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Published Sep 2009
240 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
It has been twenty-two years since Beth Cappadora’s three-year-old son Ben was abducted. By some miracle, he returned nine years later, and the family began to pick up the pieces of their lives. But their peace has always been fragile: Ben returned from the deep end as another child and has never felt entirely at ease with the family he was born into. Now the Cappadora children are grown: Ben is married with a baby girl, Kerry is studying to be an opera singer, and Vincent has emerged from his troubled adolescence as a fledgling filmmaker.
The subject of Vincent’s new documentary, “No Time to Wave Goodbye,” shakes Vincent’s unsuspecting family to the core; it focuses on five families caught in the tortuous web of never knowing the fate of their abducted children. Though Beth tries to stave off the torrent of buried emotions, she is left wondering if she and her family are fated to relive the past forever.
The film earns tremendous acclaim, but just as the Cappadoras are about to celebrate the culmination of Vincent’s artistic success, what Beth fears the most occurs, and the Cappadoras are cast back into the past, revisiting the worst moment of their lives – with only hours to find the truth that can save a life. High in a rugged California mountain range, their rescue becomes a desperate struggle for survival.
"Starred Review. This action-packed and emotionally rich drama is every bit as satisfying as its predecessor." - Publishers Weekly
"While the original novel focused poignantly on the inner world and grief of Beth Cappadora, the sequel is firmly in suspense and adventure territory." - Library Journal
"Lackluster...The proliferation of characters may confuse readers, especially those unfamiliar with the earlier book, and a disproportionately large chunk of the narrative is devoted to exposition..." - Kirkus Reviews
"For everyone who adored The Deep End of the Ocean – rejoice! Mitchard's latest brings back the Cappadora family, as the most unexpected of tragedies forces them to test the relationships they've built in the wake of Ben's return. It's vintage Mitchard: full of characters you feel like you already know, and a plot that keeps you reading till the last page." - Jodi Picoult
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Jacquelyn Mitchard's first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, was named by USA Today as one of the ten most influential books of the past 25 years – second only to the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
The Deep End of the Ocean was critically acclaimed, won several awards, and was chosen as the first novel in the book club made famous by the TV host Oprah Winfrey, later transformed into a feature film produced by and starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
All of Mitchard's novels have been greater or lesser bestsellers – and include The Most Wanted, A Theory of Relativity, Twelve Times Blessed, The Breakdown Lane, Cage of Stars, Still Summer, No Time to Wave Goodbye and Second Nature. Critics have praised them for their authentic humanity and skillful command of story.
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