Autism

The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder by Sarah J. Harris

A really good, pacy read. An interesting and unusual whodunnit, that holds your attention and provides a fascinating insight into Synaesthesia, Autism and Face-blindness.

The story concerns Jasper, a compelling young boy, whose unreliability as a narrator only adds to his charm. Jasper believes his exciting neighbour, Bee Larkham, has been murdered, and is not entirely sure he isn’t responsible for it himself. Jasper is severely autistic, and a synaesthete, which, put simply, means he sees sounds as colours. This condition is central to the way the book is written, but presented in an accessible way if you haven’t come across it before. The descriptions of Jasper’s impression of the world, its people and its sounds are beautiful and really inspire the imagination. The plotting hinges on some of the details of Jasper’s conditions, including face blindness, as he is unable to recognise people visually, even his own father. These aspects keep you guessing as to what really happened, as some of Jasper’s misinterpretations are easy to read between, whilst others are less clear.

Gripping

I was grabbed by this story and, by and large, it held my interest all the way through. There was a bit of ‘explaining’ at the end to allow us to fully understand some of the finer points of the plot, as Jasper relayed what he had had explained to him by his dad. I wished there might have been a better way to impart these points but, other than those few occasions, I was carried along in Jasper’s head and my sympathy was with him, compelling me to keep reading and discover the resolutions to the perils in which he finds himself.

Characters

The only character I really got to know was Jasper. Whilst this was a tiny bit frustrating, I think it was a conscious choice in order to allow any and everyone else to come under suspicion for Bee’s murder. Jasper’s opinions of people range from surprisingly insightful to spectacularly misleading, but again, this was a necessary tool to deliver the story in a twisting, suspenseful fashion.

Did I guess who did it?

Not until close to the climax. The constant swapping of suspects in Jasper’s mind, and subtle use of red herring was largely effective, as was the first person point of view.

Overall, an enjoyable and well-written mystery novel with a difference, and one I’d definitely recommend.