Joanne Lewis's Reviews > Knock on Wood

This is a novel with a really quirky concept:

1978:
Fourteen-year-old Billy Baker is the first into the pond that early summer day. Ten minutes later, his lifeless body is pulled from the chilly water, his lips like two slivers of blue ice. Billy Baker dies...but only for a little while. Thirty-nine days later, he emerges from a coma.

But he is not alone.

1994:
Billy (AKA William) is turning thirty. He forgets some letters in the alphabet. He can't set a table properly. He still believes it's the disco era. And he can't remember that day at the pond.

But the young boy William used to be has never left his side.

A brain-damaged hero. An unrequited love. A lottery windfall. A jealous brother. A memory hidden just below the surface…

Sharp contrasts of sunshiny music and life's dark periphery are delicately mingled in this extraordinary tale, putting a new twist on the age-old question: Is it possible to find the way home again when one's memory is nothing more than a blank slate?

The success of the narrative undoubtedly comes from the fact that it is told from so many points of view. While 'Billy' is perhaps the most fascinating, as he tries to guide William when he can see he is being manipulated, it is Cecilia who captures the reader's imagination as she takes William under her wing with no other motive than a sense of kindness and friendship.

There are elements of darkness within the novel, not least as a result of Donald's behaviour- not just towards his family, but the way in which he chooses to live his life. It creates a tangible sense of tension throughout as the reader wills William to see through the facade and return to the comfort and safety of his family home.

William himself is an extraordinary character. Despite his obvious disability as the result of his accident, he is an endearing, kind-hearted soul who sees the best in everyone.

This is a unique novel originally written as a stage play twenty years ago. Kudos to the author Leslie Tall Manning for translating it into such a compelling story.

With thanks to BookSirens and the author for my ARC.