MEG HAN

MAY 14, 2009: I have been wanting to read this book for about a year. After thumbing through the pages last summer and noticing it on various must read lists, I had to experience it. So yesterday I was lady on a mission. I went to the 14th Street Union Square Barnes & Noble and read the book cover to cover. It felt so good, on so many levels. Haddon brings the reader into the mind and quirky life of 15 year old Christopher, complete with drawings, time tables and mathematical calculations. To me, the book had a trendy, yet strangely innocent feeling created through the character, Christopher. Though the story is anything but innocent. Not meant to be a spoiler…but by the end of the story, I felt sympathy for the father, who was dealing with his own suffering and shortcomings while trying his best to protect his son. The father had to plead and beg, with tears streaming down his face, for a word from his son, whom he was raising as a single parent.

It felt good to own a day where I was free from tests, work, and other activities, such as mindless surfing or meaningless shopping.