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Junior
Faber
Paperback £5.99
ISBN: 0571218245
Reviewed by Linda Kempton
[Armadillo 6.3 Autumn 2004]
This is a story about what it's like to have someone different in the family. In this case, Troy, a boy of nine who has some form of autism; we must presume this as we're never told directly. We see things through the long-suffering eyes of Claire, his older sister and middle child. It's Claire who must help with the chores and be the babysitter. It's Claire who gets ignored, sandwiched as she is between Troy and her glamorous, clever, totally selfish older sister. And in times of need there's Clarry, Claire's alter ego, who utters words of wisdom, comfort and advice. Comfort is also to be found in the watching of horror films with friends: "Horror always seems so safe to me after home life with Troy."
Troy is a brilliant mathematician, obsessed with numbers and his own inner world. He does exactly as he wants, says exactly what he thinks and doesn't need friends. What he does need is order, routine, predictability, although these are exactly the opposite of what he inflicts on his family. I found myself cringing at some of the chaos he causes, both at home and in the neighbourhood. Gene Kemp gives us a powerful sense of what it must be like to live in a family dominated by the anti-social behaviour of one member, and to be alienated from a community by a child who is not only different, but whose behaviour impinges negatively on other people's lives and property. Troy is not deliberately naughty; he just doesn't, and can't, see the world in the same way that others see it.
Mum denies there's anything wrong with Troy and his school regards him merely as a very naughty, disruptive boy; which he is of course. I found it hard to believe though, that in an age where autism is well recognized, that nobody had even thought that there might be more to Troy's behaviour than mere naughtiness, or that nobody had noticed his brilliance at maths. Maths obsesses him totally; how can the school have missed that? Apart from this, and a rather rushed ending, this is an enjoyable, well-paced book that should prove popular with upper primary, lower secondary readers.