Deadline by Chris Crutcher

Horn Book (September/October, 2007)

After learning that he has a terminal disease and, at most, a year to live, eighteen-year-old Ben Wolf decides to keep the information to himself and to forgo all treatment, thinking that "my chances aren't about living, they're about living well." He changes sports from cross-country to football (now coached by Louie Banks, from Crutcher's Running Loose [rev. 8/83]) and becomes aggressive -- and successful -- in pursuing the smart and sexy Dallas Suzuki. He wants to "maximize his education" and becomes an autodidact, challenging what he sees as the meaningless drivel taught in high school. That Ben's social awareness parallels many of Crutcher's previous themes (freedom of speech, individual choice, free expression) will come as no surprise, but Ben's nothing-to-lose perspective allows both him and Crutcher to raise the stakes. As the year progresses, Ben realizes that his decision is more complicated than he first knew: by not revealing his secret, he's also lying to family and friends. Ben particularly worries about his younger brother, fellow football-player Cody. Can he survive without Ben, or will Ben's death allow him to stand on his own? Multiple subplots -- the most notable involving a guilty ex-priest -- don't always add to the story and can inch over the top. But Crutcher's latest is for the most part an exhilarating read that will make readers wonder about the meaning and worth of their own lives.

Publishers Weekly (July 16, 2007)

Ben Wolf, 18, goes in for a routine sports physical before his senior year and learns he has an aggressive form of leukemia and a year to live. In order to enjoy the rest of this witty and wise novel, readers will have to suspend disbelief at this point, because Ben decides to do nothing. ("I wouldn't recommend this for anyone else, but I'm not going out bald and puking.") He also chooses not to tell anyone and threatens legal action if his doctor breaches patient confidentiality. Readers will be treated to the thrilling last year of Ben's life, in which the 123-pounder ditches track for football so he can play alongside his brother, Cody, the team's star quarterback. Crutcher's oeuvre is full of plot-heavy novels; the issues crammed into this one include alcoholism, child molestation, absent/abusive parents, bigotry, teenage motherhood and depression. But the narrative never drowns in a sea of woe. With the help of Hey-Soos, a laidback confidant who appears in Ben's dreams, he parses the dilemmas his secret produces. Ben succeeds both on the gridiron and with the comely Dallas Suzuki. ("Submit this story to an editor and it's returned as too much fantasy even for fantasy," he says after she asks him to Homecoming.) Ben's voice often sounds distinctly like the author's, but here's predicting readers will not care one whit. The message at the core of Crutcher's latest-"Life's short. Do what you love."-is delivered inside an entertaining, thought-provoking tearjerker. Copyright 2007 Reed Business I