I’m torn by this book. I liked most of the story itself, but I’m uncomfortable with the author writing from the perspective of a child with autism when she doesn’t have autism and doesn’t personally know anyone with autism, outside of those she said she interviewed to write this book. This, of course, begs bigger questions about writing, but I don’t want to go too deep into that here. So, I find myself in the position of not knowing exactly how to review it. But, I’ll do my best, and you can make your own decision.
A hiker gets lost in the woods during a powerful storm and stumbles into someone else’s cabin, hoping to be rescued. Instead, she finds Cecilia, clutching a knife, bent over Nick, her husband, who is covered in blood. Because Nick is near death and Cecilila is in shock and unable (or unwilling) to speak, what no one knows until hours later when they manage to reach Cecilia and Nick’s college-age daughter (who has a serious problem with trying to binge drink away her problems) over the phone is that their 11-year-old nonverbal, autistic son is missing and lost in the bad weather. Even as search parties are sent out, though, Theo is found hiding under her house by Rose, an 85-year-old woman who lives alone in a cottage, where she talks to her deceased sister and lives with the memories of their brother who also had autism and spoke by signing, just like Theo does. Unfortunately, even as Rose knows she needs to get help, she lives off the grid — for reasons that will eventually become clear — and there’s a storm of the century raging outside, so she can’t tell anyone where Theo is.
Rose’s character was very interesting, although the similarities between Theo and her brother seemed a bit much, especially as the author kept emphasizing that every person living with autism is different. But, as the story continues, her history is very sad, and it’s almost no wonder that she’s living as far away from anyone else as she can.
Kaycee, Theo’s big sister, was another interesting character. She’s in a dead-end relationship with a partner who was arguably emotionally abusive, and spends most evenings drinking away her guilt for leaving her brother and her sadness because she felt neglected by her mother. But she definitely grows during the book, and stops acting like a tantruming child and more like an adult.
On the other hand, I had a lot of trouble with Cecilia’s character. While she did experience trauma, it was nowhere near what was implied during most of the book, especially compared to Rose’s history, and her refusal to speak just seemed to be a plot device so Kaycee and Rose could grow. As a mother, this seemed like the least believable part of the whole book.
Overall, the story here was fine, and I even liked the writing in the chapters from Theo’s point of view — maybe more than any of the other characters since Theo may have been the least predictable story. However, especially when it came to end with Theo, the message surrounding autism left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange for my honest review. It did not influence my opinion.