cover image The Seven Rules of Elvira Carr

The Seven Rules of Elvira Carr

Frances Maynard. Sourcebooks Landmark, $15.99 trade paper (400p) ISBN 978-1-4926-4927-4

Maynard, who teaches adults with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders, draws on her professional experience for her fiction debut. At age 27, neuro-atypical Elvira Carr has largely been sheltered from the outside world. When her well-meaning but overbearing mother is confined to a nursing home following a stroke, Elvira must unexpectedly learn to navigate an unfamiliar social landscape and her family history. Her next-door neighbor helps Elvira understand the often perplexing language and behavior of the “NormalTypicals” Elvira encounters during volunteer work at her mother’s nursing home and at the local zoo, but Elvira is left to figure out many of the titular rules for social behavior on her own. Meanwhile, she begins to suspect that there may be more to the story of her now-deceased father’s long absences during her childhood than she had previously been led to believe. The author’s portrait of Elvira’s inner life is nuanced, even if the “rules” structure at times hinders the narrative. Unfortunately, the reader is unlikely to be surprised by any of the story’s revelations, which are unearthed through deliberate, near-plodding pacing. (July)