The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, a novel by Reif Larsen

The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet by Reif Larsen


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've been having a hard time explaining what I'm reading these days. "It's about a boy who is a genius cartographer and..." This is about as far as I get before eyes glaze over and an absent-minded "uh-huh" tells me that I've lost my opportunity to pitch this amazing book. Of course, T.S. would be able to describe the exact facial expressions of my dumbfounded listeners with the Ekman's Facial Action Coding System--a breakdown of facial expressions and their meanings that he uses to decode the phony smiles and false encouragement of the adults he meets on his journey to Washington D.C. to accept a prestigious award from the Smithsonian.
In fact, it is the exploration of that boundary between childhood and adulthood that is one of the most endearing things about twelve-year-old T.S.

He smiled, but his eyes maintained a trace of all that anger. I could see it lingering just beneath the surface. Watching his eyes, I suddenly had an idea of how adults can hold on to a feeling for very long periods of time, long after the event is finished, long after cards have been sent and apologies made and everyone else had moved on. Adults were pack rats of old, useless emotions.

But of course, the thing that makes this book truly stand out are the amazing illustrations, side notes, maps and diagrams in the margins of the story. Young T.S. shows us that maps are far more than a way to navigate from point A to point B, but a way of making meaning of all that we see. From observations of loneliness on the streets of Chicago to a diagram of the overzealous fist pump that his brother used to celebrate small victories in his life, T.S. shows us all that can be learned through careful observation.
While some mature high school readers might enjoy this book, I think that readers with more distance from the transition to adulthood will be better able to look back and laugh, cry, and appreciate the journey of T.S. Spivet.

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