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Are You Seeing Me? by Darren Groth
JUDGES' COMMENTS
‘Are You Seeing Me?’ is what Perry’s twin sister and full-time carer Justine says to him when she needs him to refocus. Perry’s autism has impacted on every aspect of their family. When the twins were very young, their mother lost the ability to cope with Perry’s violent outbursts. She also tired of her husband being the ‘good cop’. So she left, ending up in Vancouver. But now, after Dad’s death, she’s reached out, hoping to make up for lost time. Justine suspects their mother wants to salve her guilt. But can it really be that simple to play happy families again?
Using the twins’ distinctly-voiced dual narratives, and the occasional saved letter from their ostensibly guileless father, Darren Groth employs several tropes of young adult literature to achieve a remarkably unselfconscious study of a family torn apart then reconfigured. Unlike many young adult novels, the circumstances in which this family finds itself cannot be apportioned to any one antagonist. Perry’s autism might be the fundamental cause, but none of this is his fault. Are You Seeing Me? is poignant, moving and funny, and offers a hymn to the resilience and beauty of families.