Daniel Isn’t Talking
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A powerful novel exploring the effects of autism on a young family from Marti Leimbach, author of the international bestseller ‘Dying Young’, who has experienced and dealt with the condition within her immediate family.
My husband saw me at a party and decided he wanted to marry me.
Melanie Marsh is an American living in London married to Stephen, the perfect Englishman, who knew the minute he saw her that she was to be his future. But when their youngest child is diagnosed with autism their marriage starts to unravel at great speed. Stephen runs back into the arms of his previous girlfriend while Melanie does everything in her power to help her son and keep her family together.
And then one day Melanie hears about a man named Andy O'Connor, who calls himself a ‘play therapist’ and has a client list so long she can barely get him on the phone. Some say he's a maverick and a con artist of the first degree, but when he walks into the house and starts playing with her child, Melanie knows she's found the key to her son's success, and possibly to her own happiness.
‘Daniel Isn't Talking’ is a passionate and darkly humorous novel that explores a mother's determination to help her child. A love story for grown ups, it somehow extends its wisdom far beyond the parameters of disability and into the substance of human nature itself. A tense, moving novel that will make you laugh out loud even as it breaks your heart.
Reviews
'If you like fiction emphatic and passionate, you’ll relish this…' Independent
'So heartfelt, realistic and informative…Leimbach vividly portrays both overwhelming maternal love and the ins and outs of autism…’ Sunday Times
'One of the most enchanting and gripping books of the year…Leimbach knows how to engage her readers completely.' Daily Mail
'Tender, involving tale of a family in crisis.' Woman and Home
‘Never bleak, this inspiring read sheds light on the often misunderstood condition.’ The Works Magazine
‘Powerful and moving, and also surprisingly funny. A love story in every sense.’ Deborah Moggach
'I adored "Daniel isn't Talking." I was riveted, engrossed – all those wonderful things one hopes for when opening a book. I thought her portrayal of a mother facing unbelievable hardships was very real and gripping.' Anita Shreve
About the author
Marti Leimbach was born in 1963 in Washington DC. She has written several other novels, one of which, ‘Dying Young’, was turned into a major feature film in 1991 staring Julia Roberts. Marti now lives in the UK
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Leimbach (Dying Young) notes on the back of the galley that she has modeled her title character on her own autistic son; the result is moving, frequently funny and never mawkish. The novel is narrated by Melanie Marsh, an American woman living in England who seems to have it all: Stephen, a rich if somewhat starchy husband; Emily, a vivacious daughter; and an adorable son named Daniel. But after a normal infancy, Daniel is beginning to behave strangely throwing tantrums, walking on his toes, still seeking his mother's breast and refusing to talk. As Melanie unravels, Stephen remains in denial, until the dreaded diagnosis of autism is delivered. The marriage falls apart, but Melanie does not. She embarks on a frustrating, heroic mission to get the best treatment for her son, eventually entrusting his care to Andy O'Connor, a behaviorist with a dubious reputation. But his unorthodox methods get results, and soon, a bit too predictably, a romance blossoms between Andy and Melanie. While the novel lacks the literary ambition of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Leimbach does succeed in making us care about Daniel and his progress.
