Het keerpunt (2005)

Interesting character study of a family in crisis. GREAT book! On the recommendation of a friend I went into this reading experience with absolutely no idea what the book was about and was blown away by this thought provoking, well written novel. I generally stick to non-fiction and more hard edged detective/crime novels so this was an unexpected treat.

It begins with a father and son out snow skiing, lots of imagery involving snow covered landscapes and narrative commentary on their relationship - around page three or four I'm thinking that at 400-odd pages this may not be the book for me... then they find a young woman's body encased in ice and the story kicks into gear. As the story of who the woman was begins to unfold the plot jumps back in time a few years and then comes forward, along the way unraveling the unlikely mystery that we've stumbled into.

The mystery is built around the story of how a family of four (father, mother, and their teenaged children) begins to fall apart as a result of various decisions made by all involved and the unintended consequences that each member's personal choices has on the others. At times their behavior is heart wrenching, other times infuriating, still other times bewildering and yet it rarely comes across as sappy or overly sentimental (in the broader sense of the story). In the process it gives a well rounded story from multiple points of view with each of the major characters becoming very real and fully dimensional so that no one is completely bad or good, right or wrong, they are all just people making mistakes and having to deal with it.

For me, the one false note in the story was the way that many of the secondary characters were portrayed in a broad stereotypical, almost caricature fashion. The environmental hippie types, the greedy, soulless corporate types, the humorless FBI agents, the simple, down-home country folk, all seem pretty much standard issue. Granted many of them only make brief appearances and are often described from one of the major character's point of view but it still came across as a bit too easy at times.

It's a mystery, a good one, but it also has to do with the interactions of people in general and family in particular. It will have you thinking about it for days after you've finished.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a taste for smart, well written general or literary fiction. There is some sexual content, strong language and reference to drug use that might offend very sensitive readers. ( )

I just did not connect with this book. I was annoyed by the fact that not only the point of view switched between numerous characters but also back and forth through time, over and over again. Although this book dealt with a lot of emotions, I did not feel related to any of the (shallow) characters at all. Right till the end, I had difficulties remembering who was who and was also annoyed by the fact that so many trivial things were dragged into the story. It felt as if the author couldn't decide if he wanted to write a detective-story or a chronicle about a family falling apart. ( )

Abbie Cooper's body is found by two skiers. She had been dead for some time and her body was frozen in a mountain ravine.

Abbie had been an easy going, family loving high school student at the start of the story.

Her family went on vacation to a dude ranch and she experienced a friend's parent's ranch where they raised horses. She was told that ranches nearby were being drilled on for gas and that the government had sold these ranches as surface ownership only. They kept the mineral rights and now they were leasing the rights to private companies.

Abbie's family's life seemed to get back to normal until her father told the family he was unhappy and was moving out. This devastated Abbie who took it as a second betrayal and told her father he was ruining their lives.

She goes to a college in the west and gets into the protest movement gradually becoming more radicalized.

In the story the author gives two good points. In one case he shows the devastating effect of divorce on a family, in particularly on the children. Also we see the uncaring attitude of companies who are drilling for gas, on the land of the farmers where they were drilling.

A quick and entertaining read but not up to the level of "The Horse Whisperer." ( )

This book is a good read. The story focuses on a family torn apart by betrayal, anger and divorce. the 'hero" leaves his wife and children to follow a new love to the other side of the continent. The wife is an angry, cold woman who doesn't get much sympathy. The children are the real victims. The daughter becomes involved in environmental terrorism and her death brings the family closer together. ( )

Father and son go on a skiing trip and find a body encased in ice. The young girl belongs to the Cooper family. This is basically their story. ( )