Stuck In Neutral by Terry Trueman

Reviewed by Archie Marsh - Pimlico School - June 2001

We have been reading Stuck In Neutral by Terry Trueman. It is his first novel, though he has had many poems, stories and reviews published.

The book is written in the first person from the point of view of a 14 year old boy. In the book we are taken into the mind of Shawn McDaniel who has Cerebral Palsy and is unable to communicate or interact physically or verbally with anyone. In each chapter he describes the different things that have happened to him in his life.

He lives with his mother, brother and sister but not his father who had to leave the family because he couldn't cope with Shawn's condition. Shawn feels guilty that he is putting strain on the family and that he has hurt everyone. He explains the difficulties of .... .being misunderstood by people who think they are being understanding... (p.13).

The story is set in Seattle in the USA. It is very American in the language and style. In a way, despite his condition, Shawn is a typical American kid. At first the reader likes him but as the book progresses he becomes annoying and irritating although near the end we warm to him again.

The book is quite depressing in the way it shows what his life must be like, trapped inside a body that won't let him express himself. However, it is also very enlightening, encouraging the reader to imagine what someone in that situation might feel.

One of the main devices the writer uses is the way he leads us from chapter to chapter. Near the end of each chapter he says something like "Cindy nods. She knows what he means. Actually we both do." then goes on to explain what he means in the next chapter or next part. This way the book flows giving the impression that this stand-still story is going somewhere.

Shawn is convinced that his father wants to kill him, to put him out of his misery. This gives the story dramatic tension which is increased in the last few chapters by the writer switching to the present tense. Nevertheless, the ending is rather weak. I would have preferred a proper conclusion to Shawn's plight, Instead he has a seizure and no one knows what happens.
Perhaps the writer wasn't sure how to end the book, or more likely he wanted the reader to create their own ending.

Although it has a very good plan and an interesting formula, the book is much too American for my taste. Perhaps if it had been set in England, I might have found the character and situation a bit more convincing. The American references to baseball and so on became tedious. However, I was very interested in the story when I first started reading it. In fact, I tried to slow down so I wouldn't finish it too quickly. It is a fairly short book and quite a simple plot but I think it would appeal to more mature readers as the subject matter is quite sensitive. On the other hand, younger readers would not have a problem with the language or structure.

All in all, Stuck in Neutral deals with an unusual and complicated situation in a fairly entertaining way. It makes a serious subject interesting and even manages to be quite light hearted in its presentation of Shawn' s desperate predicament.