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Daniel isn't talkingShelf life: Looking at secular booksDANIEL ISN'T TALKING THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT The number of children being diagnosed as autistic has risen rapidly in the last 20 years; most of us will have come across a child or adult on the autistic spectrum. These two books tackle the reality and struggles of autism in an up front way, and could form a starting point for Christians to think about the condition. We need to be ready to relate to autistic people and their families in a godly and informed way. Marti Leimbach's book comes out of her personal experience as a mother of an autistic child. It is no surprise, then, that she writes with passion and, at times, great authenticity. Her story starts in the weeks before the diagnosis of Daniel’s autism, not long before his first birthday. Melanie, his mother and our protagonist is overwrought with worry and exhaustion, her near breakdown exacerbated by her husband's denial that anything is wrong. Her characterisation is a strong point, an American in London she struggles with the peculiarites and nonsenses of the class system, and feels excluded by school gate mums. Melanie is filled with an intense, determined love for Daniel, she sells off the furniture to pay for therapists, and absorbs herself utterly in her children. Her husband's departure is noticed for the financial pressures that arrive and for how the children miss him, but Melanie herself seems unmoved. I am told that the author's descriptions of Daniel's behaviour are very acute, and his portrayal shows clearly the agonising reality of life with autism. However, I found other aspects of the novel less convincing. Melanie's husband and his family, her brother and his partner (who has a sanctuary for emotionally disturbed parrots) all seemed rather cardboard and the optimistic ending felt far too neat. The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night, published in 2004 to wide acclaim, is a very different kind of book. This novel has as its narrator a teenager with Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism in which the sufferer has great difficulty in communicating with others. This story too has a happy ending, but one which is convincing and which comes at the end of a compelling narrative. By using the voice of Christopher Boone, Mark Haddon allows us to enter into the experience of Aspergers and empathise with his condition; we are able to understand the rigorous logic of his mind and the pressures of living close up to other people who seem so illogical. There is humour here too and suspense as Christopher untangles what is going on in the lives of his parents. In common with Daniel isn't Talking, the genuine courage and great effort of autistic people as they reach beyond themselves is portrayed compassionately. This book is superb. Sarah Allen© Evangelicals Now - May 2006 |