Call number
FIC BAR
Collection
Genres
Publication
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2001), Edition: 1st, 352 pages
Description
Out walking with his wife, Lauren, beside the river Tyne, Tom Seymour instinctively risks his life to save a young man who 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 his 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 testimony, and assessment of him as a psychologist and an expert witness. 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.
Subjects
Media reviews
''Border Crossing'' is a far bleaker book, though, and less successful. . . only a few of the characters, all of them women -- the headmaster's wife, for example, and a housing project's Mother Courage with eight troubled children -- emerge as figures to be savored.
User reviews
LibraryThing member southernbooklady
Despite winning the Booker prize (The British version of the Pulitzer) nearly every time she writes a book, Pat Barker remains one of the most under-appreciated writers still working today. She is best known for her novel “Regeneration”, a searing portrait of shell shock in British soldiers
Border Crossing, however, leaves the theme of war behind and turns to a more contemporary era (much to the dismay of several reviewers). The book opens on Tom and Lauren, trudging along a riverside path in a gloomy city in northern England, arguing about their failing marriage. As they approach one of the derelict quays, they see a young man cram a handful of pills into his mouth, and dive into the freezing water. Instantly Tom dives in after him, and after ten harrowing minutes manages to pull the boy to safety. It is only later that Tom, who is a child psychologist, realizes that he recognizes the young man. 13 years earlier he had testified as a expert witness in the boy’s much-publicized trial for murder. It was his testimony that was instrumental in getting the boy convicted.
Now, years later, Tom is confronted by the results of his actions, and starts to have doubts about the original case- which was largely circumstantial. Young Danny Miller, equally shocked at seeing Tom, finds that he needs to confront his own past- if only to make sense of what happened, to discover why he was condemned to prison for a crime he always maintained he hadn’t committed.
As the novel progresses, the reader starts to have doubts as well, first about Danny’s guilt, and then about his innocence. He is a charismatic and possibly brilliant young man with a knack of getting people to sympathize and perhaps even fall a little in love with him. The people who come into his life- social workers, parole officers, schoolteachers, tend to cross the border of professional behavior and get personally involved with “his case”. Tom himself is especially at risk. It is a serious breach of ethics for him to begin seeing Danny, even “just to talk”. (A breach that Danny’s parole officer unaccountably supports). As Tom sees further evidence of what he believes is Danny’s guilt, he becomes less and less objective- vacillating between what he thinks is the proper course, and his desire not to betray Danny a second time.
Tom’s point of view is also clouded, where it should have been cleared, by the fact that he is currently writing a book on child psychological trauma. His meetings with Danny are punctuated by his interviews with other at risk children. In fact, these short chapters form some of the most moving parts of the book. A single mother with eight troubled children who fights like St. George to keep them with her, or a young girl who turned violent after being abused by her mother’s boyfriend (something her mother won’t acknowledge and the boyfriend denies).
Like all of her books, this is a novel that confronts- with ferocity- some tough questions: How much can you blame society for the behavior of an individual? What is the real border between mental illness and evil? Can an amoral person ever change? Are they ever safe in civilized society? More importantly, can any culture effectively deal with an amoral person? A society depends on the willing complicity of its members to obey its rules and act with some sense towards the greater good. A truly amoral individual feels no such sense of obligation, and has no compunctions to act for the benefit of anyone but him or herself. Tom’s indecision and impotence in the face of (what seems to be) Danny’s antisocial and violent behavior mirrors the larger society’s inability to cope with such people- to even believe that there are people who can be, in a word, evil.
Against all expectations, what Barker has written is a psychological suspense novel of the first order. In the sessions between Tom and Danny emerges a chilling portrait of a true psychopath- although right until the end the reader questions, as Tom is constantly questioning, what is truth and what is fiction. The final session is positively menacing. It is the author’s answer to at least some of those questions- yes people can be evil, and all to frequently no, there is no justice for children.
Border Crossing is one of those books that will stay with the reader for a long, long time.
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during World War I, and possibly the best anti-war novel ever written. She followed it up with two others, forming a trilogy that became known as the ‘regeneration trilogy’. Border Crossing, however, leaves the theme of war behind and turns to a more contemporary era (much to the dismay of several reviewers). The book opens on Tom and Lauren, trudging along a riverside path in a gloomy city in northern England, arguing about their failing marriage. As they approach one of the derelict quays, they see a young man cram a handful of pills into his mouth, and dive into the freezing water. Instantly Tom dives in after him, and after ten harrowing minutes manages to pull the boy to safety. It is only later that Tom, who is a child psychologist, realizes that he recognizes the young man. 13 years earlier he had testified as a expert witness in the boy’s much-publicized trial for murder. It was his testimony that was instrumental in getting the boy convicted.
Now, years later, Tom is confronted by the results of his actions, and starts to have doubts about the original case- which was largely circumstantial. Young Danny Miller, equally shocked at seeing Tom, finds that he needs to confront his own past- if only to make sense of what happened, to discover why he was condemned to prison for a crime he always maintained he hadn’t committed.
As the novel progresses, the reader starts to have doubts as well, first about Danny’s guilt, and then about his innocence. He is a charismatic and possibly brilliant young man with a knack of getting people to sympathize and perhaps even fall a little in love with him. The people who come into his life- social workers, parole officers, schoolteachers, tend to cross the border of professional behavior and get personally involved with “his case”. Tom himself is especially at risk. It is a serious breach of ethics for him to begin seeing Danny, even “just to talk”. (A breach that Danny’s parole officer unaccountably supports). As Tom sees further evidence of what he believes is Danny’s guilt, he becomes less and less objective- vacillating between what he thinks is the proper course, and his desire not to betray Danny a second time.
Tom’s point of view is also clouded, where it should have been cleared, by the fact that he is currently writing a book on child psychological trauma. His meetings with Danny are punctuated by his interviews with other at risk children. In fact, these short chapters form some of the most moving parts of the book. A single mother with eight troubled children who fights like St. George to keep them with her, or a young girl who turned violent after being abused by her mother’s boyfriend (something her mother won’t acknowledge and the boyfriend denies).
Like all of her books, this is a novel that confronts- with ferocity- some tough questions: How much can you blame society for the behavior of an individual? What is the real border between mental illness and evil? Can an amoral person ever change? Are they ever safe in civilized society? More importantly, can any culture effectively deal with an amoral person? A society depends on the willing complicity of its members to obey its rules and act with some sense towards the greater good. A truly amoral individual feels no such sense of obligation, and has no compunctions to act for the benefit of anyone but him or herself. Tom’s indecision and impotence in the face of (what seems to be) Danny’s antisocial and violent behavior mirrors the larger society’s inability to cope with such people- to even believe that there are people who can be, in a word, evil.
Against all expectations, what Barker has written is a psychological suspense novel of the first order. In the sessions between Tom and Danny emerges a chilling portrait of a true psychopath- although right until the end the reader questions, as Tom is constantly questioning, what is truth and what is fiction. The final session is positively menacing. It is the author’s answer to at least some of those questions- yes people can be evil, and all to frequently no, there is no justice for children.
Border Crossing is one of those books that will stay with the reader for a long, long time.
Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
As this dark, fast, and chilling novel begins, Tom Seymour, a clinical psychiatrist specializing in violent children, rescues a young man who has fallen into the river near Tom's home in northern England. The young man turns out to be Danny Miller, whom Tom met in a professional capacity thirteen
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years earlier, when Danny was only ten. In fact, Tom had testified at Danny's murder trial-and it was his expert opinion that effectively put Danny behind bars. Now Danny is back in Tom's life, but is this reunion really a coincidence? And was Tom correct in affirming, all those years ago, that Danny knew right from wrong, knew the implications of his actions, and knew he was committing murder? And what exactly does Danny want from Tom, now that Tom has agreed to help him sort out his troubled past? Border Crossing is a disturbing yet subtle psychological thriller that explores the nature of evil, the possibility of redemption, and the often overlapping problems of truth and identity. Show Less
LibraryThing member SmithSJ01
This was a great book to read and quite chilling but in a very calm manner. Tom Seymour unthinkily pulls a suicide victim out of the river; it turns out he is a child murderer who he gave evidence against. Danny Miller was 10 years old when he murdered Lizzy, a 78 year old who lived with her cats.
Tom is a child psychologist working in the north of England. He is increasingly unhappy about the evidence he gave at the trial and it's unclear whether Danny set up his suicide attempt in order to meet up again with Tom.
Although Danny is now out of prison he wants time with Tom, just to talk, not official sessions. He has a new name and a new identity but the past always has a way of coming back to haunt those involved.
Good writing, convincing characters and a chilling (but very real) plot.
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Tom is a child psychologist working in the north of England. He is increasingly unhappy about the evidence he gave at the trial and it's unclear whether Danny set up his suicide attempt in order to meet up again with Tom.
Although Danny is now out of prison he wants time with Tom, just to talk, not official sessions. He has a new name and a new identity but the past always has a way of coming back to haunt those involved.
Good writing, convincing characters and a chilling (but very real) plot.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TomSlee
I'm not a big one for 20th century British realism but Pat Barker can really write. This doesn't have the scope of the Regeneration trilogy, but the story of a child-murderer and a psychologist who gave a clinical assessment in his trial is gripping and moves quickly. I wonder if it was inspired by
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the Bulger case perhaps - also 10 years old, also granted anonymity upon release, although different in other ways? Show Less
LibraryThing member abigail.ann
Slow to begin with, but increasingly emotional exploration of the boundaries between good and evil. Raises as many questions as answers, if not more. An interesting read for anyone interesting in delving into life's emotional rollercoasters.
LibraryThing member eleanor_eader
When child psychologist Tom Seymour pulls a young man, seemingly intent on suicide, from the river during an early-morning walk, he finds himself drawn back to the case of the child-murder of a 78 year old woman, a child whom Seymour helped convict. When Danny Miller asks for Seymour’s help in
Border Crossing doesn’t have the resonance of Barker’s astonishing Regeneration trilogy, but that’s not to suggest it doesn’t have its own gritty, disturbing impact. Barker is not only unafraid of exploring the darker recesses of the human psyche, but is especially adept at using it as a source of tension in her books. There’s also a genius of character-building at work here – it’s one thing to create someone who can deliver dialogue or move objects around a room, but Danny Miller’s memory, his motivations and the core of his character are the book, they are what the reader becomes invested in.
Pat Barker writes exceedingly well, and psychology is a subject on which she writes with great authority and a sympathetic touch that colours the reader’s impressions of her characters. I wouldn’t recommend this before Regeneration, because that truly was a masterpiece, but Border Crossing is very worthy of the author’s talents, and the reader’s time.
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confronting the truth of his past, Seymour’s ambivalent but fascinated agreement marks the point where borders begin to be crossed and labels such as ‘innocent’, ‘manipulative’ or ‘evil’ are blurred.Border Crossing doesn’t have the resonance of Barker’s astonishing Regeneration trilogy, but that’s not to suggest it doesn’t have its own gritty, disturbing impact. Barker is not only unafraid of exploring the darker recesses of the human psyche, but is especially adept at using it as a source of tension in her books. There’s also a genius of character-building at work here – it’s one thing to create someone who can deliver dialogue or move objects around a room, but Danny Miller’s memory, his motivations and the core of his character are the book, they are what the reader becomes invested in.
Pat Barker writes exceedingly well, and psychology is a subject on which she writes with great authority and a sympathetic touch that colours the reader’s impressions of her characters. I wouldn’t recommend this before Regeneration, because that truly was a masterpiece, but Border Crossing is very worthy of the author’s talents, and the reader’s time.
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LibraryThing member joellalibrarything
Read this in 24 hours -- addictive reading which leaves you with food for thought. Specifically, what was it like being 10?
LibraryThing member kaylol
I expected a better ending and a bit more drama but is still was a great book!
LibraryThing member YossarianXeno
The core of this novel is about a child convicted of a murder at the age of ten, and impact upon him of his sentence and attitudes to him when released. The writing displays all of the hallmarks of the highly accomplished writing that readers of Pat Barker's World War One novels have come to
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expect. The story is crisply told and the characters vividly brought to life without any sentimentalism. In what is a relatively short book - just over 200 pages - several themes are convincingly addressed. But for all that, though it was interesting to read, it wasn't compelling, like for example Barker's superb Regeneration Trilogy. It is well worth reading, but I doubt very much I'll ever be tempted to read it again. Show Less
LibraryThing member Clurb
Disappointing and slightly contrived.
LibraryThing member annbury
By no means is this novel up to her Regeneration trilogy, but it is still a fascinating and absorbing read. In the end, not much happens, but that's life.
LibraryThing member JediJane
I love Pat Barker but I honestly couldn't put this one down. This is a real departure from her usual subject matter, but Barker is extremely deft at getting to the uncomfortable heart of psychological conflict and treatment. Stunning.
LibraryThing member dalzan
On a gray September afternoon, Tom and Lauren Seymour are walking along the riverbank arguing about the state of their failing marriage when a young man, after swallowing a bottle of pills, jumps into the river in front of them. Tom rescues the would-be suicide and later discovers that he has saved
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Danny Miller, a convicted murderer. A child psychologist, Tom had testified 13 years earlier at the then ten-year-old Danny's trial. Did his expert testimony, as Danny believes, sway the jury's verdict and send the boy to prison? Now released and living under an assumed name, Danny asks Tom to help him confront his childhood traumas, especially the murder of the old woman for which he is blamed. Still retaining a trace of guilt about the trial (perhaps Danny was as innocent as he claimed), Tom agrees and soon crosses the border between professional detachment and personal involvement. This is a subtle psychological tale with an edge of menace. Is Danny a victim or a manipulative psychopath? Barker also captures the grittiness and bleak beauty of England's north and its people. Show Less
LibraryThing member Beamis12
In clear, concise and straightforward prose, Barker gives us another psychological novel, this time about a possible child killer. Was the ten year old convicted of killing an 80 yr. old woman, or was he in fact innocent. This is something psychiatrist Tom Seymour must ascertain, not once but
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twice. The suspense in this book was amazing and the subject matter so fascinating. What makes a psychopath or sociopath? I also like that the ending is not all spelled out and some of it is left to the reader's interpretation, though with plenty of clues. Actually downloaded this author's latest book, "Toby's Room" to my kindle. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cariola
I loved Barker's Regeneration trilogy and her other historical novels. This one takes a quite different turn, and I can't say that it appealed to me at all. The main character, a psychiatrist, saves a young man from drowning in a suicide attempt, and to his surprise, he recognizes a former patient
Border Crossing is described in blurbs as a psychological thriller--which probably explains why it did nothing at all for me.
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against whom he had testified in a murder trial. Danny Miller, then ten years old, was convicted of killing an old woman, in large part on the basis of Tom Seymour's testimony. But over the years, he began to question his own analysis. When Danny asks to see Tom professionally in order to come to terms with his past, the lives of both are affected. Border Crossing is described in blurbs as a psychological thriller--which probably explains why it did nothing at all for me.
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LibraryThing member saschenka
Child psychiatrist Tom Seymour is forced to reexamine his role at the trial of child murderer Danny Miller when the adult Danny is released and arranges for Tom to rescue him from attempted suicide by drowning. Pyromaniac who tries to drown himself (water as rebirth); childless protagonist 'births'
Ambivalence of involvement - how much is enough? Our breaks with the past: "In spite of the connecting thread of memory, the person who'd done that was not sufficiently like his present self for him to feel guilt." Is charm manipulative or just personality? "Danny wasn't breaking the rules. They were. He was very, very good at getting people to step across that invisible border." Are we really to blame if people respond to us? Duality - "That smile...[it] was enough to make an atheist believe in damnation."
Danny tries to challenge each of 3 core factors posed at trial: could he 1) distinguish between fantasy and reality (playing soldiers)? 2) understand that killing was wrong (soldier father, in or outside the circle)? 3) understand death is permanent (fear of still seeing the dead woman)? When Tom was 10 yrs old, a normal boy, yet could have killed a 4 yr old, knowing what he was doing, and possibly comprehending the permanence of it, yet children lack perfect control of the 'off' switch, the ability to stop themselves in mid action.
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new Danny (Ian): "The mud smelt sharp and strong. He was concious of his skin chafing against his wet clothes, and he was filled with joy." The elusive nature of boundaries: for Tom, border crossings re love (separating from wife, realizes present feelings tint past memory), responsibility (between professional and personal); Danny's re sanity ('normal', mentally ill, evil). Ambivalence of involvement - how much is enough? Our breaks with the past: "In spite of the connecting thread of memory, the person who'd done that was not sufficiently like his present self for him to feel guilt." Is charm manipulative or just personality? "Danny wasn't breaking the rules. They were. He was very, very good at getting people to step across that invisible border." Are we really to blame if people respond to us? Duality - "That smile...[it] was enough to make an atheist believe in damnation."
Danny tries to challenge each of 3 core factors posed at trial: could he 1) distinguish between fantasy and reality (playing soldiers)? 2) understand that killing was wrong (soldier father, in or outside the circle)? 3) understand death is permanent (fear of still seeing the dead woman)? When Tom was 10 yrs old, a normal boy, yet could have killed a 4 yr old, knowing what he was doing, and possibly comprehending the permanence of it, yet children lack perfect control of the 'off' switch, the ability to stop themselves in mid action.
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Pages
352
ISBN
0374181152 / 9780374181154