I’m having a hard time reconciling my opposing viewpoints
about Rain Reign by Ann Martin. It probably comes down to my dislike of books
about problem kids. So, I’m predisposed to find something I don’t like. But it’s
a good book with a strong plot and a likable narrator and I plan to share it
with at least one of my book clubs. Well, I might. Maybe. In any event, it’ll
probably be among the books talked about for the Newbery Award
Rose, our narrator, has been diagnosed with high-functioning
autism, sometimes called Asperger’s Syndrome [total aside, my kid’s
pediatrician believes that further research, especially in the area of genomic
testing, will show that autism and Asperger’s are not on the same “spectrum,”
but different syndromes with similarities]. She is obsessed with words that
sound alike but mean different things, prime numbers, and following the rules. She
is sensory-sensitive and often disruptive in class and at home, despite being
very intelligent.
So, here’s my first nit to pick. Rose tells us on the very
first page that she knows words that sound alike but have different meanings
are homophones, but she calls them homonyms throughout the novel. If Rose is so
adamant about following rules (something that is shown over and over again) and
loves homophones so much, why does she call them homonyms? [Another aside,
homophones are a subset of homonyms.]
Second nit, in many of these problem kid books, there is a
saintly person who understands the child better than most and does not ever
lose patience with him or her. Filling the role here is her uncle Weldon. Rose’s
father, a widower, though we don’t find that out until the end of the book, is
running out of patience for his child and comes off as jerk. In fact, beyond
Rose, there aren’t any well-developed characters.
Which may make sense … Rose is the narrator. Rose has
Asperger’s. We only see the other characters from Rose’s perspective. BUT aren’t
writers supposed to “show” and not “tell” anyway? Can’t their actions toward
Rose be more nuanced? Maybe?
As I said, the plot and Rose are the strong selling points
of this novel. You’ll read the book quickly – and not just because it’s short –
but because every scene, every action makes sense and advances the story. You
will care for Rose and root for her. And, like other novels of this ilk, maybe
learn a little bit more about the problems some kids with these disorders face.
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