Daniel Isn’t Talking, by Marti Leimbach is a first-person narrative of Melanie Marsh’s life. She is American, married to Stephen and living in England. A stay at home mom, Melanie enjoys her days with her children, Emily (four) and Daniel (three), until the day Daniel is diagnosed with autism, explaining his odd behaviors and confirming Melanie’s concerns for her youngest child. Melanie is devastated, but her friend Veena explains that autism is not the end of the world—Daniel is a healthy and happy child—but it takes some time for Melanie to realize this. Disagreements between Melanie and Stephen regarding Daniel’s care, therapy, and education create a rift that eventually leads to divorce. Stephen feels that a school for children with special needs is best; Melanie feels that she is the best caregiver and support system for Daniel. When Stephen leaves, returning to his ex-lover, and paying no child support, Melanie is determined to do what she feels best for Daniel, even if best requires selling furniture and other belongings in order to pay the fees for a behavioral therapist named Andy O’Connor. Andy O’Connor works magic in the Marsh household—teaching Daniel how to speak, teaching Melanie how to work with Daniel, and teaching Melanie that she can love without compromising her mothering instincts. Love and hope work together in this novel about a mother’s unconditional love for her children.Although this novel was not fast-paced by any means, the writing style drew me in and made me want to keep reading—a great quality in a book lacking surprise or adventure. Told from the perspective of a mother, and written by an author with an autistic son, I felt this novel was quite believable and covered the wide gamut of emotions women feel in extreme circumstances. I cried with Melanie out of frustration and fear, I rejoiced when Daniel started speaking and began learning “normal” behaviors, I found comfort in the friendship between Veena and Melanie, I found humor in Emily and Daniel’s actions, and I was furious when Stephen left his family.Genre: Women’s Lives and RelationshipsThree Appeals: •leisurely paced, but not boring•thoughtful, humorous, and optimistic•female protagonist facing family and friendship crises
I am not surprised to read that Marti Leimbach has an autistic son. Anyone who could write characters as well as she either must have a lot of personal experience or is a genius. I liked the book a lot and it's a good one to read to learn about the impact autism has on family members, particularly the mother.Melanie Marsh is an American married to a veddy proper Englishman named Stephen. His family is la-dee-dah and since Melanie is so much an individual, the first thing I wondered is how she and Stephen even got together in the first place. He turns out to be an insensitive idiot and his family is not much better, except for sister Cath.When we first meet Melanie, she's the somewhat hysterical mother to two small but perfect (or so it seemed) children, Emily and Daniel. The thing is, Daniel's almost 3 and not talking. He's also withdrawn, seems deaf, doesn't interact with other people, doesn't play creatively...and Melanie's red flags are waving everywhere. Stephen thinks she's overreacting but it turns out she's not.Daniel reminded me so much of our Little T in so many mannerisms and I just knew that Leimbach had to have some kind of personal experience with this. A savior in the form of an offbeat Irish early education teacher named Andrew appears to work with Daniel and help bring him to the world.By then the family is shattered and it's up to Melanie to keep what's left of them together. Good, informative read!
What do You think about Daniel Isn't Talking (2007)?
Le indagini e le testimonianze che hanno come tema l’autismo sono sempre un’arma a doppio taglio: l’argomento è ancora nebuloso e in corso di studi, e di conseguenza se viene a mancare una solida base scientifica è facile arrivare a tentativi e congetture che scantonano nella superstizione.È questa l’impressione che ho avuto leggendo questo libro.Il punto di vista è quello, in prima persona, di una madre disperata che dopo la diagnosi di autismo al secondogenito si vede abbandonata dal marito e ridotta sul lastrico per provare tutte le cure possibili. Certo, potrebbe essere un grande esempio di abnegazione genitoriale, di amore materno, nonché una carrellata di tutte le analisi esistenti applicabili a un bambino che a quasi tre anni non parla, sembra sordo, rifugge il contatto fisico e visivo e vive di movimenti stereotipati e atti incomprensibili. Fin qui, tutto come da copione.Per leggere la recensione per intero: QUI
—Scrittevolmente
Living with an autistic child, the subject of this novel, was bound to be of interest to me as the mother of a son with Asperger's Syndrome. I found the narrative gripping but the author sometimes made huge plot jumps without filling in how she got from there to here, so it gave something of the impression of a film rather than a novel. Lots of details, like the horror of going to paediatricians and the real community between autism parents, rang very true, though the characters were sometimes less than three dimensional. Worth reading but only once.
—Veronica Zundel
Very enjoyable novel about motherhood and autism. As a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, I found everything -- from Melanie's fear, guilt, and grief when she faces the diagnosis to the infuriating frustration of dealing with professionals -- believable and easy to relate to.Memorable quotes:I've begun to understand that once you are a mother there is just no safe place to cast a vote. Everything you do, the consequences of every action, you will take to the grave. And there is no point in assigning blame.Emily runs to him, holding the corners of drawings she's made. They flap in the breeze, showing colors all the way to the edges. Her best work, the ones for Daddy. It seems to me this habit she has of only showing him what she does best an ominous sign for the future. How can I stop my little girl from trying too hard for men? How can I show her that the best thing she can ever do it be herself, full of rough edges and the complex logic that is her own?To ask a person to do nothing for their child or do very little is unfair. For them to do nothing means they have to fight the overwhelming desire to push away the danger, to run through the flames, to slay the dragon. However hopeless the situation might appear, it is infinitely more difficult to do nothing than an ill-considered something.
—Steph
