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The Truth About Leo by David Yelland (view source)
Revision as of 08:16, 21 April 2018
, 08:16, 21 April 2018no edit summary
{{infoboxinfobox1
|title=The Truth About Leo
|sort=Truth About Leo, The
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=256
|publisher=Puffin
|date=April 2010
|isbn=0141330031
|amazonukcover=<amazonuk>0141330031</amazonuk>|amazonusaznuk=0141330031|aznus=<amazonus>0141330031</amazonus>
}}
Of course, being so tired and distracted all the time means Leo doesn't always pay attention in school, and that leaves him vulnerable to the bullying Mr Manders who likes nothing better than to humiliate the hapless children in his class. But Leo does have Flora, who sticks up for him, and seems to understand, just a little bit. Things need to change, Leo knows that, but how can he tell? How can he risk losing his dad now he's all Leo's got left?
Many more children are dealing with alcoholic parents than we care to imagine. David Yelland, a former editor of ''The Sun'', knows it only too well. He himself is a recovering alcoholic. His wife died of breast cancer. And his son, Max, had to deal with a single parent that drank too much. Yelland has said, ''I am not the father in this novel – he is the man I nearly was'' - and this intimacy with the subject comes through very clearly in his book. We see Leo's heartbreaking isolation. He's grieving for a lost mother ''and'' a lost father, even though only one parent has died. We see his need as he tries desperately to cover up for his father's drinking, keeping the house clean and tidy and trying to hide his bottleseven when the atmosphere at home turns violent. And we see his inevitable retreat from such a chaotic and troubling world as he lives inside happier daydreams and fails to pay attention at school.
It's very uncomfortable, but it has an unmistakeable unmistakable authenticity about it - and it shows very clearly how reaching out is the only real choice. Leo's pain recedes as he finds Flora understands his situation only too well. His headmistress frightens him with officialdom, but deep down he knows life at home can't go on as it is. There are some truly touching scenes involving Leo himself, but also the other adults in the story - including his grandmother, who has reasons of her own for putting her head in the sand.
I'm all for books that break damaging taboos and I think ''The Truth About Leo'' is a wonderful and valuable example. It made me cry, but it also made me feel very strongly that it was doing the right thing by opening this subject up for discussion - to children as well as adults. Hopefully, it will make at least one child feel less alone.
[[Luke and Jon by Robert Williams]] is for slightly older children, but also features a grieving family and a father who turns dangerously to drink. Again for older ones, [[Killing God by Kevin Brooks]] sees Dawn doing her best while her mother spends life in an alcoholic haze. [[Shine by Kate Maryon]] is for younger readers and also features parental sins which a child must keep secret - this time, it's stealing.
{{amazontext|amazon=0141330031}} {{waterstonestextamazonUStext|waterstonesamazon=71514810141330031}}
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[[Category:Confident Readers]]