I'm not too sure whether Harlen Coben is a new author to me. I seem to think he is, since I don't really remember reading any of his books. Not that really means much nowadays. However, there is a ringing familiarity to a couple of them. I'm sure I have a couple, if not a few of his books downstairs.
Hold Tight piqued my interest before I even started reading the story. In the beginning, before the actual story started, there is disclaimer. Well, disclaimer might not be the right word. Usually it is a disclaimer but Coben claims that the equipment mentioned in the book are real. Now that was a little creepy.
Hold Tight begins with parents, Mike and Tia, who are about to place some sort of monitoring device onto their teenage son's computer where they see everything that their son goes into and every email that he gets. Invasion of privacy, anyone? Their validation is that their son's best friend committed suicide months ago and now he is withdrawn and sullen. Typical teenage, don't you think? Not the suicide part, but the other part. They go further with activating the GPS on his cell phone when he disappears - voluntarily.
Oh, there's the usual murder and mystery, too, but it's the above that really got me thinking about this book. Part of me, now that I'm a mom, makes me think "Wow, what a great idea!" Especially, the GPS part. But there really the invasion of privacy and trust that just doesn't seem right. Sure, one could argue that you want to keep them safe and not let them roam into things they shouldn't go into like porn, drugs or anything illegal. But where do you draw the line? The mom, Tia, says it is our job to protect our kids until they are old enough and then send them out into the world. And right now falls under the "until they are old enough" time frame. I totally understand what she is saying and where she is coming from. Would I think differently if I were not a mom? Maybe. Would I really want to monitor my children's computer activity? I think I would really want to, but would I do it? I think I would be hardpressed to cross the line. There's just something wrong about it. Puts a bad taste in my mouth. But I'm not in the situation where my son refuses to talk to me. What I think worries the parents more is the fact that his best friend committed suicide. As silly as it sounds, they are probably thinking is that their son might be harboring the same thoughts, like its contagious. You have to start wondering. That's why if they are not willing to talk to you, you will try your best to get into their minds. And apparently in this day and age, it's possible. Scarily possible. But where do you draw the line???? Typical teenage rebellion? Or cause for concern? Food for thought. This is why I would hope to really keep the communication lines open and not be oppressive to my children. I want my children to be able to come to be about anything and not be afraid to talk or ask. I know teenage years are going to be expected to be rebellious with peer pressure. That just goes without saying.
Hold tight just has a new meaning. B/c if you hold too tight they might just be scrambling to get away from you....
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