Pilcrow by Adam Mars-Jones

Adam Mars-Jones’ hero John describes himself as a pilcrow, the sign for a paragraph, in his view an unusual piece of typography. And he is unusual. John has something called Stills Disease, which is a form of arthritis that utterly disables him. But it’s his character that makes him unusual. The novel explores the first fifteen years of his life in minute detail. At one point John talks about his progress being an inch and a half at a time and this book is a bit like that. But it is not for a moment tedious. In fact, the book is completely engaging. In every other way this boy is a normal child, though brighter than most, and spends his time manipulating a wonderful cast of characters that populate the special schools where he needs to live and gouge out an education. It’s clear from early on that he’s gay and his sexuality develops like any other normal healthy boy, full of fumblings and discoveries. This all sounds quite serious, a chronicle of how a disabled boy makes his way through life, morally good for you to read and applaud. But it’s not like that at all. It’s wicked and naughty and funny and sad in turn. John is a typical, wonderful, at times immoral boy. He’s a witty and sometimes scathing observer of the people and situations around him. He’s open and unapologetic for his often self serving and opportunistic behaviour yet has a streak of endearing kindness and empathy running through him. It’s a very funny book, often wicked, and with wonderful characterization. I found it refreshing to see how this disabled boy manages to navigate the early years of his life and come to terms with a very healthy sexuality – not something people normally think about when they consider those with a disability. That’s all there is to this book, a chronicle of fifteen years, but the elegance of the prose, the humour and wit and its originality make it one of the must read books on anyone’s list.