Characters on the spectrum ...

Some thoughts on two new books dealing with characters on the "autism spectrum:"

Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst is set at a family camp in New Hampshire.  Three families are joining their leader, Scott Bean, in order to run a camp for families with children who present special challenges.  Harmony is told from multiple viewpoints:

• Iris, an eleven year old girl whose older sister’s increasingly disruptive behavior is the primary reason for her family’s move;  
• Tilly, Iris’ sister whose narrative sections are less grounded in reality, but often surprisingly perceptive; and
• Alexandra, Mom to Tilly and Iris and wife to Josh, who is lonely and struggling to cope. Her sections are often in second person: “you grieve for the child you thought you were going to have, though maybe it’s also for the parent you thought you’d be.”  

The story is amazingly well-written and manages to share a number of insights about being a parent or sibling to someone with autism.  There are the attempts to show empathy: “When she’s having trouble with something - like now, as she begins to lose patience with how long it’s taking the food to arrive – try to look at things from her point of view. (Isn’t that what we keep saying she lacks? Okay, then, you try it first.)” And there is a sense of desperation and the increasing feeling of menace as the “core families” turn over their possessions and means of communication (electronic devices, car keys, hand written letters) to Scott. And throughout there is wonderful writing and wry observation: “Look at your Google History, and there it is, your mind, all its secret curves rolled out flat, like a map. Preoccupations and idle curiosities, mottled hopes and scribbled-out fantasies beating wildly on the screen.”

Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus; plus it was an Amazon Best Book for August 2016. Read an excerpt or find a Reading Guide at this link.

A second title, The Peculiar Miracles of Antoinette Martin by Stephanie Knipper, was a fine book, but honestly not one that really fits with the high school curriculum.  Two sisters, Rose and Lily, are estranged, but Rose’s heart condition means she must ask Lily to care for her mute daughter, Antoinette. 

I would recommend The Peculiar Miracles of Antoinette Martin for adult readers who are looking for a lighter, more entertaining book with some “romance.”  For students, however, I think that this debut novel would have been more of a success if it had focused much less on Lily’s love triangle and more on Antoinette’s situation.  There are stronger choices to explore autism, OCD, or family reaction to disabilities, including these fiction or non-fiction titles:

• Marcelo in the Real World (which is in the curriculum for some Senior classes)
• The Memory Keeper’s Daughter (used for Junior Theme) or
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time or
• Its. Nice. Outside. by local author Jim Kokoris
• In a Different Key (non-fiction comprehensive work) and
• Various wrings by and about Temple Grandin

Do you have a title to recommend from your summer reading?  Please let us know.