The title of Dara McAnulty`s book Diary of A Young Naturalist does nothing to prepare the reader for the intensity of the experience of reading it. Once drawn into the world of Dara and his family it is nigh impossible to leave until the book is finished. Whatsmore, when you finally lift your head and look around you may fnd that, for a while at least, you are looking at the world through different lenses.
At one level Diary is just that, the description of a year in a young adolescent`s life as he observes the natural world around him and copes with the ups and downs of growing up. These are only heightened by the fact that not only is Dara autistic, so are his two siblings and his mother. As he says, it`s his Dad who is the "odd one out, and he`s also the one we rely on to deconstruct the mysteries of not just the natural world but the human one too."
Of the various strands that are woven throughout the book, the strength and warmth of, in Dara`s own words, this "eccentric and chaotic bunch" is what holds the whole thing together: "as close as otters, and huddled together, we make our way in the world."
The affinity they share supports Dara as he spends long hours taking in every detail of the natural environment that surrounds him, as he deals with often overwhelming emotions, from happiness to grief and pretty much everything in between; as he copes with school in a world that tells him he doesn`t "look autistic" and makes him "fair game" for bullying and, perhaps most importantly, as he tries to visualize how his future as a "would-be scientist" and passionate environmentalist can evolve from this maelstrom.
And if all that sounds a little too angst-ridden to make for a cheerful read, the energy and humour of the book will come as a surprise. This often noisy, rambunctious family, dashing off to immerse themselves in forests, climb mountains or explore rivers will take you along for the ride. There are stories, there is music, there are moments of exquisite stillness and silence but there is also activism and political debate. Most of all there is kindness, not only within the family but towards a human world that doesn`t always deserve it. expressed through the quite beautiful writing which flies in the face of the assessment of a teacher who once claimed that Dara would "never be able to.....string a paragraph together".
I do hope he/she reads this dazzling work and reconsiders.
