I have to acknowledge the authorship of this novel and it will bias my thoughts. I selected this book because the author bio on the back cover specifically states that Brown has non-speaking autism and that he graduated from an MFA program.[1] Impressive! I am interested about what he has to say. Without going into further detail, this book would be more honest if his mother, Mary Brown, had a writing credit. I treat this book under an assumption it was at least written by both Woody and Mary and it is very likely ghostwritten by Mary.
On a related note, I highly recommend the book Yellowface. It's a 2023 novel that covers issues about authenticity, identity, and authorship in the publishing industry.
Each chapter follows a client or a worker in the adult daycare facility. It's a loosely organized novel. Some chapters are introductions to the characters and their perspectives on disability in their daily lives. Others follow a character working to fulfill some desire or need. There is an overarching story line to which some chapters are important. It didn't particularly add anything to the story and is a contemporary trope.
The characters feels realistic, tending to neither optimism or pessimism. It's an honest story in so much as it covers a range of themes in the lives of disabled adults in the US. Chapters are more observation than reflection, such as a lot of visual details about the adult daycare facility and the mundane aspects of their lives. If the goal is to draw a study of the lives of disabled adults, then this book satisfies it.
The reader enters the mind disabled adults, which makes sense as they are non-speaking, to facilitate understanding. Observations about the facility and other clients by the disabled characters invite the reader to share emotion and humor. Because the characters are often isolated by their disability you will ride the roller-coaster narration, rising to humor and falling back to sobering and sad truths.
Disabled characters reveal how fully aware they are of their limitations. Effective and clear communication is the most common limitation, for all the characters. Tom the Movie Star by far the best chapter in the book. Tom, who has cerebral palsy, spends an entire summer getting to know a staff member only to attempt to communicate far too late. A relatable struggle to most of us. He is one of the few characters who begins a relationship that feels meaningful.
The book does little to redeem the Upward Bound adult daycare. While it brings the characters to a single place it's not a catalyst for development. If the building was a character, it's bland and static. Most characters want nothing to do with the facility. Clients understand they must attend because there's literally no other option for them during the day. Staff are portrayed as underachievers who would rather be pursuing other things in life. It is because of circumstance or chance they work at Upward Bound. Some find growth and opportunity inside of it, others simply tolerate it until the next thing arrives. The daycare facility is an afterthought or inevitability depending on your position. I suppose this mirrors the considerations typical people give the same facilities in their communities. Considering the author(s) of this book, it is also a signal of how their community feel about them too.