The honest truth by Dan Gemeinhart
Chicken House, 2015. ISBN 9781910002131
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. The theme of children facing terminal
illness has been explored in other novels recently but this one
deserves consideration as a lovely story with realistic characters
and an authentic plot.
Sick of treatment, sick of relapses and sick of the pain and illness
caused by cancer, Mark is fed up and feels that it is time to die
after climbing Mount Rainier, a challenge which he and his late
Grandfather had dreamed of achieving. Such a story could easily
degenerate into a morbid and hopeless portrayal of a child's fear
and desperation or a traumatic examination of emotional torment felt
by family and friends contemplating loss. Not so in this novel. The
main character possesses wisdom, ingenuity and stoicism which
enables him to press on against adversity and the presence of his
brave and faithful little dog provides comic relief and the desire
to cheer.
The author has clearly not intended this tale to be a wallowing,
heart wrenching ordeal for the reader. There is a great deal of
emphasis placed upon goodness, shown in the devotion by parents, the
innocent, guaranteed love from his best friend, the unconditional
trust from his dog and the kindness shown by strangers, sometimes at
a cost. There is no shying away from the truth however and it is
made clear from the start that Mark believes he will die. It is
important to emphasise that there is no suggestion of suicide,
rather it is acknowledged that grave illness and severely dangerous
environmental factors make it likely that he will not return.
The clever methods used by the child to travel great distance and
his strategies to overcome problems are believable, as are the
reactions and behaviours by loved ones and authorities as they try
locate the young boy. I liked the style of alternate chapters
narrating Mark's exploits in the first person versus third person
descriptive passages explaining what is happening to Mark's parents
and his best friend Jessie, printed in a different font. Chapter
numbers are quirky with Mark's having whole numbers and the
alternate perspective chapters being assigned half numbers, a
statement which underlines that for Mark, it is about trying to slow
time down, to delay the inevitable and stretch his allotted days to
accomplish his dream.
The engaging characters and exciting plot makes this a great read
which avoids undue distress whilst dealing with a painful topic.
Rob Welsh