The Boy In The Moon Blog
Oct. 7/10
By: Anthony Mariano
“The Boy in The Moon” is novel written by Ian Brown, based on real event sin his life. When Ian’s son, Walker, was born, Walker was diagnosed with CFC syndrome, a rare genetic mutation currently identified in only 300 people worldwide. By the time he was 12-years-old, Walker still wears diapers, globally delayed, cannot speak and has to wear cuffs on his arms, to prevent hitting himself, on a constant basis. Along with his parents Ian and Johannah, Walker has an older sister named Hayley, and a nanny name Olga. As the novel progresses, Walker’s behaivour and actions almost sent him to a centre, with people diagnosed with CFC. Later, Ian travels to the L’Arche communities in Montreal and Paris, to speak with founder Jean Vanier and to see other disabled people. Today, Walker is 14-years-old and is doing better every day.
Ian Brown makes a trip to the L’Arche communities, where he meets Vanier. Eventually, he stays with a disabled family in France for 3 days to learn more about what L’Arche offers. When he first meets these people, Ian was nervous and had anxieties about them at first. “My anxieties resurfaced as Jean-Louis Munn led me through the streets of Verdun…I had no idea where we were going, what to expect, what was expected of me.” (p. 190) During his visit, Ian met someone he can relate to, Gégé, who resembles so much of Walker. “The person who captured my interest most was a small, stooped, watchful man named Gégé…The similarity smacked me like a blow: He never spoke, but observed the action around him intently and shyly, with his head tilted.” (p. 199) Ian also meets with Gilles Le Cardinal, who gives him advice about life and tells him to let Walker live his life to the fullest. “You have to give Walker his liberty,” Le Cardinal said. “And when he learns the sign, if you will let me know, I will be very pleased.” (p. 232) By the time his visit was over, Ian felt better knowing that the disabled are not harmful, but are just like regular people.
After reading the novel, Brown’s words definitely put life in perspective for me. It made me realize that life is precious and fragile, and you have no idea what to expect. By hearing Walker’s story, I discovered it is hard to live and take care of a disabled child that requires extra care, attention and help. I think that people should be aware of people with CFC and how difficult it is to them and their families. It made me realize how fortunate I am in perfect health condition and living a normal life. At the same time, I feel sorry for Ian, having to go through the pain and strife Walker is going through. By learning how a disabled child functions and what he is diagnosed with, it is a miracle that Walker defeated a lot of odds to survive and live life to the fullest.
If I had a chance to meet Ian Brown, I would ask the following questions:
1) Has living with a disabled child has changed for the better or for the worse?
2) Is there a message you can send to people who have CFC or those whose friends/children/loved ones have CFC?
3) Now that Walker is older, what challenges does he have to face now?
Ian Brown’s “The Boy in The Moon,” is a very touching novel about a little giving inspiration to people to beat the odds between life and death. This novel would definitely be recommended for people who need a new direction in life, realize how hard life with a disabled child is, and to live life to the fullest.
