Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz
| Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz | |
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| Category: Teens | |
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Reviewer: Nigethan Sathiyalingam
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| Summary: There's plenty to enjoy here: a strong, central character alongside a number of interesting personalities, great dialogue and plenty of humour. I have a feeling that Colin Fischer is here to stay. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 229 | Date: February 2013 |
| Publisher: Puffin | |
| ISBN: 978-0141343990 | |
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Colin Fischer is just starting high school. It's a time that is both exciting and intimidating to the average student, but Colin is not your average fourteen year old. Colin has Asperger's Syndrome, a neurological condition linked to poor social skills and interpersonal interaction, often characterised by repetitive or obsessive patterns of behaviour. For Colin, a zealot of clear-headed logic and rational deductions (yes, he's a fan of Sherlock Holmes), every social interaction is a mystery that has to be solved. But when a real mystery arrives at school, in the form of a gun going off in the school cafeteria, Colin takes it upon himself to find the real culprit. This leads to a sequence of events which, as his father nicely puts it, involves Colin breaking more rules, starting more trouble and causing more chaos in forty-eight hours, than in all his fourteen years on the planet.
Almost inevitably, there will be comparisons to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, what with the mystery theme and a protagonist with Asperger's Syndrome. Colin Fischer doesn't have the same depth or complexity, and the story is less intense and powerful. However, it is important to remember that Colin Fischer is a very different beast. It is more humorous (plenty of laugh out loud moments) and has a lighter touch, aided by the high school setting and the warm middle-class parental background. The mystery plotline concludes abruptly, but just like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, the role of the mystery is less as the centre of the story, and more as a trigger that starts a personal and emotional journey for the protagonist.
I liked the dynamic set up by the authors, where most of the characters around Colin are experienced with his idiosyncrasies. His parents are thoughtful and caring, and well versed in Colin's behaviour and tendencies. His young brother Danny is resigned to his brother's needs, but there is an animosity brewing in him, of which Colin is blissfully unaware. Most of the school kids have gone through primary school with him, and thus accept him, though this doesn't prevent conflicts from breaking out. This setting, combined with thoughtful writing on the part of the authors, ensures that Colin isn't defined and isolated by his Asperger's Syndrome. While Colin often struggles to empathise with people, he himself is a highly sympathetic character and I found myself liking him immediately; as the book delved further into his thoughts and personality, this feeling only strengthened. It doesn't matter to Colin that the current suspect, Wayne, whose name he is trying to clear, is the same kid who gave him a toilet swirly on the first day of school. It also doesn't matter to Colin that what he is doing is morally impressive and noble. The curiosity that drives his investigation is one that is pure and exempt from any moral or emotional reasoning. At times, he comes off as an emotionless automaton, but at the same time, the authors never leave you with any doubt about his innate humanity. And this is what makes him so fascinating to read about.
While I found Colin's notebook entries to be fascinating, especially when some of his entries made intriguing comments on the main storyline and characters, the footnotes which explained and expanded on historic and scientific references felt a little out of place and distracting. The story as a whole did lack a bit of direction, and the plot felt undercooked. The mystery of the owner of the gun was rounded off with unexpected results, but the conclusion ended up asking more questions than it answered. The lack of focus on the plot would've been more detrimental, had the extra strands to the story, especially the exploration of characters, not been so intriguing and enjoyable. I particularly loved the various relationships between characters, from the long established, such as that between Colin and his dad, to the nascent, to the surprising, involving Colin and Wayne, which were all interesting and cleverly developed. The PE teacher, Mr Turrentine, is also a highlight. He is a character with a no-nonsense attitude, giving Colin no allowances or special privileges, but he is also more understanding than he lets on, as he identifies and hones Colin's unique talents.
The conclusion is open-ended and suggestive of future sequels, which I would definitely look forward to reading.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
As mentioned in the review, Colin Fischer is, at times, reminiscent of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, which is incredibly enlightening and utterly brilliant to read. For another book that ticks many of the same boxes as Colin Fischer, Holes by Louis Sachar is part mystery, part coming-of-age, part situation comedy, and comes highly recommended by The Bookbag.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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