Book Review: Wonder Struck by Brian Selznick

Wonder Struck by Brian Selznick
Published by Scholastic Press, 2011
List Price: $29.99
(Barnes and Noble and Amazon are selling it for $17.77)

June 1977, Gunflint Lake, Minnesota. It's been 3 months since the death of Ben Wilson's mom in a car crash and he's moved in with his Aunt Jenny and Uncle Steve. As far as the move, it wasn't that big of an adjustment since his old house just is a short walk away. But Ben doesn't feel like he belongs in the new house. Especially since he has to share a room with a resentful cousin, roughly his same age. You might ask where Ben's father is, and the fact is, Ben would like to know as well. His mom never told him who his father was and it really bothers Ben, now more than ever. On top of all this, his aunt and uncle are talking about selling his mom's house. HIS house. Ever since his mom's death he's also been having a recurring dream/nightmare of wolves running towards him thru a moonlit snowy forest, Northern Lights shining above then. Is it a subconscious manifestation of his emotional trauma, or does it have a meaning that he cannot fathom at present?

The book really starts moving when one of his cousins finds a locket with a picture of a man he thinks might be his dad.  Ben also discovers a book called Wonder Struck in his old house. Wonder Struck is a book about the history of museums, but it's the bookmark in it that catches Ben's eye. It's from a bookstore in New York City and on the back of it, it says "Elaine--This piece of me is for you. Please call or write. I'll be waiting. Love, Danny" (Elaine is Ben's deceased mom). Underneath it is a phone number and address. Most strikingly, the note is dated the same year Ben was born! When Ben calls the number in the middle of a storm, a quirk of fate happens. He is struck by LIGHTNING! Well, actually the lightning strike hit the house but the charge travelled through the phone and into his ear, leaving him deaf! For you see, he was already deaf in one ear before the accident, and the lightning strike gives him a matching set. As soon as he recovers, Ben takes off on his own, heading to New York City to find his dad.

There is a second narrative in Wonder Struck concerning a young deaf girl in 1927 Hoboken, New Jersey. While Ben's story is told in prose, the young girl's story is told through charcoal and pencil drawings familiar to anyone who has read Hugo Cabret. She too, runs away to New York in search of someone. Basically, the format of the book is a couple of pages of Ben's story, then a couple of pages of the girl's. Gradually over time, you begin to understand how the the two are connected.

Two things that struck me about this book: the art and the speed with which I read it. I like Selznick's art, even though I could do without so much line work and cross hatching at times. Maybe he could cool it a little with those aspects but my impression is that Selznick loves to draw, and there is just a precious sense of him noodling on the illustrations because he doesn't want to stop! His art style reminds me a bit of a cross between Gaugin and Manet. Ok, Selznick isn't in their league, but his illustrations remind me of what you would find in those artist's sketchbooks if they had illustrated children's books. Wonder Struck without the art would have been OK, or vice versa, but the art and prose working together make it a really fine book.

Wonder Struck is over 600 pages long but I was able to read it in about TWO hours. When I saw its size, I must admit I was a bit intimidated. But what a fast read. Of course, having so many pages of pictures probably helped that process along. The quality of the story probably also had something to do with the speed with which I read it as well. At its heart, this book is actually a mystery. It's about a boy searching for answers about his father, his mom, and what happened in their relationship. Ben has to be brave and smart to find those answers. The reader feels like a detective when they read this book, because they are constantly looking for clues and signs as to how the two narratives are going to come together.

Something else that I liked about the book was that Selznick used real locations and research to give the two time periods authenticity. One of the centerpieces of the book is the location theAmerican Museum of Natural History in NYC. Reading about the museum made me wish I was there exploring it along with Ben and the girl. Gunflint Lake is a real place as well. And of course, we all know Hoboken. I would really like to visit some of these places after finishing this book.

My Grade: A