Debut stars a boy and his dogged illness

By Mary-Ann Tirone Smith

This novel carries an unusual title, but it is an unusual book; the reader is allowed inside the head of a mentally ill 12 year old boy. Benjamin Sherman, undiagnosed but exhibiting symptoms of autism and clinical depression, is writing a series of letters to his friend Elliot, a stuffed toy shaped like the letter H. Elliot writes back to Benjamin, although,. In reality it is Benjamin doing the writing - a correspondence, therefore, between a seriously ill child and himself. Reading other people’s letters can be titillating, and it is true in this case, so much so that we forget that a most talented author is moving the pen.

Juxtaposed to Benjamin’s correspondence with Elliot are letters from his mother, his sister, his psychiatrist, his camp counselor and the camp’s owners, who are all writing to one another.

Except for Elliot, all these letter-writers want Benjamin to get "well". Only Elliot accepts him for what he is and understands that Benjamin acts the way he does in order to tolerate his demons. What is most painful, and typical of autistic people, is that Benjamin is unable to relate to or trust those who are trying to help him. He sees this help as an invasion of his rights, his privacy and an attack on his lifestyle, a loony lifestyle but one that allows him to cope. On the other hand, those who are trying to help him know he must change in order to function in the real world and take care of himself as an adult.

In reading the correspondence, we learn that Benjamin’s psychiatrist , Dr. Dysan, is planning to separate Benjamin from his refuge, Elliot, while he is at camp. Meanwhile, Benjamin’s mother’s letters are heartbreaking. She holds his camp experience as a last ditch attempt for her son to fish an play baseball like other kids. She tells him how well his stuffed toy will do back home in his bedroom. And she makes excuses for her husband’s hapless rejection of the situation. "Daddy says he’ll write soon." But Daddy never does.

Also heartbreaking are the letters to Benjamin’s parents from the camp owners/directors who try desperately to put a positive spin on Benjamin’s behavior. They become completely exasperated but never give up on him. And before Benjamin is finally separated from Elliot, they write: "The issues we mentioned in our last letter to you have both intensified and become more noticeable. Whereas Benjamin’s stuffed toy did not seem to be problematic, it has become an issue of some concern. Benjamin uses the toy as a vehicle through which he can avoid communication and participating with his peers. It has become an obstacle more than a simple comfort."

The flip side to these anxious letters is the hilarious correspondence between Benjamin’s 19 year old counselor, Dave, and a friend in Boston. His take on Benjamin can’t be quoted in a family newspaper, but Dave sees his charge as an oversexed, freaky kid who is not as difficult to deal with as another camper who doesn’t use the bathroom, preferring to go in his pants. (Initially I thought the camp was for mentally disturbed children, but then I realized that most "normal" children and young adults have their idiosyncrasies, as does Dave, a college student who’s doing his best in a world he doesn’t understand.) Since making pizza bagels is the only camp activity Benjamin shows any interest in, Dave, whenever he can, makes bagels with him - hundreds and hundreds of them.

Other lighthearted letters are written by Benjamin’s little sister, Hannah who has changed her name to Lemon "after the Beatles guy." She tells Benjamin he’s weird, calls him Scumbag and insinuates that his camp is no good since they don’t offer Origami like at her camp. When her little brother enters a residential hospital after camp, Hannah writes that "home sucks" without him - even though Benjamin is completely unresponsive to her.

Throughout, Benjamin keeps up his correspondence with Elliot, refusing to talk or write to anyone else. But Elliot’s letters become increasingly angry and resentful. He bullies Benjamin mercilessly, to spurn his doctor’s suggestions and ends up as Benjamin’s newest demon, setting him on a desperate struggle with himself. Finally, Dr. Dysan tries one more thing to get his patient to communicate with the real world. It works and Benjamin is able to take a stand against Elliot and to take a tiny step forward. Of course, he does this for just one reason - to get everyone off his back. And by this time, the reader also wishes everyone would back off.

Elizabeth Shepard gives us a new and mind-boggling perspective on mental illness from the point of view of the sufferer and those who would love and care about him. She shows us the courage and relentless discipline required to help a chronically mentally disabled person move forward in small increments. "H" is a very short, very poignant, very distressing, enthralling novel.

From The Boston Sunday Globe, April 30, 1995

Mary-Ann Tirone Smith has written four novels, including "The Book of Phoebe." Her most recent is Masters of Illusion: A Novel of the Connecticut Circus Fire."