Wink by Rob Harrell

 

Yesterday, I finished reading Wink by Rob Harrell. This realistic fiction novel is about Ross Maloy, a twelve-year-old boy who is diagnosed with a rare eye cancer during the summer before he starts seventh grade. All he wants is to be normal, but it's challenging when he has medical treatments everyday and someone at his school is making cruel memes about him. He even has to wear a hat to school for protection and smear goop around his eye, which doesn't make fitting in any easier. Although one of his friends, Isaac, stopped hanging out with Ross when he found out the news about Ross's diagnosis, his other friend, Abby, stands by his side faithfully even though she's moving to Minnesota over winter break. After his first few treatments, Ross begins taking guitar lessons with his radiation tech, Frank, and decides that he wants to play in the school talent show in part to impress the girl he has a crush on. For Ross, playing guitar is an outlet for his struggles, along with drawing comics that feature his original character, Batpig. Unfortunately, as his hair begins to fall out and he dreads the day he'll lose his vision, he has a falling out with Abby. With the burdens building up, Ross has to decide if he should let go and embrace what makes him unique.

I really enjoyed this book because it wasn't your typical book about someone who has cancer. While there are parts that are heartbreaking, it was also hilarious and fun, making me laugh and smile. I definitely loved how the book combined both art and music. It was cool how the Batpig comics linked to whatever was going on in Ross's life and they really expressed his emotions well. At first, I thought Frank was very pretentious about music, but as he spent more time with Ross, I got to know his empathic side, which was nice. I especially liked Ross and Abby's friendship because Abby would let Ross know that it's okay to stand out. Even though they get into an argument when they're both dealing with a lot, I had faith that they would make up before the end of the book. Wink is an unforgettable novel and it's an exceptional choice for anyone to read about surviving not only cancer, but middle school.