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22 December 2023
In his wallet, Howard Kapostash keeps a supply of business cards explaining his \"situation\", but he seldom uses them because he doesn’t like the wording-- especially the line at the bottom that reads: \"Please remember: I am of normal intelligence!\"
The cards were written by one of his well-meaning housemates, and although she tried her best, there is no way that Laurel could really know with any certainty how Howard really is. You see, Howard has been unable to communicate verbally since his brain injury in Vietnam over 30 years ago. He is only able to gesture and make a few unintelligible sounds.
When his unreliable high school sweetheart, Sylvia, needs to go into rehab, she asks Howard to keep her nine-year-old son, Ryan. Because it has always been his habit to bail her out, he accepts, even though he has no idea what to do with a child. What happens then makes Dave King’s The Ha-Ha an extraordinary first novel.
As his love for Ryan grows, Howard awakens from the subsistence into which he has settled. He looks back over the years and starts to come to grips with his past, while at the same time, for the first time, imagines a future. He finally begins to feel that he has a place in the world.
The character development in this book was incredible! While so many authors seem to just randomly throw in a few characters to flesh out a story, in The Ha-Ha it feels like the characters truly are the story.
Howard is unforgettable, and through his inner dialog we are able to know him in a way that those who surround him never can. Our hearts ache with his. We fear that his awakening has only brought him more pain. We feel his frustration at not being able to communicate, and yet we also feel the quiet joy as Howard finally finds himself.
Most of all, we realize there is so much more to the people who surround all of us in our daily lives, if only we would take the time to look beyond ourselves. Because, like Howard, we all just want to be heard.
artid
3092
Old Image
7_9_bookreview.jpg
issue
vol 7 - issue 09 (may 2005)
section
entertainmental