“Whiligig” is a very thought-provoking young adult novel. Bruce Bishop is sixteen and determined to play everything right in his new private school. He concentrates on wearing the right clothes, knowing what to say to the right people, and always being “cool.” Coolness is very important to him, and as the new guy, he’s got to play it for all it’s worth.
One night a friend invites him to tag along to a party, but forgets to tell him that there’s a theme – everyone is supposed to wear either all black or all white, so they can play a game of human chess. Bruce is furious – with all the emphasis he puts on looking the part, he now sticks out in his yellow shirt and khakis. The host forgives him, though, and after knocking back a few drinks, Bruce is feeling pretty mellow.
But when a pretty girl from school takes his flirting the wrong way and screams at him to get away from her, his mood disintegrates. He leaves the party, drunk as a skunk, and while driving down the highway, decides to end it all. He takes his hands off the steering wheel and closes his eyes.
He got off with just some scrapes and a concussion, but he hit and killed the driver of another car. Her name was Lea, and she had everything going for her. Bruce hates himself for what he’s done and wishes that he’d died instead of her.
When time comes for Bruce’s sentencing, he isn’t sent to jail but instead is given a long list of community service projects to do. He’s also given the chance to make some sort of restitution to Lea’s family – and her mother has an odd request. Lea always loved whirligigs, and her mother wants Bruce to travel to the four corners of the United States, make a whirligig, and leave it there in Lea’s honor so her spirit can reach all across the country. Bruce’s parents think it’s a strange request, but Bruce wants to do it.
The rest of the book details his journey and the things he learns along the way, and the relationship he builds with the whirligigs he makes. We also have, interspersed, the stories of the people who see the whirligigs and how they are impacted.
I’d recommend this book for older teens, say, fifteen and up. Some of the themes are a little mature for a younger reader, but I’d encourage anyone who’s learning how to drive to pick up this book. It’s not just a caution on drinking and driving, however – in fact, that message is told subtly in the story and isn’t preached. The real message is how Bruce changes his life, his whole destiny – one minute he wishes he were dead, and then later discovers that he can live again.
(This book was published in 1998 by Dell Laurel Leaf.)
Related Blogs: