American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Special Issue: COVID and Beyond REVIEWS
by Mel Darbon
Reviewed by Deborah Kent Stein
Rosie Loves Jack
by Mel Darbon
Atlanta: Peachtree Publications, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68263-289-5
First published in the UK in 2018 by Usborne Publishing Ltd.
The hero's quest has been a theme in literature ever since Ulysses set out on his ten-year journey home to Troy. In the typical quest narrative a heroic character braves physical dangers and confronts inner demons in search of treasure, power, love, or redemption. The hero of the quest may be male or female, young or old. Seldom, however, is the seeker a person with a disability. The narrative around disability generally involves a person who is destined to live at the periphery, a passive bystander who is acted upon by others.
In Rosie Loves Jack, Mel Darbon overturns the established narrative of disability. She sends sixteen-year-old Rose Tremayne, a young woman with Down syndrome, on a daring quest to be reunited with the love of her life. Through a daunting series of obstacles and dangers, Rose never falters in her single-minded purpose.
Darbon's awareness of disability issues is rooted in personal experience. Her younger brother, Guy, has a severe form of autism. As a child Darbon understood that the world was a frightening place for her brother, filled with pummeling events beyond his understanding. Later, as a volunteer in programs for young people with developmental disabilities, she came to recognize that disability is not the characteristic that defines personhood. "These young people taught me not to make assumptions, that we all communicate differently but everyone has a voice inside them which needs to be heard," she explains in her introduction. "We experience the same emotions and desires; to be loved, to love, to be accepted without limitations." As Rose points out more than once in the course of her journey, "Down syndrome is not me. I am Rose."
Rose lives with her parents and younger brother in the London suburb of Henley-on-Thames. She attends a program for young people with developmental disabilities, and Jack is one of her classmates. She remembers their first meeting at a school dance: "Then he takes my hand. And I never want him to let it go." In no time Jack becomes "the one who makes the sun shine in my head."
Due to a traumatic brain injury Jack has issues with anger management. When he breaks a window during an argument with a classmate, he is sent away to undergo treatment in a therapeutic community. Rose's father seizes the opportunity to sever the ties between Jack and his daughter. He hides the postcards Jack sends to Rose every day, hoping she will forget about him and move on.
But Rose's father underestimates his daughter's unflagging determination. In the dead of night Rose rummages through his desk and finds Jack's hidden postcards, filled with declarations of love. Each card includes the address of the facility where he is living, Manor House Farm in Brighton. Rose makes up her mind to go to Brighton and find him.
In secret Rose packs a bag for her journey. She persuades a friend to give her a set of instructions about which trains she will need to take. One morning, instead of going to her classes at Henley College, she heads to the railway station and embarks upon her quest.
It doesn't take long for Rose's careful plans to go awry. When she tries to change trains in London's teeming Victoria Station, she discovers that all service has been canceled due to a blizzard. Suddenly she is alone and vulnerable in the big city. Nothing has prepared Rose to manage such a situation on her own.
Some strangers do their best to help Rose find food and shelter for the night. Others take cruel advantage of her naiveté. Rose learns that not everyone is telling the truth when they promise to help her. To save herself from peril and find her way to Brighton and Jack, Rose draws upon inner resources she never knew she possessed.
In a way this novel embodies a parent's worst nightmare—a child lost, victimized, in danger. But at heart this is a story of resilience and determination and a love that prevails against all odds. As she reaches the end of her quest, Rose can say with conviction, "You have to let me grow up."
Rose has Down syndrome, but teens with other disabilities, as well as their parents and teachers, will find a great deal to celebrate in this unique and gripping story. Rose is a young woman who refuses to be sheltered. She reaches toward a future that includes a job, a home, and a loving partner. Sometimes Rose struggles to find words to express herself, but her voice is always strong and true.