The last blizzard and a trip west led me to my latest read, The Ha Ha by Dave King. This is the latest installment for my book club and one I was previously unfamiliar with. The book follows Howie, a Vietnam vet who was injured 16 days after entering the war. The injury took away all forms of communication: speaking, writing and reading. The opening of the book finds Howard, a man caught up in his own head and in his routine, going through the motions of his lackluster life. A late night phone call brings reality to a halt as his old girlfriend calls on him for a favor. Sylvia, his high school girlfriend, is going back to rehab and needs someone to watch her 9 year old son. Unable to say no (literally ha!), he picks up Ryan to stay for an unknown amount of time, expecting her stint in rehab to last only a few days. He brings the kid home to a house of 4 adults living 4 separate, different lives. The boy's arrival throws the entire household for a twist, especially Howard. Told through Howard's point of view, you struggle along with him through every unanswered question, unspoken word and unknown circumstance. This is a great book and a quick read, a portrayal of the nontraditional family, of the importance of family and the power that each person has over their life. Choose happiness? or choose to just go through life. Watching Howard struggle to express himself and be understood it makes you stop and think, to wonder how you interact with others and how important it is to be able to express yourself. It really is true that you can find love in surprising areas....it seems to always be lurking around. Even the writing style mimics the journey Howard takes, the story begins with short, quick chapters and as Howard's walls begin to be broken down one by one it's like the reader is being allowed to see who this man really is.
