Last month, this title charmed readers internationally as the ground-breaking first literary fiction novel written by a non-verbal autistic man. Set in a care home for young autistic adults, it’s an excellent read, well-paced, drenched in a glorious lust for life and a keen sense of humour. It’s moving, full of astute observation, insight and compassion. It was received with widespread enthusiasm by reviewers from The New York Times to The Guardian.
Author Woody Brown, a UCLA graduate who also holds MFA from Columbia University, used a “letter board” to write the book, with his dedicated mother transcribing the work, as she had done throughout her son’s education. His writing practice was even showcased live by NBC’s Today Show in the United States when they selected Upward Bound as “Book of The Month”. However, online public reactions to the video and a subsequent article in The Atlantic magazine challenged Brown’s authorship, with allegations that his mother’s methods are invalid. No official statement has been issued.
The book’s main character, Walter, is a client at Upward Bound, a day care programme for young autistic adults like himself. He brings us into his world and tells us about himself, and how he sees things. He also interprets the respective worlds of his day-care fellows with eloquence and perspicacity. Jorge, a gentle giant who is constantly trying to escape the centre, is also non-verbal, as is quiet and pretty Emma, or Tom, who has cerebral palsy. Delivering a solid narrative that leads to a tragic, yet contemporary denouement, alternate chapters circle through the lives of carers at the centre.
Whether the narrator is conveying how human contact is not just about words, or how complex the challenges of autism can be, it is done with a compassion that manifests a remarkable capacity to appreciate the humanity in everyone around him.
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Finally, it’s about love and communication and how we need to break through the noise and speed of the world we’ve created and consider people who are born autistic. Upward Bound may be shadowed by controversy, but it’s a work that nevertheless inspires the reader to reflect and perhaps reconsider their traditional ideas about people with autism.
Helena Mulkerns is a critic and publisher
