A review by Nalini Haynes
Emma is 15 and in grade 10 in a Darwin (Australia) high school in this contemporary young adult novel. In the opening scene, she climbs in to bed with her father who just had a nightmare. This intimate moment emphasizes the healthy safe relationship between father and daughter in White Noise. I had to process that for a minute when reading but then cheered before moving on.
However, all is not well. Emma’s mother died a few years earlier, disrupting relationship dynamics within their “found family” support system. Not long afterwards, Emma was diagnosed with autism. Now she’s in grade 10 for this coming of age novel.
Many similar novels – that I’ve loved, like Fiona Wood’s novels – use high school events as a foundation for character development and a hero’s or heroine’s journey. White Noise is unique in my experience in that Emma is the protagonist, is neurodivergent and Grimmer clearly understands the experience of autism. Grimmer also understands other people’s reactions to claims of “being autistic”.
The plot
I reached the end of writing this review then, on my reread, realized I hadn’t said much about the actual plot. So, using the magic of ICT I’m inserting this ramble here after the fact. You’d almost think I have ADHD.
White Noise is set in and around high school so there are best friend dramas, worst enemy dramas, misunderstandings dramas and a bit of romance. White Noise is a drama but in the best way.
Emma is a lot like I was at high school: focusing on the here-and-now with no real dreams for the future other than finishing school. However, the sports institute tests students to see if anyone might be a candidate to represent… I don’t know, the country maybe? And it turns out Emma is a natural athlete because girl runs for fun, rides a bike for fun and generally does sporty things although she’s never been good at team sports.
The sports institute is real but I know very little about it. Real athletes train there. Years ago I interviewed an Institute Paralympian in a failed attempt to help the photographer whose photographic assignment it was to NOT present her photos with accompanying ableist text. My failure, the subsequent book and the stress of those years of study are the reasons why I’ve never tried to publish the interview. In hindsight, publishing the interview could have offered some balance to the (OMG so ableist) book.
Also a Paralympian nicknamed The White Tiger trained there, and I’m a huge fan of seeing one of MY people succeed!
But I don’t know anything about the Institute of Sport’s programs for teenagers. Regardless, White Noise is an excellent engaging novel.
Representation of neurodivergence
The entire novel is about Emma so, really, the entire novel is about neurodivergence even when it’s only “in the white spaces between the words”. However, sometimes the discussion punches you in the face and, at other times, it gets you by the feels.
Page 84 made me cry:
“You don’t need to figure out how to be—“
“Yes, I do! That’s exactly what I have to do, every single day!”
In a few sentences, so understated, Emma expressed my whole life, years of revising interactions to work out what worked and what went wrong. Years of planning responses and ways of being for the future. And far too many events where, when I was taken by surprise, I was unable to defend myself or my boundaries. Grimmer’s fleeting comment pierced my heart. White Noise is an eloquent explanation of what it can be like to be neurodivergent. Grimmer normalizes the experiences of what is estimated to be one neurodivergent person in every twenty people. This novel is a gift.
Emma’s journey is relatable (except maybe being an excellent athlete, lol). Her journey will, I believe, encourage and inspire other neurodivergents while also increasing understanding and acceptance by others.
The wrap
White Noise is a heartwarming coming of age contemporary young adult novel engaging with issues of culture: neurodivergent versus neurotypical and the city of Darwin versus the rest of the world. Emma is a caterpillar who, figuratively, evolves into a butterfly, a butterfly with a future. I highly recommend White Noise.
Read this if you enjoyed Cloudwish by Fiona Wood and Remind Me How This Ends by Gabrielle Tozer.
