Language Arts by Stephanie Kallos – 416 pages
Book Blurb:
Charles Marlow teaches his high school English students that language will expand their worlds. But linguistic precision cannot help him connect with his autistic son, or with his ex-wife, who abandoned their shared life years before, or even with his college-bound daughter who has just flown the nest. He’s at the end of a road he’s traveled on autopilot for years when a series of events forces him to think back on the lifetime of decisions and indecisions that have brought him to this point. With the help of an ambitious art student, an Italian-speaking nun, and the memory of a boy in a white suit who inscribed his childhood with both solace and sorrow, Charles may finally be able to rewrite the script of his life.
My Review: 2.5 stars
Language Arts had the premise to enthrall but after 200 pages, I had to force myself to finish. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed what I was reading but it read slowly, probably due to the many POVs and the fact that I didn’t really connect to any of the characters. On the other hand, I appreciated the metaphoric usage of the tangled POVs and repetitive manner of the Palmer method of script.
What I did have immense interest in was the use of language especially when there was a lack thereof. The irony of a Language Arts teacher having an autistic child who is unable to communicate isn’t lost on the reader.
The art of communication was shown through writing letters to his daughter Emmy, having his students write postcards from places they’ve never been and the perfection of the loops that are present in mastering the written word; all were quite beautiful.
With that said, the slow pace didn’t work for me and I didn’t feel the book was compelling enough to rate any higher. I’ll add that the author’s debut novel, Broken For You, was one of my favorites from 2005.
Quotes I liked:
This begs the question: At what point will elegant linguistic languor be permanently usurped by text-speak expediency?”
-“Ali visited every day. She had a high tolerance for pain in all its forms.”
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