Review: A love story with extras
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 21, 2013
When I read the blurb for this book, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I didn't know much about Tourette's Syndrome but thought the premise interesting.  From the title, the reader might expect a slushy romance but this is far from the case.  A love story, for sure - slushy, trite or predictable it most certainly is not.I was not disappointed. This is one of the funniest, touching, most insightful books I've read for ages.  It covers the life of Greg Harris from his eighth year when he realises he is suffering from various tics, growls and behavioural patterns he doesn't quite understand. A dip into his family history makes him realise he may have inherited these awkward habits, which curse his social, family and school life for years. Visits to the cringingly awful doctor who lives next door and sundry pointless treatments do not help and it is not until he spots an attractive female doctor he feels he might be able to talk to that he gets a diagnosis.From an early age, Greg has been fascinated by the photograph of his Jewish grandfather's best friend's grand-daughter in the US.  He falls permanently in love with her enigmatic smile and not even his youthful forays into sex with another Tourettes sufferer shake his faith in Ellen - not even when she disappears for years.  Spurred on by his dream of making Ellen his, he eventually travels to the US and begins his search for her.Richard Louden's writing is superb.  He take the reader through the trials of growing up with a seriously embarrassing syndrome with a light, humourous touch that brings a lump to the throat even while the reader smiles at unfolding events.Some sections of this book are long drawn out, but for me it didn't affect the pleasure I got from reading.  There was always an acute observation to give pause for thought, or an opportunity to reflect on how it must be to live with Tourettes Syndrome and how it is possible to come to terms with it and live a normal life.