Content Warning: The novel discusses ableism toward people with autism.

“My hands aren’t really clean until I’ve washed them twelve times, one for each year of my life. I soap-rinse-one-soap-rinse-two-soap-rinse-three-soap-rinse- four-soap-rinse-five-soap-rinse-six, open my palms to scalding water, and repeat. I do it quick, so no one notices, and I’m usually done in about the same time it takes Joel and Jake to spray water at each other and throw towels on the floor, which is what they call washing up.”

Charlie uses cleanliness, order, and routine to feel safe and comfortable. The way that he describes his hand-washing routine particularly illustrates these facets of Charlie’s character. This passage appears at the start of Chapter 1,quickly introducing Charlie’s neurodivergence and establishing the unique way he interacts with the world and others.

“Dad sustained a head injury. That’s the word they used, sustained. It means you’ve had to withstand something. But it also means something is stretched out, like a note of music, just played and held constant for a long period of time. That’s what it’s like now, with Dad in the hospital. Like this strange invisible hum is in the air around us, and Gram and the twins and Davis and I just have to keep listening to it, and none of us know how long it will go on.”

Pla’s use of metaphor in this passage captures the distinct way that Charlie sees the world. Charlie is trying to make sense of his dad’s injury and therefore of his own trauma. He does so by comparing the injury to music, a simile that captures Charlie’s emotional state. By emphasizing how long the “note” or injury has been sustained, he communicates the constant uncertainty and anxiety currently present in his life.

“I wish I could stay here in the gift shop and sketch the little bird statues. […] [S]eeing the birds makes me feel quiet and orderly. The birds are beautiful. The basic facts about them don’t change. Bird behavior is pretty consistent. You can write it down, know it, understand it. No matter how hard you try, you can’t do that with people.”

Charlie relies upon birds to feel calm and understand his world. His response to the bird statues at the hospital illustrates the ways in which birds help him cope with traumatic and overwhelming situations. Even under normal circumstances, he feels that he understands birds more than people, a trait related to his experience as a person with autism. This passage also foreshadows the ways in which Charlie will use ornithology to make sense of his new experiences and relationships throughout the novel.