Asperger's in Love: Searching for Romance When You Are Not Wired to Connect
by. Amy Harmon
Rating **** 1/2 (4 1/2 stars)
Is your child with autism ever going to fall in love, or even want to fall in love? This is a pressing concern for parents. As an adult with Asperger I wonder some days if it is possible for myself to fall in love. Perhaps that is why I gravitate towards romance stories about my own 'people'. I suppose I should begin to wonder why the romance stories are more self help manuals. Or as the case in Asperger Love a documentary.
My ex husband and myself had a few fights. I remember one fight, not long before I was diagnosed, where my ex husband accused me of never looking him in the eyes. Ha, I thought, I will totally win this argument. I turned to him and yelled back that was the stupidest thing I have ever heard, people do not look each other in the eyes.
Relationships are hard, relationships with a person, or between people, who have difficulty or complete oblivion with social conventions is even harder.
This story follows two young adults, both diagnosed on the autism spectrum, through their ups and downs of building a relationship. It looks at how they handle typical challenges, as well as challenges created by having autism. The novel is a great edition to the literature on autism, and it gives hope to parents of a child on the spectrum. It also is relatable to adults, both young and old, who are also on the spectrum.
My one complaint is that it is too short. While it gives us a glimpse into one relationship, it does not give a big enough picture into either their life, or what it is like to involve autism in a relationship. I would love to see Amy Harmon tackle more on this topic, until then I will totally check out her other books.
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