"We don't really know how much Oliver understands about the world around him. Mum says that as a baby, Oliver was very different to me. He wouldn't sleep during the day and cried all night. ... Oliver didn't play like other kids. He didn't even seem to notice them or their toys. ... All he wanted to do was watch the ceiling fan whirring around."
Oliver has autism. Daily life is very complex but mum and Tilly have developed strategies to cope with and calm Oliver. Tilly herself copes by talking to her fish, drawing and writing in her journal and taking refuge in her own room which has the all important lock on the door. Their days are far from calm but they are managing then mum loses her job and she decides they will move to Townsville. Oliver does not cope with change, Tilly has to leave everything behind - her friend, her fish, her sanctuary. Oliver's screaming tantrums were bad before now they are unbearable.
The thing about Oliver is short listed for our CBCA 2020 awards which will be announced this week. This was the only book from the set of six in the Younger Readers category that I had not read. I waited to read this partly because I didn't have access to a copy and partly because I find books about autistic children are often very sad and confronting. I am now so glad I found this book and pleased I was able to read it all in one sitting. I am going to predict this book will surely be among the winners - either as an honour book or even the Younger Readers book of the Year! My fingers are also crossed for The Little Wave and The Dog Runner.
Yes there is sadness and raw emotion in The thing about Oliver but it is such a truthful journey into the struggles that Tilly has in her life that I found myself racing through her story ever hopeful that some of her dreams might come true.
What are Tilly's dreams? She wants to learn how to swim. She wants to explore the Great Barrier Reef and one day she'd like to work as a Marine Biologist.
What does the cover image mean? The cover has a image of a clownfish and a sea anemone. "Clownfish and sea anemones have a special agreement. The clownfish chases away other fish that might try to eat the anemone, and in return, the clownfish gets a safe place to live. Both of them need each other to survive." This echoes the relationship between Tilly and Oliver. It is complex, it is perhaps difficult to understand but it is also essential to their survival.
When I was a young teenager one of my friends took a group of us to her house. We had never been there before. Her younger brother was sitting on the floor of an empty room rocking and rocking back and forth, back and forth. The image of that has lingered with me for nearly 50 years. Shortly after this time our friend left our school. From time to time I wonder about Susan and her family. I should have been a better friend.
Here are a set of comprehensive teachers notes from the publisher Wombat Books; you hear Deborah Kelly reading from her book; and here is an interview with Joy Lawn on her blog Paperbark Words.
I would pair The thing about Oliver with these
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
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