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A review by reclusivebookslug
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this book years ago (maybe in middle school) and although I remember it being impactful for me, I didn't remember many details of what it was actually about. I also wanted to reread this because a close friend once told me that the main character reminded her of me.
After rereading, I think the reason I felt so connected with this character, and perhaps why my friend noticed similarities between us, is that Willow is heavily coded as autistic (or some flavor of neurodivergent, at least). I didn't know then, but I am also autistic.
Sometimes implying characters to be neurodivergent but not explicitly saying so is annoying to me, but in this case, I almost prefer it to be unstated. Firstly because Willow has a savant-level memory and level of intelligence for a 12-year-old, and the trope of autistic savants is pretty played by now. Sure, they exist, but they're not the norm for autistics (even those of us considered "high-functioning") and the conflation of autism with the trope of the strange genius can be harmful to the community. (It is accurate to point out that many undiagnosed masked autistic children, especially autistic girls and people of color, are often considered "gifted" in school.) Secondly, because it makes Dell's evaluation of her as a super-special one-of-a-kind kid seem very silly, because autism is relatively common and he is literally a school counselor. Writing her as neurodiverse but not labeling her as such allows both autistic and non-autistic readers to relate to different parts of her character while not perpetuating stereotypes.
After rereading, I think the reason I felt so connected with this character, and perhaps why my friend noticed similarities between us, is that Willow is heavily coded as autistic (or some flavor of neurodivergent, at least). I didn't know then, but I am also autistic.
Sometimes implying characters to be neurodivergent but not explicitly saying so is annoying to me, but in this case, I almost prefer it to be unstated. Firstly because Willow has a savant-level memory and level of intelligence for a 12-year-old, and the trope of autistic savants is pretty played by now. Sure, they exist, but they're not the norm for autistics (even those of us considered "high-functioning") and the conflation of autism with the trope of the strange genius can be harmful to the community. (It is accurate to point out that many undiagnosed masked autistic children, especially autistic girls and people of color, are often considered "gifted" in school.) Secondly, because it makes Dell's evaluation of her as a super-special one-of-a-kind kid seem very silly, because autism is relatively common and he is literally a school counselor. Writing her as neurodiverse but not labeling her as such allows both autistic and non-autistic readers to relate to different parts of her character while not perpetuating stereotypes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief