by Siobhan Dowd, Published by Oxford University Press, Rollercoasters series
Review by Lesley Finlay
Now you probably know this book, the second novel by Siobhan Dowd, who died in 2007, but it’s worth reminding you of The London Eye Mystery.
This rattling good story is told by Ted, who has Aspergers, and sets out on a dramatic race against time with his sister Kate to find their cousin Salim, who has vanished into thin air after a ride on the London Eye.
Ted is the perfect narrator as an objective observer, who has the intellect to think laterally thanks to the fact his ‘brain runs on its own operating system’.
Although his number one theory – that Salim has spontaneously combusted – turns out not to be right, the denouement is satisfyingly surprising.
Insights into the mind of a child with Aspergers will promote some understanding (although that’s not the point) – I loved the section where Ted is trying to work out how close Salim is to his mother by reviewing his
‘five-point code to reading faces’ and not succeeding because ‘knowing how they mix together is another thing’.
This is a lovely book, and a lovely, clean edition, that can be enjoyed for pleasure
by young people of any age.