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Review by Louella Moreland
The 911 call on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at
2:43 p.m. Eastern Standard Time marked the exact moment Branwell
Zamorska was struck dumb. Not one sound could he make in defense of
himself when he is accused of dropping his baby half sister, who was
now in a coma. So begins this young adult "detective" novel by E.L.
Konigsburg.
Many readers may remember Konigsburg's
numerous twists and turns of plot sprinkled throughout her
award-winning book "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E.
Frankweiler." She guides one in the discovery of clues until the
facts of the mystery lie before the reader like pieces of a jigsaw
puzzle. Then in the final chapter, she drops in the final missing
piece that makes a picture instead of a jumbled mass of colored
flotsam.
Konigsburg follows a similar pattern
with "Silent to the Bone," a book meant for an older reading
audience. It involves the subject matter of a seriously injured
child and a teenage boy caught in a frightening nightmare that
leaves him unable to speak. The solution of the crime falls on the
shoulders of Branwell's best friend, Connor. He knows he must find
the answers to what really happened during the time leading up to
the frantic emergency call or perhaps lose his best friend to prison
and a life of mental difficulties.
Although the subject itself is dark and
no jokes are made in regard to the seriousness of the situation, the
book is far from depressing. It reads more like the 20 days of notes
made by Connor as a way of cataloging his progress (or lack of
progress) with Branwell and the baby's progress out of a coma.
Through the use of a set of flashcards that Connor uses on his
visits to the Clarion County Juvenile Behavioral Center where
Branwell is being held, the story begins to untwist.
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this review]
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 Connor becomes the reader's window
through which the drama of the story in seen. The reader gets a
delightful and sometimes heartbreaking look at the relationships in
the life of a boy: from interviews with his father, his grandparents
(lovingly known as the Ancestors who live in the Lovely
Condominium), his longtime baby sitter (who happens to be Connor's
older half sister with issues of her own) and the baby's rather
promiscuous au pair.
The reader comes away from the story
genuinely liking the characters, not because they are glamorous and
beautiful but because they are real and flawed. Like the guards who
seem to be cheering Connor and Branwell on, the reader begins to
desperately want the baby and Branwell to recover.
When the facts of that Wednesday
afternoon are replayed with all the missing pieces in place, the
healing can finally take place. Connor also finds that other healing
takes place as a side effect. It is sometimes a long and difficult
"Twenty Days." However, once it is done, "Day One" of the rest of
his life can begin.
To read this
book or others by E.L Konigsburg, visit us at the Lincoln Public
Library, 725 Pekin St. You may also reach us by calling 732-5732.
[Louella Moreland, youth
services librarian,
Lincoln
Public Library District] |
