As the parent of a daughter with autism, this book hit home for me. So many of the scenes described in the book registered memories of similar experiences I had with my own daughter. There's a lot that can be given away with just a few misplaced words, and I don't want to give any of the surprises away for future readers, but I will say that when Mason-Charles talks about meltdowns that leave scars on parents, both externally and internally, I know of what she speaks. So, she had me from chapter one.
The story is told from the perspective of a father with two autistic daughters, though the focus is really on only one of those girls. In the beginning, the daughter, Alexa, can only speak a handful of words. She is frustrated with the world around her, and that frustration comes out in the form of aggression. Her father continues to search for new therapies, new methods of addressing the challenges of autism, and eventually begins using Applied Behavior Analysis. This is a method that worked very well for my own daughter so it tells me the author knows what she is talking about. It was also great to see Mason-Charles pointing parents in the right direction who may still be searching for some form of hope. ABA has routinely shown promising results when utilized correctly with children with autism and any reader looking for an answer should probably start there.
The hope continues to grow as we follow Alexa's life. Any parent who is wondering what will become of their child with autism will find inspiration in the outcome of Alexa's journey. This is definitely an inspiring story, despite the way that it starts out.
And the darkness at the beginning of the story isn't solely due to the autism--there's more to the story than that. I found Mason-Charles's choice at the beginning regarding Alexa's mother and sister very intriguing and it helped to draw me into the story and move it along.
This is a very quick read. I read it in less than an hour. But it resinates, particularly if you have a child with autism. It will stick to you and keep you thinking.
I gave this book 4 stars. What kept it from 5 stars? Well, in a book this short, it is very difficult to fully develop the characters and the plot. There were several instances where I felt topics were skimmed or just touched on that could have been unraveled at a slower pace, which would have lent to the intrigue of the story. Likewise, because the story is told in first person, it's very difficult to understand the supporting characters without some deep conversation, and there really wasn't a lot of dialogue to help us see what was going on in the heads of the other characters, including Alexa. Anyone who could enlighten me as to what is going on inside the head of a child with autism would definitely score big points in my book. I wonder every day exactly what my daughter is thinking, and though I do get more clues now that she is older and more verbal, there are lots of times when I still have no idea what she is thinking. It would have been nice to have more glimpses into Alexa's thought process.
Overall, this is a great read and I highly recommend it. You can find my review here and check it out for yourself here. The current price is free, though it is regularly $2.99.
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