In the Spider's Web is set in Ash Meadow, a prison for children in
Washington State. The story centers on Caitlin Weber, a girl who, in
collusion with her mother and four other children, murdered her mother's
employer. While the murder is briefly depicted, it is with what happens
afterward to two of the perpetrators, particularly Caitlin, that the
story is primarily focused.
Arrested less than a week following the murder, Caitlin and her best
friend, Sonia, are charged as adults and each sentenced to 22 years in
prison. Caitlin was 13 years old; Sonia was 14 years and one week old.
Neither had been in legal trouble before. Upon sentencing, they were
sent to Ash Meadow where they would stay until they turned 18. Then they
would be transferred to Purdy, a prison for adult women, to serve the
remainder of their sentences. In the Spider's Web focuses on Caitlin's
experience in Ash Meadow and on her relationship with Jerry, her
rehabilitation counselor (and the author of this book). Part I of the
book provides the reader with a feel for the prison environment that
awaits Caitlin, and introduces the reader to the staff and inmates of
the Maximum Security unit where Caitlin will live for most of her time
in Ash Meadow. Part I also introduces the reader to the relationships
between staff, and between staff and the administrators who govern the
prison, which relationships will have an effect on Caitlin.
Part II begins with Caitlin's arrival at the prison and the start of her
relationship with Jerry. The relationship is rocky at first, because
Jerry has the same name and is around the same age as the man Caitlin
helped to kill. Although Jerry does not know this at first, Caitlin is
effectively haunted by her victim. She is assailed by guilt over what
she did, and anger toward her mother whose idea the murder was. She
struggles with depression and has contemplated suicide. She wants t deny
responsibility for her role in the murder and resents Jerry for bringing
up the past when she wants to forget it. But as their relationship
progresses, they develop respect and even love for each other, she for
him because he does not judge her and because she senses that in some
way he is like her; he for her because, despite her sometimes feeling
overwhelmed by prison life, something in her insists that she keep
trying to better herself, to make life tolerable for herself even in
confinement. He is the surrogate for the father who abandoned her when
she was small, and she is the daughter he lost when he was divorced.
Eventually Caitlin is transferred to the adult prison at Purdy and Jerry
resigns from his job. In an epilogue, the reader sees that their
relationship, while changed, continues. Leonard Chang, author of
Triplines and Over the Shoulder, provides this testimonial: In the
Spider's Web takes a penetrating look into the lives of juvenile
prisoners caught in their traumatized circumstances and struggling to
maintain a semblance of normalcy. Jerome Gold has transformed his years
of experience as a rehab counselor into a riveting and important
narrative, offering insight into a difficult world that is at times
harrowing as well as deeply moving. This is a resonant and significant
book.
Note: In the Spider's Web is the second book to be published
concerning the author's experience as a counselor in Ash Meadow. The
first book was published under the title Paranoia & Heartbreak:
Fifteen Years in a Juvenile Facility. A third book is underway.
