Not gonna lie here, what made me pick up Rob Harrell’s
Wink is
atypical, to say the least. As the pet parent of two cats who have one eye {one of whom,
oddly enough, was almost named Wink}, I felt myself drawn to this tale, and I am
so grateful for it as I was
charmed. By the
characters, by the
relationships, and by the perspectives shared. In a world rife with hate,
Wink is overflowing with compassion and
truths - not to mention a healthy sprinkle of punk rock.
Twelve-year-old Ross Maloy is living the
typical middle school life. He’s got two
amazing best friends, Isaac and Abby; a crush on a classmate who doesn’t know he exists {
obvi}; and his own
semi-popular comic series…Batpig. Then an
unexpected swelling of his eye pops up one morning during the summer between sixth and seventh grade, and
everything changes.
Diagnosed as a
rare and deadly eye cancer, Ross
immediately enters a world of
unwanted new in the form of vision loss in one eye and the need for 8 weeks of
intensive radiation therapy. Not to mention being forced to
wear a gigantic look-at-me cowboy hat at
all times {yes,
even in the classroom} for protection.
Though
def not the way one expects their middle school years to play out, Ross has a
phenomenal support team, leaving him convinced that he’ll beat the
big bad C; but then one of his besties {Isaac} bails, and someone starts circulating
gruesome memes about his condition around school, and suddenly Ross isn’t so sure. Until he meets a slew of newbies that give him a new reason for living.
Y’all the supporting cast of this book is
fire. Yes, I
love Ross; but you’ve also got the
wise Jerry, a geriatric patient Ross meets in the waiting room at radiation therapy;
Frank, a tech who moonlights as a musician {and ultimately brings out Ross’
punk rock persona}; Abby, who is one of those
rare, unicorn-like friends {i.e. one who is
ridiculously supportive but will tell you off from time to time}; and even Jimmy, a
supposed bully with a bad rep, but a lovable spirit.
Is the content hard to swallow?
Most def - especially when you see how Ross feels after those memes start circulating {
I cried}; but it is
so important to bring books that represent differently abled people, and those dealing with illness to the forefront – if only to show people to
be grateful for what they have and
show compassion without condescension to those who may be
going through it. With
Wink, Rob Harrell manages to do both; while also showing the seriousness of the situation presented in an
oft-times humorous fashion.
Wink stands in a class of its own – it is funny, it is original, and it will stay with you long after the last page is turned. Add this one to your
TBR pile babes!
Star Rating: *****
xx
