I did not read anything about this book before starting it
so I had no preconception about its content. I did not even really pick up on
the fact that the main character Ginny, had Aspergers until Jennifer and I
spoke outside one morning. She had
posted a comment about the book and a related article in the Post. At that point I was only three chapters into
the book and realized Ginny has issues but had not determined what those were. I will admit that I learned about the
syndrome along with Ginny. I have a
former colleague/friend whose daughter was diagnosed with Aspergers at age
seven. He talked about how she was shy, didn’t like to have change, etc. but he
and his wife were taken aback by the diagnosis. I imagine Amanda was feeling
the same thing when she thought her daughter might also have the disorder.
Coping mechanisms are something we all rely on to get
through life. Imagine not being able to determine why you felt this way. Why
did you memorize the dictionary but were unable to hold regular, flowing
conversations with people? Why did you like to touch things but not be touched?
(I will admit that I first thought she might be an abused child or even a
mentally challenged one until I got a bit farther into the book.) I found it
interesting that she loved cooking and think I know why—regiment, preciseness
and a feeling of control over something must have been a welcome reward.
I was surprised that I found the ghost thing working, even believable
for this story. The recipes made sense
to her and she needed to make sense of the world she was now facing. What better way than to cook up the deceased
to help her make sense of the present and look toward the future. With each new recipe she found answers to
questions, or questions to answer. Once
that task was accomplished the recipe no longer brought forth the
ancestor. I thought it was unique that
each ghost dissipated as the aroma of the recipe waned. Don’t our memories of loved ones disappear as
time goes on? Their place in our hearts
is constant but we begin to forget their looks, their voices, their scent just
as we forget a recipe after the prep work is done, the food eaten and the clean
up completed. The aroma may stay in the house for a while like a fresh baked
pie or even bacon but until the next encounter we may not be able to adequately
describe the feeling we get from eating that item.
I am not surprised that her father also had the syndrome. It
seems to run in families much like other neurological disorders including MS.
While the doctors are quick to point out these are not hereditary they do say
they are genetic. I fail to note a significant difference between the two. I wonder if Ginny failed to notice the same
traits in her father that she exhibited since she could not look him in the eye
any more than he could her.
Mostly, I enjoyed the use of the word normal. Normal is as normal does according to another
famous character (paraphrased, of course).
When asked what she had I loved the response of personality! She did indeed. I was thrilled she and her
sister came to an understanding and that a year later she was indeed
maintaining normal! She was creating
recipes, not relying on them to bring back ghosts. She was also reaching out—sometimes symbolically
as to Gert and other times in reality as for her family. I may even recommend this book to my friends
whose daughter has this diagnosis. A
very positive book and a great reminder that normal takes on many roles, one
just has to find which one fits.
No comments:
Post a Comment