Imagine being diagnosed with an incurable illness? How would you process this news? Would you sink into a valley of depression and stay there or climb out of it and into a new way of living? In François Gravel’s Colonel Parkinson in Charge (translated by Shelley Pomerance), Gravel answers some of these questions. He takes his passion for writing to help understand the disease that has changed the course of his life: “…I am ready to build something with the bricks that fell on my head. Each of us has our own way of coping with hardship. Mine is to sit down in front of a computer and tell stories.”
“Gravel has crafted a well-written and captivating book that is both humorous and compassionate.”
Gravel has crafted a well-written and captivating book that is both humorous and compassionate. We all have plans for our futures be it travelling to other countries, learning a new language, taking fitness classes or spending time with loved ones. This is part of human nature, having an optimistic view of what the future might hold, but then one day you might start experiencing symptoms. You aren’t quite yourself.
In the first chapter, Gravel describes his early symptoms. He begins with a memory of playing sports on the street as a child with his friends then years later he tosses a Frisbee with one of those childhood friends, only to realize he can’t throw the Frisbee in a straight line. It was then that Gravel realized something wasn’t right. “…a seed had been sown in my brain, and a nasty plant had begun to sprout there.” Two years later, his gait had changed and his right arm was bent. He also noticed his handwriting had deteriorated. “The situation became embarrassing when I had to sign books at book fairs. I could manage only a horrible scribble, and I blamed myself.” In Colonel Parkinson in Charge, the chapter titles show the visible sign of micrographia, small, cramped handwriting that is often associated with Parkinson’s. This characteristic of the illness provides a certain level intimacy to Gravel’s account that a handwritten letter does. Gravel eventually mentions his handwriting and other symptoms to his family physician who refers him to a neurologist. It is then that he is diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
A diagnosis not only affects the person who is given this news but also those closest to them. Gravel eloquently and also humorously touches upon the worries that one might feel when they are told they have an illness. “I didn’t give a hoot if I shook a bit, ran more slowly, or lost my sense of taste…What if my grandchildren had a grandfather who was gaga? Why does Grandpa shake all the time? What if Michèle was condemned to becoming a caregiver? Open the garage door, yummy, yummy, here comes some tasty purée, be careful not to choke on it…”
Throughout the book Gravel describes his concern for his loved ones, in particular his wife, but he also provides interesting facts about the history of Parkinson’s disease and the famous and infamous people who live or have lived with the illness. Although these facts are fascinating, they tend to shift the focus of the narrative away from the heart of the book which is the firsthand account of someone coming to terms with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s.
Gravel’s strongest writing in the book is when he talks about his own experiences and this insight provides a better understanding to readers who want to learn more about Parkinson’s, who are living with the illness themselves or who are caregivers. When he describes one of the frightening symptoms called “freezing” where a person with the illness will “suddenly become a statue…The result is that a person who has Parkinson’s will remain frozen for several seconds, or even several minutes.”, the reader feels the fear in the powerful passage. Furthermore, Gravel tackles the seriousness of this symptom, and any possible anxiety he may feel at the prospect of experiencing freezing, with humour and positivity: “If I freeze, I can…count out loud, sing, think of Colonel Parkinson chanting, “Left, right, left, right…” In short, relearn how to walk. Step by step, day by day, never taking anything for granted.”
Colonel Parkinson in Charge is a gentle reminder to live as best as you can because life is unpredictable. This fast-paced, funny and insightful book shows this unpredictability and will leave an impact on all those who read it.
FRANÇOIS GRAVEL studied economics and taught at the Cégep level until 2006. He is the author of over a hundred books for children and adults, many of which have received awards and distinctions. His adult novels include Ostende and Adieu, Betty Crocker, which have both been translated into English. Adieu, Betty Crocker was a competing title in the 2014 edition of Le combat des livres, the French-language equivalent of Canada Reads. He splits his time between Montreal and Île-aux-Grues.
- Publisher : House of Anansi Press (March 7 2023)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 144 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1487010303
- ISBN-13 : 978-1487010300
Sonia Saikaley was born and raised in Ottawa. Her first book, The Lebanese Dishwasher, co-won the 2012 Ken Klonsky Novella Contest. She has two poetry collections Turkish Delight, Montreal Winter and A Samurai’s Pink House. Her novel The Allspice Bath was the 2020 IPPY Gold Medal winner and the 2020 International Book Awards winner for Multicultural Fiction and a finalist in the 2020 Ottawa Book Awards. She is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and the Humber School for Writers. Her first children’s picture book Samantha’s Sandwich Stand was published by Renaissance Press in 2021. In the past, she lived and worked in the Miyagi Prefecture through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme.
- Sonia Saikaleyhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/sonias/
- Sonia Saikaleyhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/sonias/
- Sonia Saikaleyhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/sonias/
- Sonia Saikaleyhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/sonias/
- Sonia Saikaleyhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/sonias/
- Sonia Saikaleyhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/sonias/
