Reviewed by Ian Lipke
Helena Fox has written a book called the quiet and the loud. This tells the story of a little girl called George who is autistic. The story begins with a strange happening, where George’s father, on a camping trip, takes her into the middle of a lake, slips overboard and swims away, leaving the frightened little girl to take care of herself. She is soon in danger of drowning but is rescued by other campers and her father who turns up at the last minute.
George is too young to read any significance into what has just occurred, but most readers will realise that the father was trying to divest himself of an awkward problem, a little girl with autism. No further attempts are made on her life. She is absorbed into a loving family and builds the usual relationships among her peers.
It would be more accurate to say that Helena Fox constructs a novel. The book has been written with a specific audience in mind. First it is a simple story – there are no climaxes, no periods of high drama, just a simple story of a young girl interacting with her friends with particular emphasis on a girl called Calliope who becomes remarkably close to George.
While much of the story is bland, there are dramatic episodes which George is called upon to deal with. One example is the addiction of her father to drink. George sees this sickness as hers and it takes a good talking from her elder sister, Mel, to release her from the pressures under which she was labouring.
‘You don’t have to hold it in or hide it. You don’t have to look after everyone, or protect people who have hurt you. Not at your own expense. You’ve a right to be upset, to be wobbly as hell…
She’s right
She’s right
She’s right say the paintings and walls and the streaks of paint on the floor and the land beneath it.’ (330)
Throughout the book a simple sentence construction occurs. There are no long tortuous sentences.
Calliope grins, suddenly, “Wait, Are you – “
Laz says, “Did you just – “
“ – dating Adesh?” finishes Calliope.
“ – come home from England?” says Laz.
They look at each other.
“Shit! Yes!” says Laz./
“Yeah! A month ago.” Calliope laughs.
“Ha!” says Laz. “What a fucking tiny world!” (49).The sentences are short, dialogue in this case. The speech patterns are that which one would expect from young unsupervised children. No attempt has been made to place the author’s values upon the language.
Furthermore, there is a very careful use of space, so that the language appears to be painted on the page. For some reason, not known to this reviewer, the latter part of the book reverts in places to standard English but this changes very rapidly back to the former style. By the time we reach the end of the book, we know a fair amount about autism, through the auspices of George and are no longer frightened of it. It is no coincidence that George’s father attempted to drown her at the beginning of the book when autism was an unknown quantity.
A fascinating book that all people should read.
(2023)
Helena Fox
Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 978-1-76098-302-4
$19.99; 402pp