The Deep End of the Ocean, Jacqueline Mitchard

 

Characters
Family	Others
Beth Cappadora – photographer Pat – co-owner Wedding in the Old Neighborhood Vincent “Reese” Ben Kerry   Jill – Pat’s cousin who lives with family and helps with children   Beth’s family: Bill – father Evelyn – mother, deceased Ben “Bick” – brother Paul – older brother   Pat’s family: Angelo and Rose – parents Teresa – sister, husband Joey	Ellen – Beth’s best friend from high school   Laurie – Beth’s best friend after college   Nick – Beth’s high school boyfriend, wife Trish   Candy Bliss – Detective Supervisor   Jimmy Daugherty – high school classmate, detective   Loretta Quaid “Crazy Lady” – helped people find lost things – “saw” Ben in a wooden box   Compassionate Circle – support group for parents who have lost children   Dr. Tom Kilbore – Vincent’s psychologist   Cecilia Lockhart   George Karras   Teeter – school basketball coach

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from hardback edition.

1.       How well did the author depict Beth and Pat’s feelings?   Consider Beth, not really caring about her other children, and Pat eventually wanting to move on.  Were you able understand how each felt and why they felt that way?   Do you think their feelings were realistic?

2.       Did you think the behavior of the press was intrusive or necessary?  Why?

3.       When Beth and Pat took lie detector tests, each result indicated deception when asked if they were responsible for Ben’s disappearance.  Why?

4.       Discuss Vincent and how he grew up. 

a.       Would it have been possible for both Beth and Pat to behaved differently toward him?

b.       He felt Beth hated him.  He told Dr. Kilbore, “my mom has spoken to me like ten times in nine years...my mom sort of generally hates my guts” (page 391).

c.       In four years, Beth had only checked in with Dr. Kilgore about him once or twice.

d.       At the family counseling session, the family completely ignored Vincent and focused on Ben.

e.       He picked fights in school.

f.        Why was everyone so upset when, as a young child, he asked Santa to bring Ben back for Christmas.

5.       Discuss the different reactions of the family members six months after Ben’s disappearance.  Could you understand each different point of view?

a.       In December of the first year the family was divided about how to celebrate Christmas.  Pat’s parents bought Ben gifts and continued to hope while Beth wanted to give up and cancel the whole holiday. 

b.       Pat’s sister criticized Beth and said “Life goes on” (page 142) and complained that Beth would not respond to any of their overtures.

c.       Teresa said to Beth, “You don’t own every choice about Ben.  He was ours, too” (page 142).

6.       Vincent’s friends at school teased him about his name (Vincent Paul like St. Vincent de Paul) and gave him the nickname Reese after “re-sale.”  Why do you think he started to go by Reese all the time, even with his family?

7.       Vincent started to see Dr. Kilgore in 1991, six years after Ben disappeared.  Why did they wait so long?

8.       Once you knew the whole story, why did Cecilia leave the second shoe at the next high school reunion five years later?

9.       In November 1991, Vincent told Dr. Kilgore about a dream he had of a woman following Ben out the door of the hotel and holding the door open for him.  Then Vincent told him, “I think it’s part of the dream because it really happened” (page 235).  If he had remembered this and/or told it to someone earlier, would it have made a difference?

10.   At the very end of the novel, Vincent told Dr. Kilgore that he was responsible because, in the hotel lobby, he had told Ben to “Get lost” (page 395).  Even though Vincent was just a child himself, did you understand why he felt responsible?  Should he have felt responsible?  

11.   In October 1987, Pat told Beth he and others blamed her for what happened to Ben.  He said, “Don’t you think everyone thinks that if you just had a minute to take care of your kids, none of this would ever have happened…[kids] don’t get lost.  People lose them” (page 162).  Was this fair?

12.   Vincent overheard the above conversation.   He then ran directly to Kerry’s room and tried to smother her (pages 162-3).   Why did he do this?

13.   What did you think about the basketball coach, Teeter, and his interaction with Vincent?  Was that a responsible way for an adult to behave?  Why did he act that way?

14.   Were you surprised to read on page 291 that Vincent had been sleeping with Ben’s stuffed bunny under his sheet?  Did that change your idea of Vincent?

15.   Did you think the arrangement between George and Beth and Pat was the best thing for Ben/Sam?  How do you think things will work out as the years progress?  Will Vincent and Sam become close?

16.   Discuss your reading experience.  Did you enjoy the book or did the subject matter make you uncomfortable?  Did you peek at the end to see if everything turned out all right?