The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson

Book of the Week: 14 May 2017

Matthew’s dad is a whizz at pub quizzes and has an answer for everything.

“Dad, who was on the throne during the Black Death?”

“Edward the third.”

“What is the capital of Latvia?”

“Riga.”

“What is the chemical symbol for copper?”

“Cu.”

“What is wrong with your eldest and only son?”

“He’s crazy.”

Matthew is far from crazy. He is clever, kind and observant but he does have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) which means, amongst other things, that he likes staying safely in his bedroom and keeping everything clean. One of his favourite occupations is looking out of his window to see what his neighbours are up to. There’s Mr Charles, who is fond of gardening but who doesn’t seem quite so fond of his grandchildren; Old Nina, who ventures out of doors almost as infrequently as Matthew himself; Penny and Gordon who are never seen apart; Jake, who hangs around on his bike bullying people; not to mention the very annoying Melody Bird who seems intent on being Matthew’s best friend.

When Mr Charles’ grandson Teddy goes missing one day, Matthew thinks he knows who the culprit might be and where Teddy can be found. But is he going to be able to follow up the clues when he can’t bring himself to leave the house?

This engrossing mystery is a kind of ‘Rear Window’* for younger readers but has the added advantage of being a sympathetic exploration of what it might be like to live with OCD. It is a compelling who-done-it told with warmth and wit.

Lisa Thompson’s website is here.

*Rear Window is a 1954 film and one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best thrillers.