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The Deep End of the Ocean (Oprah's Book Club) by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Jacquelyn Mitchard Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 1999-10-01 ISBN: 0140286276 Number of pages: 464 Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of The Deep End of the Ocean (Oprah's Book Club)Book Review: Tiresome Summary: 2 Stars
It starts off with a great premise for a novel - who wouldn't be drawn to the emotional and psychological complexities of a family torn apart by the loss of a child? But it's soon apparent that the book will be a letdown. First of all, the main character, Beth (mother of the lost child), is wholly unlikeable. Of course, there's no rule that says that main characters have to be lovable, but after several dozens of pages that deal with this woman wallowing in self-pity and shamefully neglecting her two surviving children, this reader started wondering whether losing them as well wouldn't be in the kids' best interests. She is not only disagreeable - which is OK - but boring as well. The melodramatic general tone of the novel is also a big no-go - the word cheesy doesn't begin to describe it.
Apart from the annoyingly one-dimensional characters, I found another big flaw in the several mistakes in the book, to which other reviewers have referred (Kerry's age, for example) and the numerous typos. These detracted from the book's credibility, as did the contrived and artificial denouement of the story.
Lastly, none of the other reviewers seems to have noticed three details I found completely unpleasant. One is the Italian grandfather Angelo's disparaging comments about the Japanese. These comments, put in the mouth of a clearly sympathetic and likeable character, seem strangely out of place, and yet, they don't seem intended to portray flaws in that person - they seem to be just what the author thinks it appropriate for that man to say. I thought it disgusting, as I did restaurant-owner Augie's comment that "if people want to starve, they can go to Ethiopia, they don't need to come to my restaurant". What's that supposed to mean? Isn't it a really gruesome, unfeeling, nasty-rich-American comment? Can anyone explain in what way these gratuitous, unsensitive phrases help the plot of the novel?
In the same vein, I was also angered by lesbian Candy's comment regarding her wish to be a mother: "There's probably a lovely little girl out there in Chile waiting for me" (not a literal quote). Why a little girl in Chile? If I were Chilean, I'd be offended - I'd like to know why Miss Mitchard thinks a Chilean kid would be better off in the hands of an American single woman who married a man against her sexual inclination and for the sole purpose of becoming pregnant (and left him when she didn't) than they would be with their natural families, however poor or needy. I also wonder whether Miss Mitchard has ever considered the fact that there are probably as many abandoned and destitute children in the USA as there are in Chile, if not more.
Maybe these unacceptable comments would have been less noticeable in a book that was more engaging and better written; as it is, they stood out like pins in a cushion, and made me dislike the novel even more.
Summary of The Deep End of the Ocean (Oprah's Book Club)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. Oprah Book ClubŪ Selection, September 1996: 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. International publishing and movie rights sold fast on this one: It's a blockbuster.
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