I only write in these over the top capital letters to reflect the brilliant book When Mr Dog Bites. Set in a- I hate to say it- special school, we follow Dylan Mint, a 16-year-old boy suffering from Tourette's syndrome. Tourette's symdorme is one of the those conditions that has become some what of a laughing stock in society, mainly down to misinformed television programmes that instead of looking at things from their point, tend to focus on the reactions of other people as they walk past. I'm looking at you BBC3. So it is fantastic to see the condition used in a different way and in another medium where instead of hearing the person shouting and swearing, you have to picture it yourself. It has quite a different effect, you'd be surprised. It makes you feel for Dylan, not feel sorry for them, just want better for him. I never sniggered once. It must be terrible.
We come into Dylan's life at a difficult time, when his ticks are out of control, he is getting into fights at school and his mother is acting strange. Dylan receives some, what he thinks, is bad news at the doctors where he convinces himself that he is due to die in March. To me, I always got the sense that he wasn't going to die, especially because his mother seems more concerned about herself. So it is quite sad to see Dylan planning his final few months, even writing his bucket list, or as he calls it "Cool Things To Do Before I Cack It". I think everyone should call it this from now on.
There are of course times when you are reading the book that you feel uncomfortable when he is shouting racist and rude things, but at the end of the day you know he can't help it. There are some heart warming moments too, like when he is writing letters to his absentee father, who he believes is at war fighting terrorists. But you always get the sense his mother is hiding something from him about where is really is. And this is confirmed later.
Conaghan gives such a realistic insight into the world of those with conditions such as Tourette's that you find yourself not feeling sorry for them. You just realise that they are normal 16 -year-old boys. Boys who at time can be very crude, sexist and stubborn. They just all seem like normal kids. That's what Conaghan does so cleverly, making you notice that whilst they may be at a special school, they all go through the same things at school that people at other schools go through. This includes bullying, where he meets two other boys from the supposed 'normal' school in the park. That chapter will soon make you realise, who really is the considered the 'freaks' in society? Ignorant arseholes. Sorry.
I sometimes don't know how far young adult novels can go with their realness but with things like Tourette's and addressing something they may misunderstand from other representations in the media is important. And something else that he does so well is to not focus the entire story on how he copes with Tourette's but giving him other stories such as his relationship with Amir, his best friend and his eventual finding out about what his father is really like. There is a beautiful letter at the end where Dylan expresses himself in the most honest way I have had the pleasure of reading.
So when you get used to the times when 'Mr Dog Bites' or basically where Dylan Tourette's shines through, you see a completely normal 16-year-old boy. A boy who constantly thinks about women, football and his father. You can't but help see that no matter what people say in society, what is normal? And who is anyone to say what is normal?
When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan is publishing by Bloomsbuty in the UK.
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