out what is going to happen next. The books kicks off with suspense as the seven year old boy never comes home from school one day.Then they suspect their gay housekeeper of molesting and killing their son. I feel this story,was much like watching a missing child report uncover on the news for months, but with out the long wait unless you are a slow reader.If you like reading suspense novels, than you will love. "Still Missing" by Beth Gutcheon.