House Rules by Jodi Picoult tells the story of a murder trial from the perspectives of a number of people involved with the court case. One of the narrators is Jacob, an eighteen year old with Asperger's Syndrome, who is accused of the murder of his social skills tutor. Other perspectives come from his mother, his brother, his inexperienced defence counsel and an investigating police officer.
Picoult writes with authority and insight about Asperger's Syndrome and enters the minds of each character in an authentic and enthralling manner. As well as providing an engrossing thriller with a twist at the end, she leaves the reader with a better understanding of a puzzling condition that is increasingly being diagnosed.
In Jacob's words, (page 17) Asperger's Syndrome has become, "The mental health disorder du jour, overused by parents to describe their bratty kids so that people think they're supergeniuses instead of simply antisocial."
Accused of Murder with Asperger's Syndrome
Jacob has an obsessional interest in crime scene analysis and forensic science – obsession being a classical sign of Asperger's Syndrome. In common with other people with Asperger's Syndrome, he has trouble with social situations and in making friends.
His conversations are often one-sided and he alienates people with long-winded descriptions of his pet interests. Unfortunately while people with Asperger's Syndrome have verbal skills which are much better than other people on the autism spectrum their non-verbal skills are lacking so that Jacob does not pick up on body language clues that his listener is bored and wants to get away from him.
When he has to appear in court his poor non-verbal skills, including his inability to maintain eye contact only also make him appear guilty.
House Rules Gives Authentic Details
Picoult also provides other authentic details of Asperger's Syndrome such as an inability to cope with changes in routine. Jacob must be the first person to use the shower in the morning and religiously watches a television programme called Crimebusters at 4.30 pm each day. Changes in his routine such as missing his favourite programme can lead to meltdowns, which from an outsider's point of view would look like childish tantrums.
People with Asperger's Syndrome interpret language in a very literal way and often do not pick up on metaphors, irony or sarcasm. This can lead to unusual reactions to instructions or questions. In Jacob's case when a teacher tells the class not to move or even breathe while she was out of the classroom for a short period his reaction was to hold his breath until he almost passed out.
The speech patterns of people with Asperger's Syndrome are also unusual. There is very little alteration in inflexion or emphasis and in House Rules Jacob's speech is described as robotic or a monotone.
Even the clumsiness of a person with Asperger's Syndrome is described briefly. Jacob is very different from the computer hacking genius, Lisbeth Salander, in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo who is described by the narrator as having aspects of Asperger's Syndrome. Salander is skilled at martial arts, which is atypical of people with Asperger's Syndrome and although Asperger's Syndrome provides the potential for great achievements physical clumsiness is an early sign of the condition.
The Mother's Perspective on Asperger's Syndrome
In House Rules Jodi Picoult also shows the desperation of a mother to find a cure for her son's condition.
Theories about the causes of autism and its treatment are controversial. Jacob's mother suspects his childhood vaccinations were a cause. In her mind, he might have been genetically predisposed to the condition which was triggered by his vaccination. She is convinced that his behaviour changed dramatically after his vaccination and that up until this time he was a loving child, capable of empathy.
The case against vaccinations is largely anecdotal based on the reports of parents like Emma Hunt. At this time there is no definitive proof regarding a link with autism. However, vaccinations which are most suspect are those containing thimerosal (also known as thiomersal) an organomercury compound used as a preservative in vaccines.
In July 1999 the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that producers of vaccines should err on the side of caution and phase out the use of thimerosal following a study into food and drugs containing mercury.
The FDA also has reported that while there is a lack of definitive proof of damage caused by thimerosal for the benefit of public confidence in vaccinations it should be removed. Consequently there has been a significant decrease in thimerosal use in vaccines.
Emma Hunt also has Jacob on a strict diet, eliminating gluten and casein from his diet and supplementing it with vitamins, convinced that this has brought about an improvement in his condition.
Once again the case against gluten in wheat products and casein in milk products is largely anecdotal with definitive scientific studies needed. However, the theory is that people with autism suffer from digestive systems that are more permeable than those of the general population.
Their "leaky guts" allow larger molecules produced from the breakdown of gluten and casein to cross from the intestines into the bloodstream and eventually reach the brain, contributing to autism. Many parents report improvements from a diet with wheat and milk products removed but the majority of the scientific population remains unconvinced.
Jodi Picoult's House Rules provides a wealth of information about Asperger's Syndrome in an interesting and absorbing way. It shows the condition from a number of perspectives which would be helpful for any people coming into contact with people with the condition from family members to educators.
References:
Jodi Picoult, House Rules, Allen and Unwin (Australian Edition), 2010.
Tony Attwood, Tonyattwood.com
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