Sunday Book Review: 600 Hours of Edward

600 Hours of Edward

by Craig Lancaster

600 Hours of Edward is the story of an adult man on the Asperger's end of the autism spectrum. I downloaded a sample of it several months ago when a friend recommended it to me. When I finally picked it up and started reading on my Kindle, I was hooked. I purchased as soon as I reached the end of the sample and pretty much continued reading until I had finished the book.

I absolutely adored Edward. Each time the author wrote, "My data was complete," I smiled with satisfaction, and when he barrelled out of bed without recording the time he woke up and the previous days temps, I laughed out loud.

As Edward tells his story, the 600 hours where his life--his routine--changed, I was moved by his observations and his relationships. I can't claim that this must be a true representation of the different way a person with Asperger's must think, but it certainly felt realistic. Edward's routine gave a rhythmic quality to the story telling that had exactly the right timing. I didn't want to put the book down. I kept reading pages, eagerly anticipating the twists, the events that would change things.

This story is brilliant in both its construction and its conclusions. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, and I am putting it on my "recommended" reading list.