H: A Novel - Hardcover

YA?This brief epistolary novel is a dazzling melange of letters written by at least 10 different characters, including the eponymous H, a stuffed toy belonging to Benjamin, 12, a borderline autistic child sent to summer camp to learn social skills. To the adult world, Benjamin is excessively withdrawn. In fact, he lives in a world in which the stuffed H is named Elliot and is one of many Elliots, aliens who reside in "Elliottown." Besides revealing the bizarre complexity of the boy's imagination, the letters contrast sharply with the well-meaning but uncompromising missives from the adults in the his life. Shepard uses each letter to reveal not only information, but also the character of the writer; even the absence of communications is often revealing. The cumulative effect is to explain subtly Benjamin's condition. Teens should be amused by the delightful irony and the mildly satirical camp scenes, and will enjoy the unusual freedom of being allowed to infer character.?Chip Barnett, Rockbridge Regional Library, Lexington, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Shepard's first novel consists of a series of letters that take the reader into the life of mentally disturbed, 12-year-old Benjamin as he goes off to summer camp, burdened with more than the usual homesickness and social concerns. H is a stuffed letter that Benjamin carries about, confides in, and shares an amazing dual life with. The reader learns of the depth of this situation only after reading the section of letters about Benjamin sent between his psychiatrist, camp director, counselors, and parents describing the outward demeanor of this troubled child. More interesting is the section of letters that Benjamin writes to H (and accumulates under his bed) after his parents take the letter home at mid-summer. The final section of letters portrays Benjamin's stay in a hospital and slow recovery under medical supervision. Heartbreaking and illuminating. Denise Perry Donavin