Thaw [Hardcover]

Monica Roe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

A proud, gifted young man learns to overcome abuse. Dane, a high-school senior and ski team standout, is in a rehabilitation clinic in Florida, a thousand miles from his home in upstate New York. Guillain-Barre syndrome has paralyzed him completely, and doctors don't know when - or if - he'll regain the use of his body. When Anya, a young, no-nonsense woman, enters Dane's room and introduces herself as his physical therapist, Dane promptly sends her away. He's confident that he'll overcome this freakish illness without her superior attitude. Dane finds his occupational therapist more agreeable, and the two make quick progress on Dane's upper extremities. His legs are another matter. Dane understands quickly that if he wants to ski - or walk - again, he'll need to work with Anya. She and Dane reluctantly agree to develop his body strength, but as his family's visit to check his progress gets nearer, tension mounts. Dane's disdain for his friends, his family, and even his girlfriend grows clear, and his father's intolerance for failure becomes a consuming preoccupation. When the day of the visit arrives, a lifetime of subtle abuse either will cause Dane's icy mind to crack, or the young man will learn to thaw.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up—Eighteen-year-old Dane is furious—with his father, his ex-girlfriend, his no-nonsense physical therapist, and most of all with the disease that has robbed him of the use of every muscle in his body, Guillain-Barré syndrome. In a rehabilitation hospital in Florida, far away from his family and his career as a champion high school cross-country skier in upstate New York, Dane slowly relearns how to feed himself, turn the pages of a book, and perform basic physical functions, and he is forced to consider the possibility that he won't fully recover. Punctuating his fear of this fate-worse-than-death scenario are his encounters with the daughter of a man vegetating in a room across the hall, four years after a brain injury. In flashbacks, Dane recounts his relationship with his former girlfriend, whose love he has never been able to fully return (until now?). Like Chris Crutcher's characters, disgruntled Dane guards his emotions carefully, allowing only his nature-loving occupational therapist to penetrate his anger. Roe's descriptions of wintry New York are stunningly beautiful. The protagonist's frustrations about feeling out of control will resonate with teens, and the context of neurological rehab presents an original and challenging read. As Dane and his friends are sexually active, use strong language, and drink at parties, this novel is best suited for an older audience.—Nora G. Murphy, Los Angeles Academy Middle School
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About the Author

Monica Roe works as a traveling physical therapist. Originally from upstate New York, her work now takes her throughout the country, most recently to a small island hospital in southeast Alaska. This is her first novel.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 15 and up
  
• Hardcover: 235 pages
• Publisher: Front Street imprint of Boyds Mills Press (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590784960
• ISBN-13: 978-1590784969
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,631,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thaw by Monica Roe, December 29, 2008

By 

SZAA "Lover of All Things Written" (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Thaw (Hardcover)

It isn't often that a book comes along leaving me hating the main character but absolutely loving the complete package! The main character in this young adult novel is so refreshingly dislikable...a strange statement, I know, but really, take my word for it here. You'll have extreme disdain for him through most of the book, but by the end you'll love him and just want to give him a hug.

When high school ski star and big man on campus, Dane begins suffering from Guillain-Barre Syndrome, life seems to stand still. Though the syndrome is not permanent, it results in Dane being completely immobile, having to slowly regain nerve function in his entire body and re-learn even the most basic of tasks all over again.

While recovering, Dane resides in a rehabilitation home in central Florida, far from the snowy weather of his home in Upstate New York (YAY....my home too!) and very far from the verbal and mental abuse of his father. Given almost endless time to think and reflect on the past couple of years, Dane slowly begins to open his eyes to how he's treated people and why he is constantly surrounded by people, but always alone.

Monica Roe did a beautiful job of creating an incredibly egotistical, smart mouthed main character that really believes he can do no wrong. He has treated his family badly, his girlfriend badly, and his teammates badly, though truly believes all that hurt is attributed to their faults, not his. As he struggles to become whole again, Dane's thought processes begin to shift and his coldness starts to melt, leaving him to try to mend fences that he had broken with his lack of care for others.

Thaw was a true surprise to me. I really didn't like Dane in the beginning of the story, though I now see the point of the character being written the way he was. The plot is very strong and the characters all unique. This is a great teen novel and one I will most definitely be recommending to all.

5.0 out of 5 stars satisfied reader!, September 9, 2009

By 

Kyle C. Rhodes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thaw (Hardcover)

Very hard book to put down after start. Loved the development of the characters and how their stories intertwined. Written with a depth, that found me personally hating some characters and empathizing with others....where I had to actually put the book down to realize it was just fiction...
The novel was both purely entertaining, and able to leave with you with a lasting impact....

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!, July 4, 2009

By 

Mikah Wright (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thaw (Hardcover)

Roe did a great job of putting this story together. I highly recommend this book to someone who is interested in teen drama and sports.