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A review by novelesque_life
The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard
4.0
4 STARS
"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 candor of a journalist and compassion of someone who has seemingly been there." (From Amazon)
This novel grabs you from the first page and has a great balance of suspense and what is happening with the family. Usually, when I read about kidnapping it is a suspense mystery novel and how the child will be found. This book focuses more on the emotional impact of a kidnapping on a family. I would highly recommend this novel. The movie is a watered down version of the novel but I still enjoyed it.
"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 candor of a journalist and compassion of someone who has seemingly been there." (From Amazon)
This novel grabs you from the first page and has a great balance of suspense and what is happening with the family. Usually, when I read about kidnapping it is a suspense mystery novel and how the child will be found. This book focuses more on the emotional impact of a kidnapping on a family. I would highly recommend this novel. The movie is a watered down version of the novel but I still enjoyed it.