Whale Talk

Infobox Book |
name = Whale Talk
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Chris Crutcher
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Young adult novel
publisher = Laurel-Leaf Books
release_date = 2001
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 220 pp
isbn = ISBN 0440229383
preceded_by = Ironman
followed_by = The Sledding Hill

"Whale Talk" is a novel by young adult writer Chris Crutcher. It is narrated by The Tao "T.J." Jones, an adopted Asian-African-American teenager living in Cutter, Washington, a fictional location described in the novel as being within the Pacific Northwest's Inland Empire, about 50 miles outside of Spokane.

Plot summary

The story takes place in Spokane, Washington. T.J. lives there his adopted parents, John Paul Jones and Abby Jones. He attends Cutter High School, which prides itself heavily on the physical achievements of its students, and thrives on the winnings of the football and basketball teams. He is confronted with many issues, such as his father's guilt of accidentally killing a baby. The father dies by being shot in the end.

During the year, T.J. meets a little girl named Heidi. Her step-dad is the Wolverines Too alumni leader, the evil, drunken Rich Marshall, who is abusive towards Heidi’s mom, Alicia, and her kids. T.J. has already had a bad experience with Rich when he killed a baby deer from right underneath T.J. When Alicia and her kids are sheltered at the Jones’ house, Rich pulls a stunt to get them back.

The third plot point is T.J.’s dad, who, when he was a truck driver, accidentally ran over a toddler. The baby climbed under the truck because nobody was watching him. The incident haunted him terribly for years afterward, and he still occasionally falls into depression over the issue. Despite this, he remains a kind and patient man, and even keeps his cool when Marshall mocks his accident cruelly.

Characters in "Whale Talk"

Main Character

The main character in the story is The Tao Jones. His biological mother named him after a book based on the religion Taoism. To avoid confusion and humiliation, he goes by T.J. He is the narrator in the novel. He is adopted by people with the last name Jones, whom he calls Mom and Dad. T.J. is a virtuoso athlete, and is caring toward people who deserve to be cared for.

Others

T.J.’s swim team consists of the characters Chris Coughlin, Tay-Roy Kibble, Andy Mott, Jackie Craig, Simon DeLong, and Dan Hole. Each one is unpopular before joining the swim team. The coaches of the swim team are Simet, a teacher, and Oliver Van Zandt, also known as Icko, who lives at the gym where the swim team works out. Rich Marshall is the big antagonist in the story. He is ominous and is known for his viciousness and his visits to jail for his acts. Mike Barbour is also an antagonist and bullies people at the school. Heidi is the daughter of Rich Marshall's "wife," Alicia, who is a minority like T.J.; both have problems with Rich Marshall.

External links

* [http://www.chriscrutcher.com/ Chris Crutcher's Homepage]