The Roots Run Deep

by Chris Strong

The Roots Run Deep, follows a group of childhood best friends who reunite in their mid-twenties when one of them has a failed suicide attempt. In order to show their struggling friend his life is still worth living, the group decides to embark on an epic road trip that was once a childhood promise. Intertwined with moments throughout their youth that depict the closeness and freedom they once had, the individual battles of adulthood each of them internalize begin to surface. The friends soon realize this trip isn’t for one of them but for all of them.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Book Club, Drama, Novels, Adult Fiction

242 pages, Paperback

Published March 23, 2024

About the author

I am a Las Vegas native who attended the University of San Diego before heading to flight school where I became a licensed commercial pilot. Now, I find myself happier when I’m typing away endlessly on my laptop writing with my pups beside me than I ever am in the skies. I aim to write stories that make people feel a little less alone.

Follow along with my writing journey on TikTok @cstrongstories

I am currently a self published author.

Reviews

[haylz · Rating 5 out of 5]

i seriously can’t explain it but, i absolutely loved this. i stumbled across this book on someone’s april reading wrap up and it piqued my interest and i looked it up to find it was on kindle unlimited so downloaded it immediately. this was such an emotional but beautiful book and ill be thinking about it for awhile

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a powerful, emotionally impactful story about friendship, growing pains, and the struggles of mental health, this book is for you.

I cannot count the amount of times this book had me tearing up throughout it because these characters and their struggles are so real and things that so many people face every single day. Even though I cried, I laughed as well because there’s still happy moments to be found all throughout the book, another very realistic aspect of life.

I loved the bond of the friendship, the mental health representation, I loved it all. It was truly a beautiful journey from start to finish.

[Isabella]

A beautiful story about the power of friendship & the focus on men’s mental health is especially cool.

[Jessica Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional and powerful book.

[jezebel knox · Rating 5 out of 5]

the pacing was so well done, had me hooked from page one. this book will stick with me for a long time, the friendship all five of them share was so incredible, i fell in love with the way they all rode with each other. almost cried, that plot twist what the heck?!

excited for what the author writes next!

[Jessica Behrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

How on earth did this author pack this much emotion, this much heartbreak, happiness, etc. into 230 pages?!?

This book spoke to my soul and touched my heart on more than one occasion. I can’t give this enough stars.

[catrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although the book covers important topics, it was so poorly written that it didn't give the impact that the author meant to give.

Each chapter follows the same formula: an opening paragraph that attempts to be descriptive, way too many elementary similes and metaphors, so much dialogue, and a sprinking of typos. This book is the definition of "tell and not show."

The characters and their backstory were not well fleshed out and that's probably partly due to the fact that book is like 90% dialogue. And for a book that deals with the topic of suicide, I feel like it lacked a lot of nuance. Everything felt very surface level and lacked any kind of emotional depth.

[Megan Rohall · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was so sweet i loved all of the characters but i just couldn't make sense of a book being so lazily edited and then published with so many grammatical and spelling errors and so many missing words. I wish i could have given this a higher rating.

[Hayley Edgerley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story had potential but didn’t live up to it. Felt like it was written by a high schooler and self-edited. Covered some heavy topics but didn’t really deal with the nuance of them / tried to wrap them up too neatly.

[Nick Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️ The overall story was a good story. I being 27 related to a lot of what was in this book growing up and being the same age as these childhood best friends. The parallels of how they grew up and me were very similar so it was cool to see that in a book.

The themes I also felt were important and done in a good way of balancing trying to be helpful but not pushy when it comes to suicide. This book is very much character driven.

The books felt like an elementary version of A Little Life. Handling some of the same topics and it being character driven made me think back to that book.

The only thing that made me not fully love this book was the elementary style writing in the dialog between the characters. When they were young it didn’t bother me since kids talk that way towards each other. But the way they spoke when they were older didn’t feel authentic to how young adults would actually speak. They also used a lot of popular phrases all throughout the book which made the dialog come off as more cheesy and corny vs real and authentic.

The ending of the book is what saved the book for me. I did like how it overall came to a conclusion and the lessons each character took from this whole story of a friends life.

Characterization 4
POV 4
Setting 3
Events / Situations 3
Dialogue 2
Description 3
Style 4

[NurseKelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A strong debut novel, this story follows five childhood best friends back & forth in time through their lives. There are twists & turns, huge life choices & the raw reality of the struggle of mental health crises. I was immediately pulled in to their stories & their bond. The writing style can be a bit simplistic at times & while the content is certainly deep & honest, angles of their emotions about all of it don’t feel fully flushed out or articulated for me. Still a fantastic read & I will absolutely read any follow up books by this author.

[sheela · Rating 5 out of 5]

”We’ll be there for each other. We’ll allow space for us to be open with each other about the things we don’t even want to face ourselves,” Sean tells them. “None of us need to feel isolated anymore.” They all agree to it. “It’s so crazy,” Izzy says. “What is?” West asks. “I had to drive a thousand miles in a tin can with all of you to understand I was never alone.”

This was short, impactful, and flawlessly executed. Zero complaints. If you liked A Little Life, you should definitely read this.

[Sarah Perl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Quick read that highlights mens’ mental health and how the best of friends are more like family. It was so sweet and although I predicted the ending, it was still so fricken sad. I think this could’ve been written and edited better, but there was also something about the childishness of it that made it charming. 4.5 ⭐️

Just have tissues ready 🥹

[Ella Nadolski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful story I absolutely loved it and highly recommend

[Matthew Heckler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood illusions, revealed true characters by defining action & intervention of the crew

[Morgan Feyko · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was starting to lose me a little but it was worth sticking around for. The ending had me crying more than I’d like to admit!

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

i got bored of this really fast however i don’t give up so i tried again, and i regret nothing

[Jonathan Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ this book😢

[Victoria Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the twist, and felt that it was easy to read for an emotional topic, however it wasn’t always written the best.

[Gary Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story about a group of friends over the years. Poignant and well written .

[Jeffrey Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put the book down once I started to read it. I thought I had it figured out then there were the plot twists. First page to the last page was very well written and I could relate to the characters pain and struggles. I haven’t read a book in years and now I want to start reading again. Well down Christopher.

[Marjorie Meana-Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an exceptionally emotional, thrilling , and awesome cliffhanger this book was. True friendships, mental health issues, loneliness, and family ties,
mirror what people go through in their lives. I love the concept of using dates as chapter titles.
I was emotional especially the last 5-6 chapters! Pre teens through adulthood can relate to this book .

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story about friendship. Get your tissues ready. 💔🏔️

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had so much potential, read like a high school essay.

[Robin Goodfellow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.

The Roots Run Deep, by Chris Strong, is a bittersweet, psychological drama about learning to treasure life despite the mental agony life throws at you. West, Izzy, Buddy, Sean, and June are childhood friends who promise each other they will one day go to Mt. Hood. As responsibilities overtake their childhood, with adulthood twisting them into the bleak realization that innocence won't last forever, Izzy is consumed by his inner demons. When the group learns of his suicide attempt, they decide to make due on their promise and show Izzy that there are things worth living for, even if they might not believe it themselves.

I love how close everyone is, even after they’ve gone and grown up. My husband was a military brat, and he’d never been able to motivate himself to have relationships outside of his family until he hit Texas. I'm guilty of letting friendships die; if you’re not physically near me, you might as well not exist. So I appreciate the way Sean reached out to everyone. It’s the same with Buddy and June; they’re largely successful in their own way, and even though the loneliness was barreling down at them, they refused to give in. They kept moving forward. They chose to be connected to people. It was even reflected in the professions they’ve taken.

The same can’t be said for Izzy and West. I feel that by the time West decided to go on his vacation, he was probably headed down the same path Izzy was. It might not be to the same extent, but he was isolated. Shame haunted him, and even though he tried to play the clown, he was clearly hurting just as much as Izzy was. I like how open-ended Strong made West’s ending; he might not know what his purpose is, but he is able to move forward. He is relatable in a way that stings, but he also shows that even if you’re stalling, life goes on. The world will continue spinning with or without you. Whether or not you decide to join the bandwagon is up to you. 

Strong deals with grief in this book in a way that respects the characters and the readers. As a child, the world is in the palm of your hands. Sometimes you’re so overconfident that you dive headfirst without understanding what you’ve signed up for. Other times, you’re desperate for some path, any path, and you decide to follow the one your parents have handed to you. And even still, there are times you’re lost, and confused about everyone and everything around you. You don’t know who you are, don’t know who to trust, and life is threatening to take you under. I don’t think people realize the amount of pain that older folks go through and the regrets that they have. Would they have done something different when they were younger? Do they wish to go back to a time when things were more simple? I’m not sure. My husband does a lot. Regardless, it's a grief that every adult goes through. I guess that is why you need loved ones to keep you grounded, a community you can call your own. It prevents you from getting swept away. 

And not to spoil anything, but I find it ironic that the person closest to death is the one that has the most life to live. 

I enjoyed this book, and as such, I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

[Lexia Brockett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Roots Run Deep is a captivating exploration of friendship, adulthood, and mental health.

The story delves into the profound bond shared by a diverse group of friends, forged in the innocence of childhood and tested by the challenges of adulthood. The narrative skillfully weaves between past and present, offering glimpses into the carefree days they once enjoyed together juxtaposed with the challenges of growing up.

Through introspective moments and candid conversations, the novel delves into themes of mental health, identity, and the weight of expectations. The characters are flawlessly portrayed with their vulnerabilities laid bare, making them relatable and compelling to the reader.

The pacing is expertly crafted, building tension and anticipation while allowing for moments of reflection and introspection.

What sets this novel apart is its exploration of the collective journey of healing and growth. While the initial purpose of the road trip is to save their friend, it gradually becomes evident that each of them is dealing with something. Through shared experiences and mutual support, they confront their past traumas and grapple with the uncertainties of the future together.

This novel is a testament to the enduring power of friendship, the transformative nature of adulthood, and the importance of mental health. Chris Strong has crafted a compelling narrative that will linger in the hearts and minds of readers long after the final page is turned.

[Gina Murdoch · Rating 4 out of 5]

“As long as any of us have air in our lungs, you will be breathing too.”

I love a book that rips your heart out and makes you hyperventilate. What I don’t love is that it comes along with spelling and grammar errors. I suppose that’s what you get from a self-published novel (no offence to the author).

This story follows a group of 5 best friends-turned-family as they navigate their various adult grievances while reminiscing about their care-free childhood. When Izzy attempts to take his own life, the Cool Crew come together to live out their promise of a road trip to the mountains. Flipping from the past to the present, I quickly figured out how the book would end, but it didn’t make it any less heart-shattering. Hug your friends a little tighter.

[Sebastian Eddin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm thoroughly impressed by Chris' venture into authoring. Reading The Roots Run Deep took me back to my own memories of childhood, what I came to lose touch with growing up, and what I now struggle to once again introduce into my life. The bonds that were so important to me, and the promises made to those closest to me. I felt this read engage me in a way that has been lacking lately.

Never too forthcoming with the foreshadowing, yet just enough to give a glance of what is to come behind the veil. I recommend this book to anyone who is going through their own struggles alone, knowing that they have friends around them, yet hesitant to reach out to them.

I'm looking forward to the next one!

[Hanna Andersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ This was an emotional, heartfelt book that made me shed a few tears and i would recommend it to anyone who would relate to and/or want to read about depression, mental health struggles, growing pains in your 20’s, or friendships in general.

It’s a story of a group of friends in their 20’s who decide to go on a road trip in the midst of one of the friends going through a tragically hard time. The story flips through all of the friends POV’s and had timeline flashbacks of the friend group growing up. I liked the timeline flashbacks and became invested in the group dynamics and each of their own personal struggles.

Please read this book! It’s a quick read under 300 pages. Also the author is also from Las Vegas (like me) which I thought was cool

[Ella Tabulov · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ This story felt so real and captured the importance and beauty of friendship.

Although it was a shorter read, I connected to the characters quickly and related to their struggles of figuring out life during their 20s.

“His parents say he's still "finding his passion" when relatives ask what West is up to for work at the family gatherings. It's something he was always assured he'd figure out while he was growing up. Well, he's grown up, and he's still trying to figure it out.”

"We all have things we don't think anybody else will understand. And honestly, that's probably true. But we are all dealing with something."