No Time To Wave Goodbye

Things are looking up....at least as far as my reading is going. In the midst of a busy Saturday -working at the library during the morning and hosting a playdate for triplets we are friends with- I did start and finish No Time To Wave Goodbye by Jacquelyn Mitchard. First of all, I wish I hadn't read The Deep End of the Ocean so long ago. It must be almost ten years ago now (I don't think I am exaggerating) and trying to dredge up details of the Cappadora family just wasn't happening. No Time to Wave Goodbye doesn't require reading the first book, but I was certainly trying to recall details that I just couldn't quite come up with. A few months ago Mitchard spoke in a nearby town. I so wish I hadn't had a million things going on that week because I just couldn't justify another night away from home during the week and I missed out. I did hear from others who heard her speak how enjoyable and funny she was. Even though I missed seeing her personally, I still somehow feel connected to her since different stories she shared were relayed to me. The entire time I was reading about Beth Cappadora, Jacquelyn Mitchard's face came to mind.

This plot, as my sister reacted last night while I was telling her about it, is preposterous. Yet, it was so readable and by the end, I was sad it was done.

In The Deep End of the Ocean Beth Cappadora's son Ben (who now goes by Sam) was kidnapped by an acquaintance from the hotel lobby of Beth's fifteen year high school reunion. Beth's older son, Vincent, has always felt a sort of guilt about this for not watching his little brother. What ensued were nine years of hell, as the family never gave up all hope, yet had to continue living without Ben. Eventually Ben is returned to them, having grown up not far at all from the Cappadora's house. No in No Time to Wave Goodbye, more time has elapsed. Ben/Sam is married to Eliza and the two are parents to newborn, Stella. The three Cappadora children: Ben, Vincent and Kerry work on a film project together that is nominated for an Oscar, a documentary that personalizes the tragedy of losing a child to kidnapping without a resolution in their case. The Cappadoras are forced to face this nightmare yet again when Ben and Eliza's daughter Stella is kidnapped. Ben, for the first time, realizes what his parents went through, and the family again tries to cope with the unbelievable happening yet again to them. The resolution is suspenseful and dramatic, and perhaps Beth is able to find some peace with how events in her life played out.

I ended up enjoying this one a lot more than I ever thought I would. Someday I will have to go back and re-read The Deep End of the Ocean just to refresh my memory.

Click here to visit Mitchard's website.