“Oh…”

From Mikaël Ross’ The Thud.

The developmentally disabled Noel lives in Berlin with his mother, and he is happy with every aspect of his life. However, when Noel hears a thud in the middle of the night, he goes to see what the noise was and he finds his mother passed out in the bathroom. What ensues is a scary night in a hospital and confusing news that his mother is now in a coma, leaving Noel alone until she wakes up and recovers. Noel is soon sent from Berlin to a group home in the country since there is no one else available to take care of him, and the entire experience is confusing and scary for Noel. When Noel meets Penelope at a community dance, he quickly mistakes her kindness and quickly becomes infatuated with the woman despite the large age difference. Noel is able to build somewhat unsteady friendships with fellow group home resident, Valentin, and neighbor, Alice, but his constant focus on Penelope drives almost all of his conversations and focus. Struggling to understand what is going on while also figuring out the complexities of life, Noel finds himself feeling more and more removed from the comfortable life he shared with his mother.

While the main character is easy to connect with, Ross’ book suffers from several other issues that distract from the story. There is definitely a cultural barrier that American readers will find confusing, and the background of all the other characters can muddle the story. This book does use an interesting animation style to share a story that tugs on the heartstrings, but The Thud struggles to overcome the issues contained within.