The Deep End of the Ocean - Hardcover

Mitchard, Jacquelyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670865796 ISBN 13: 9780670865796

Publisher: Viking, 1996

Synopsis

Few first novels receive the kind of attention and acclaim showered on this powerful story -- a nationwide bestseller, a critical success, and the first title chosen for Oprah's Book Club. Both highly suspenseful and deeply moving, The Deep End of the Ocean imagines every mother's worst nightmare -- the disappearance of a child -as it explores a family's struggle to endure, even against extraordinary odds. Filled with compassion, humor, and brilliant observations about the texture of real life, here is a story of rare power, one that will touch readers' hearts and make them celebrate the emotions that make us all one.

About this title

Review:

The horror of losing a child is somehow made worse when the case goes unsolved for nearly a decade, reports Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel columnist Jacquelyn Mitchard in this searing first novel. In it, 3-year-old Ben Cappadora is kidnapped from a hotel lobby where his mother is checking into her 15th high school reunion. His disappearance tears the family apart and invokes separate experiences of anguish, denial, and self-blame. Marital problems and delinquency in Ben's older brother (in charge of him the day of his kidnapping) ensue. Mitchard depicts the family's friction and torment--along with many gritty realities of family life--with the candour of a journalist and compassion of someone who has seemingly been there. International publishing and film rights sold fast on this one--it's a blockbuster.

Review:

‘So well observed and perceptive it’s hard to shy away from... masterfully paced... A story of one family’s slow tumble back into light.’
Los Angeles Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Viking
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0670865796
• ISBN 13: 9780670865796
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 448