Eye Contact

I really enjoyed this one. At first I was reminded of Jodi Picoult's House Rules, which like this one, centers around a murder & an autistic child. But I actually found this more compelling. Not only did McGovern do a good job portraying the subject matter of autism & family members & friends living with it, but it also touched on several aspects of children with various special needs, both on & off the spectrum. Additionally, this was a story that kept me guessing up until near the end. My only criticism would maybe be that the author also tried to get into the brain of a fairly severe autistic child, and I'm not sure how accurate that may have been. It could have been spot-on, but who's to know? Regardless, I highly recommend this one show more & will look forward to more from this author. show less

The students of Woodside Elementary School often spend their recesses playing games as children will do. As the innocent youngsters spend their time waging mock battles on the playground, they are blissfully unaware that soon the real world will intrude into their sheltered world and shatter their childhood happiness forever. And the consequences of such a vicious crime will shake this tiny, close knit community to its very core.

During one particular recess, a little girl and boy - two students - seem to vanish without a trace. Upon further investigation, it soon comes to light that both children were last seen heading across the soccer field toward the woods behind the school. They were last seen together, but witnesses claim not to show more know what could have happened to them.

Hours pass before only one of them, a nine-year-old autistic boy named Adam, is found alive. Discovered several yards away from the little girl's body, hiding in the sheltering undergrowth, Adam is apparently the sole witness to an incomprehensible killing. Barely verbal on the best of days, Adam has since retreated into his own silent world, unable to tell anyone else what he witnessed.

Adam's mother Cara has an intimate knowledge of her son's mannerisms and attitude, and she knows of Adam's secret, silent, insulated world only too well. With her community still reeling from the shock and her son unable to help the police in their investigation, it falls to Cara to become Adam's voice as she tries to decode the puzzling events. Yet in her desperate desire to protect her son from the various cruelties of life - both inadvertent and deliberate - has Cara somehow made his world a much more dangerous place?

When another child suddenly goes missing, Adam's mother redoubles her efforts to interpret the potential clues. Cara realizes that only she can unlock her son's silence to provide the police with the clues that they need to catch a killer. She knows that when she is finally able to interpret the changes in Adam's behavior, she will not only understand how to better help him deal with the trauma of having witnessed his best friend's murder, she will also have helped the police to solve an horrendous crime. Yet as Cara moves closer to exposing the truth of what happened, her own unsettling past begins to emerge from the shadows.

I thought this was really an excellent book. In my opinion, this was an intriguing and well-written story with a well-developed and fast-paced plot. I found that there was a vibrant poignancy to Ms. McGovern's writing, and I found myself learning and understanding more about the hardships and struggles faced by the parents of autistic children. I could really empathize with Cara and the various difficulties that she had raising her son. I would certainly give this book an A! and definitely will be on the lookout for more books by Cammie McGovern. show less

http://www.imperfectclarity.net/blog/2011/09/14/review-eye-contact-by-cammie-mcg...

From the moment I read the first sentence of Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern, I was absorbed.

Cara’s son, Adam, is a ten year old autistic boy who, at the beginning of the book, has disappeared from his elementary school grounds with a girl about the same age named Amelia. When Amelia is found dead in the woods behind the elementary school and Adam is believed to be the only witness, Cara is thrown into a whirlwind of trouble with the past and present converging.

I have a five year old daughter who was diagnosed as autistic when she was three. I completely sympathized with Cara in that regard. I know what it’s like to run your child here, there and show more yonder in order to get them the therapy they need, because I do it weekly. Most of the interactions between Cara and Adam, I could visualize—because I’ve been there. The head-banging, the lack of verbal communication, the tantrums… It’s all normal for me. What I enjoyed so much about this view of Cara and Adam was to finally realize that someone else GETS IT. Someone else understands exactly how I feel, my frustrations, my heartache, my anger.

This characterization was done brilliantly. I don’t necessarily agree with 100% of what Ms. McGovern said—especially when it comes to a short discussion of the GFCF (gluten-free, casein-free) diet. It is included, as I would have rather expected it to be in a discussion of autism and treatments, but it is not a cure for all autistic children. One of the children in the book who is revealed to be autistic is stated to have been “on the road to recovery.” And, while a restrictive diet helps some children, it doesn’t even seem to affect others.

The plot was… Very convoluted. Bits and pieces of it feel contrived, as though the author was trying to make Adam’s autism just another piece of the puzzle, instead of the focus. Some of it feels unnecessary to the main plot and just a means of adding story to the novel instead of creating a slice-of-life sketch of what it’s like to raise an autistic child.

Cara doesn’t care who Adam’s father was—it could be two men she slept with around the period she conceived—and, initially wants to raise the baby by herself with a female roommate. The simple fact that she doesn’t care—at all—about who the father is felt unrealistic, especially considering one man is someone she barely knows and the other is someone she’s had a crush on since elementary school. While I can understand not wanting the father to know, I can’t quite get how someone can simply brush off knowing. For me, this makes her a much shallower character than I thought she was. My one question regarding this, as an author myself, is why? Why was it necessary to throw in a second man? Or perhaps she knew, but didn’t want the father involved because of the drama it would have added?

She has no friends outside of Adam. If he’s ten, he’s been in elementary school for five (or so) years now. She’s had the time to develop friendships outside the house. Instead, she’s shown as “Adam’s caretaker.” What does she do all day while he’s at school? She is nothing but her long-ago memories and Adam’s caretaker.

While it sometimes feels that way (and, believe me, it does), I would think that she would take the time that Adam’s at school to relax, to spend more “me” time with herself, and to do things that she normally wouldn’t do with Adam. The only time she starts thinking about her own needs, she considers asking the police detective out, thinking she could get a babysitter, no problems. If it’s that easy for her, I’d expect her to HAVE a life outside of simply taking care of Adam.

And, as for the resolution of the story? Well, it ends, at least. Not so sure I could figure my way out of the maze Ms. McGovern has created, but I’m okay with that. I’ve seen other reviews that weren’t real happy with the ending, stating it was too confusing, but you know what? I can deal.

This isn’t a literary masterpiece. It probably won’t be a well-known classic far in the future. But it kept me interested and on my toes throughout the entire book. Part of it was that I was fascinated by the relationship between Cara and Adam, a relationship that, in so many ways, resembles my own with my daughter (and all the joys and frustrations involved). The other was Ms. McGovern’s writing style. The point of view was third-person-present, and I was surprised by how engaging the writing was.

It’s definitely a book that I will revisit to see what worked—as well as what didn’t—to use in my own writing. show less

Kudos for Cammie McGovern for writing a book that includes an autistic child. Adams character is really well written and very interesting to read. Cara, Adam's mom is a single mom with no friends, no family, and no support network. She and her son are soon in the middle of a horrific murder which involves Adam and several of his classmates and a few older students. Many of the kids have disabilities which I thought made the story a bit much. Then the bullying factor is added and I just thought too many childhood issues were being thrown together. The author has an autistic child so her representation of Adam is really well written. I thought some of the parts where Kevin is in the woods to be a bit confusing. A bit too much mixed into show more one story for my taste, but some great characters are represented. show less

My mother bought me this in flurry of "Halloween" books. I did enjoy it, and felt no matter how correct its details were, it did make me think about living with mental disabilities as well as physical. I remember fighting to figure out just who the killer was etc. It wasn't a bad book, but as murder mysteries aren't really my thing, it wasn't on my to-read-again list.

Cammie McGovern’s Eye Contact is a story about murder through the eyes of a nine year old autistic boy. Adam is the only witness to his classmates murder in the woods behind their elementary school. After witnessing this tragic event Adam retreats into his silent world, where only his mother Cara knows how to reach him.
While I don't have a child with Autism, I found this book to be very interesting; it provided a view point of what parents of special needs children go through in their daily lives. I related to the mother Cara because I think in some way, we all need to learn to "read" children and their individual personalities and perspectives, regardless if they have special needs or not. It's a satisfying mystery, full of twists show more and turns, a beautifully poignant portrayal of a mothers bond with her autistic child as well as a novel about how perceptions, choices and consequences shape us. At its heart, this book is about how communication is essential to all relationships in our lives, even if it is an innocent gesture made by an autistic little boy. Eye Contact is a sensitive, introspective and thoughtful book with touching intimate moments scattered throughout its pages.
Recommended show less

This book tries to be a suspenseful mystery as well as general fiction that sheds light on autism. The mystery fails but the author succeeds in creating a fascinating character and, by telling the story from various points of view, gives the reader a well-developed picture of autism and related issues of childhood and development.