Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher

Crutcher, C. (1989). Chinese handcuffs. New York: Greenwillow Books.
ISBN-10 0060598395
ISBN-13 978-0060598396
202 pgs
Format: Book
Genre: Issues
Classification: Fiction
Age level: Young Adult

Reader's annotation
Sixteen-year-old Dillion finds a sense of control and fearlessness in participating in triathlons that helps him find his way after his older brother commits suicide. He needs all the inner strength he can get to help him be a friend to his brother’s pregnant girlfriend and be a friend to a girl at school who is facing serious problems of her own.

Summary
Dillion Hemingway, a sixteen-year-old athlete, is crushed when his older brother Preston commits suicide in front of him with a single gunshot. Preston was severely disabled in a motorcycle accident and had turned to drugs. He also left behind a pregnant girlfriend, Stacy. Dillon wrestles with his love for Stacy, and another girl, a star basketball player named Jen who just wants to be friends. Dillon learns than Jen is harboring some dark secrets that are eating away at her. By helping Jen and Stacy, Dillon finds a way to move forward in life. The story is told as a series of letters from Dillon to Preston. The letters are intimate, brave and heartbreaking. Even after his violent death, Preston is a source of strength and comfort to his brother.

Notes
Though Chinese Handcuffs was written in the 1980s it feels contemporary because it doesn’t contain a lot of cultural references. It’s a very dark story that covers a lot of issues, but the reader never doubts Dillon’s inner strength and ability to confront problems and find hope in the future.

Also by Chris Crutcher
Ironman
Whale Talk
Deadline
The Crazy Horse Electric Game
Stotan!
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes