"Dear Preston...since youve been gone, Ive been running around so full of that day and everything that probably led up to it that if I do not tell somebody about it, I might just explode."

Dillon, a sixteen-year-old athlete and junior in high school witnessed his brother Preston's suicide.  He copes with his brother's death by writing letters to him. Surrounded by the mother of Preston's child, Stacy and Jennifer, a friend struggling from the terror of abuse, Dillon confronts life with the strength and courage that ultimately results in survival.

The literary strength of Chinese Handcuffs is also its weakness. The story is full of drama and twist and turns. It is a definite page-turner. The story focuses on suicide, teen pregnancy, and sexual abuse. It appears to have a "buffet" of topics, and it is extremely overwhelming for the reader. By the time you complete the novel, you are tired and depressed!  The novel seems to lack focus. Told in first person voice, you never receive the opportunity to connect with Dillon because his thoughts are scattered. From writing a letter to Preston to comforting Jennifer, readers get lost in the chaos!

Young readers have better options than Chinese Handcuffs, I suggest they choose other reading selections.