The therapeutic effect of Toppling by Sally Murphy
Reviewed by Di Morris
Following the successful Pearl Verses the World, Sally Murphy’s latest children’s book Toppling is narrated by John, whose passion is making long domino patterns and toppling them, and whose hobby helps him to cope with the serious illness of his best friend. Written in free verse, a form without meter or rhyme that goes back to the King James Bible, the book is perfect for child readers and adult story tellers who appreciate a serious edge to fiction.
In a story of this kind which promotes contemplation of deep issues, the effect of these free verse cadences is to give pause for words to take root in the reader or listener’s consciousness. It allows walking through the text, rather than running. The space on the page where air flows between lines is welcoming and warming, undaunting to the middle level reader, easy for someone to read out loud.
I tell her I could do without school.
Toppling dominoes teaches me
lots of skills
like maths
and design
and patience. (14)
John considers himself the ordinary member of his group of sixth grade friends. Sally Murphy covers a good range of boy-dom in her line-up of supplementary characters. Joseph is a science whizz, Christian is funny, Tran is Vietnamese, but John’s best friend Dominic is clever, funny, loyal and cool. There also is a token girl that John secretly likes.
The unlikeable outsider, always a good foil in childrens’ stories, is new boy and bully Ky. When Miss Timms announces that for their project they can choose any subject (with a couple of exceptions) Ky is the first to complain. Desk mates John and Dom make private fun of him.
That’s not fair, Ky mumbles.
I whisper to Dominic
Maybe Ky wants to blow up the school
In the nuddy.
That’s X-rated
and dangerous. (28)
The setting moves between school and home. John’s home life is comfortingly familiar, with parents who are moderate disciplinarians and who ask about school during a sit-down dinner. There is also an older sister, Tess, to score points over. But all that is about to change. Sally Murphy’s skill in simply and realistically juxtaposing calamity with dignity and humour is on display here:
Okay, I say.
Dom threw up all over his desk-
…Is he OK asks Mum.
I tell her that he went home
looking white
and how we couldn’t use the classroom
because it was
all stinky
from the spew.
You should have smelt it!
It’s good to see Tess’s face
When I say that
But then I think of Dom… (39)
Dom has cancer. In telling about the operation and aftermath his words are forthright.
I shiver
and spew
and can’t even stand up.
When that happens
I wish I was dead.’
But then, (101)
Nor is much kept back in Sally Murphy’s honest treatment of this subject. The wonderful thing is that in this book all the life affirming ways of children are brought into play, not least by the many clear, soft and perceptive pen and wash illustrations by Rhian Nest James. It’s a winning combination. Both text and pictures quietly shine with human spirit.
Just when the situation seems darkest, Sally Murphy skillfully turns the plot around, allowing her reader relief and a little optimism. The class speeches bring success for John’s demonstration topple, and unexpected redemption for Ky. The narrative delivers the kinds of twists and turns that will keep us eagerly turning pages to the end. And throughout the book, in a way that children can easily understand, mystique surrounding cancer and its treatment is toppled.
There are no clear-cut resolutions in this story, but it is the best possible outcome for the situation, and that is perhaps all any of us can expect from life. I recommend this book to children and parents alike.
(2010)
by Sally Murphy
ISBN: 978 1 921529429
127pp; AU $15.95
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