A Boy Made of Blocks

A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart
Published by St. Martin's Press
On Sale September 6, 2016
Rating: ★★★★

"Life is an adventure, not a walk. That's why it's difficult." 

3.5 stars

Alex's life is falling apart. His wife, Jody, has asked him to move out their home. The sticking point in their marriage is Alex's inability to connect with and parent their eight-year-old autistic son, Sam. He's struggling at his stressful job, and he's still carrying unresolved trauma from his childhood. So maybe it's not too surprising that he finds himself, in his 30s, bunking with a mate and sleeping on a lumpy air mattress.

Alex almost lives in fear of his autistic child. The thought of taking Sam to the park or spending any time with him alone is enough to induce a panic attack. Sam has been diagnosed with a high-functioning form of the disorder, but he's still different in a way Alex finds impossible to cope with. Sam is afraid of dogs, can't stand loud noises or crowds, has a narrow set of interests and food preferences, and tends to lash out violently when he doesn't get his way. For years, Alex's primary parenting strategy has been retreat.

Things start to change between father and son when Sam discovers Minecraft. Alex discovers that not only can he play the game with his son, but that the Minecraft world helps Sam open up parts of him that were locked shut before. The game helps Sam build his vocabulary, open up about his feelings about school, and learn to interact with other children. It's not a miracle. But it's progress. And that's everything.

I don't know any autistic children and have no idea whether the portrayal of Sam is accurate or not. However, as a parent, I could easily see parts of me becoming like Jody and parts of me like Alex. The issues in their marriage seem very realistic.

More than liking this book, I think I appreciate this book because of the importance of the topic it covers. At times, the story went a little slow for me, and I felt like Alex's drama with his sister and mother dragged the book down a bit. I also felt a little hampered by my complete ignorance about Minecraft.