Although Chinese Handcuffs is about many different subjects, too many according to critics of the book, the overriding theme is healing from emotional trauma. What happens to Dillon, who witnesses his brother's suicide, and Jennifer, the victim of not just sexual abuse but almost a campaign of terror by her stepfather, is not the stuff of typical young adult "problem" novels; it is much harsher. With this book, Crutcher shows teens who are drowning in pain, and it is only through letting go and making connections that they can rise above it, much the same as a person seeks to escape the party favor Chinese handcuffs by getting help. Crutcher told Jenkinson that for many teens real life deals with "overloads."

In telling the story of characters as damaged as Dillon and Jennifer, Crutcher communicates a message about overcoming pain: ghastliness does not negate...