The Dive from Clausen’s Pier by Ann Packer

Genre: Fiction

 

Pages: Paper

 

Publisher: Vintage

 

Reviewer: Virginia Armstrong

 

JAGS: 6

 

Life is not what Carrie Bell had imagined.  At twenty-three she had yet to act on her life.  Graduating from college, she still continued to work at the University library where she had participated in the work study-program while in attendance.  Then there was Mike Mayer, her high school sweetheart.  They had been together for eight years.   The mystery was now gone from their relationship.  Everything was so predictable and boring.

Now, she seemed to be at a crossroad, uncertain of what path her life should take.  Should she stay or should she go?  She knew that Mike had become aware that something was wrong.  That perhaps there time together was coming to an end.  Still, they never discussed it.  Instead, Carrie trudged through her days, her thoughts elsewhere, as Mike worriedly hung on.

Before Carrie can decide how to remedy her dilemma, Mike has an accident which leaves him paralyzed.  Her entire circle of family and friends expect her to be there for him, yet she wants nothing more than to bolt out the door. Now, she faces even more difficulties.  If she decides to break it off, everyone will think it’s because of Mike’s injury.  That’s she’s weak-or worse, a coward.   

 

The Dive from Clausen’s Pier makes the reader ponder what they would do in a similar situation, yet the answers can only lie within the complexities of a real situation, with so much more knowledge of each of the characters. I thought the story was compelling, deep-seated with feeling yet a bit drawn-out and boring. The writing was done very well, the characters and places true to life, yet it moved along ever so slowly.