Border Crossing: A Novel: Amazon.ca: Pat barker: Books

Product Description

Book Description

Out walking with his wife, Lauren, beside the river Tyne, Tom Seymour instinctively risks his life to save a young man whom they happen to notice just before he jumps into the icy current. Tom's spontaneous act saves the life of someone whose past, as well as whose future, he feels a sense of responsibility towards. Recently released from prison, and living under an assumed name, Danny Miller was tried for murder as a ten-year-old on the basis of Tom's assessment of him as a psychologist and his expert witness testimony. When Danny asks Tom to help him sort out his life-beginning with his past-Tom is drawn into a lonely, soul-searching reinvestigation of the child murderer's case. In her ninth work of fiction, Pat Barker once again proves herself to be not only a brilliant stylist, but a major writer.

About the Author

PAT BARKER is the author of the highly acclaimed Regeneration trilogy: Regeneration, The Eye in the Door, winner of the 1993 Guardian Fiction Prize; and The Ghost Road, winner of the 1995 Booker Prize. She lives in England.

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

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3.0 out of 5 stars A Dubious Meeting, April 4 2002

By	Untouchable (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Border Crossing (Hardcover)

While psychologist Tom Seymour and his wife were walking alongside the river, trying to find a way to save their marriage, they came across a young man who swallowed a bottle of pills before throwing himself in the water. Barely thinking, Tom dived in to save the man. He later realises that he knows the man he saved as Danny Miller. In fact, it was his expert testimony that helped to convict Danny, who was 10 years old at the time, of murder.

So, was it fate or coincidence that their paths should cross again in such dramatic circumstances?

It turns out that Danny is very keen to talk to Tom about the crime he was charged and convicted for. He blames Tom for convincing the jury of his guilt. The rest of the book then deals with the circumstances leading up to the murder, what Danny was like as a child and how he dealt with his childhood incarceration.

Ultimately, the truth about the murder is revealed. However, the journey towards this destination is not a particularly eventful one. Apart from Danny's admissions towards the end of the book, there was not a lot that grabbed my attention.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Mar 19 2002

By	"johnewark" (Hull, East Yorkshire, England) - See all my reviews

Border Crossing is the latest in a long line of psychological thrillers to have hit the high-street bookshelves recently and adds
further weight to the opinion that British writers are in the prime of their literary careers. Having already produced 9 books, Pat Barker demonstrates the rich variety of narratives available with this dangerously realistic tale of a child psychologist and his encounters with one of his former patients.

Tom Seymour is the psychologist, recently separated from his wife, who rescues Danny Miller, a notorious child-killer, after he tries to commit suicide by jumping into a river. As their relationship begins to develop and Danny takes Tom further into his confidence, it is apparent that there is something dangerous at work within Miller's mind. When Seymour gave evidence at
Danny's trial he declared him highly disturbed but years later he begins to question this decision, realising there is a fine line
between calculating genius and outright madness.

As Tom becomes further entwined into the 'confessional' Danny is determined to give him the local news agencies are informed
that a child-murderer is living in the local area. With the media creating an intense witch-hunt and vigilantes prowling the streets,Miller must flee but Seymour is left with a decision that could affect far more than his professional status.

A simply sensational novel, Border Crossing captures the scenes of fear, anger and bewilderment immaculately, maintaining a
breath-taking tempo and capturing the reader's attention, refusing to release it before the final page is turned.

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2.0 out of 5 stars I Don't Get It, Mar 1 2002

By	Brett Benner (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read the synopsis for this book in a "Best of.." book list for 2001. It's described as a psychological thriller about a psychiatrist who saves a man from drowning. The catch is the man he saves was once a client of his who he inadvertently helped send away to a correctional institute because of damaging testimony.
Sounds good right? I missed it. I didn't find the book tense at all. Every time it started to work towards something I thought was going to be remotely suspenseful, it petered out. I was really disappointed. In fact about the highest praise I can give it is that at just over two hundred pages it reads like a halfway decent short story. A not terribly exciting short story, but a short story never the less.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping thriller
Danny Miller commits murder at age 10 and was convicted by the help of the man that saves his life 13 years later. Read more

Published on Dec 14 2001 by Brian M. Ayres

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!
This book reads like an awesome psychological journey! It brings you through so many emotions, and even after you finish reading it...The charcters stick with you.

Published on Jul 29 2001 by drownsoda18

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly engaging
A man who committed a murder when only a young boy (Danny) is released from prison and encounters the child psychologist (Tom) whose testimony was crucial in having him convicted... Read more

Published on Jul 26 2001 by Wayne Symes

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Up to Author's Reputation
Although I have not yet read the much praised Regeneration trilogy, I was knocked out by her early, feminist work exploring the lives of working class women, Union Street and Blow... Read more

Published on Jun 30 2001