The Wall and the Wing

Notes:

I don't know if they still show them, but there used to be a practice of filling in an unexpected gap between programmes on the telly by playing a short cartoon. They always seemed to be Czech, although that may just be my memory playing me false. And they always seemed a little surreal – quite different from the fairly standard fodder which came out of America, and different again from the gently quirky British style. Well, this book is a little like those cartoons.

From the first page, you know that things are going to be unusual. You're introduced to the Professor, a mysterious character whose grassy hair is not the most peculiar thing about him. Soon after, you learn that in this world, almost everyone can fly... somewhat. And you learn also that a special girl is about who is known as “The Wall”. And so you enter into a world both familiar (the more so, I assume, if you live in New York) and strange, as people fly, human-rats emerge from the sewers, and an orphanage of children is given names which reflect their characters as their memories have been removed by a set of toy monkeys.

At this story's heart, there is a conventional but pleasing tale of a boy and a girl, both about 12 years old, each of whom has a special talent, each of whom has forgotten his or her past, and who are brought together by cat who uses a flush toilet rather than cat litter and who imparts riddles to those he likes. Each mistrustful at first, thanks to the loveless environment of their orphanage, they gradually grow closer to the point where, when Bug's past is revealed, he chooses loyalty to Gurl over the original demands of his mission.

The other characters are largely stereotypes, which is in keeping with the story's slightly surreal milieu. You know the gangsters are on the wrong side of right because they have gangster-y names and refer to punitive dismemberments; you know the Matron's rotten because she spends all the orphanage money on expensive facelifts; you know the Professor's an oddball because he has grass instead of hair, wears a woman's housecoat, and is surrounded by cats. There are some amusing and satirical references, such as the description of the orphans' up-to-date fund-raising efforts, and the fact that the Professor bought an all-knowing hand (which communicates in sign-language) “off a guy on eBay”. (As do the gangsters buy a device which prevents Gurl from turning invisible). Watch out for the musicians whose job is to prevent the Alligators on the Underground from getting loose.

Outside the caricature Goodies and Baddies, there is a slightly questionable aspect to some of the actions of Gurl and Bug. In both cases, they're in difficult circumstances and have few options. Gurl is forced into stealing for the Matron, who's discovered her invisibility, when her cat is threatened. Interestingly, it's the Gangster who later points out that she did have a choice in the matter, although it would have meant sacrificing something precious to her. Likewise, the children live freely in a hotel, moving from empty room to empty room, using Gurl's invisibility and Bug's lock-picking skills to get by. When matters are all being resolved, Gurl does admit to her new-found parents all the things they'd done. It's a slight shame that there's no mention of restitution on her part, or by her parents (who are very rich) on her behalf.

The story leaves as many questions unanswered as it answers, which seems quite fitting in a book of this style. Although you eventually find out why people can fly, that very answer raises other questions. And there's never really any explanation of the graffiti-spraying Punks on the Underground, the Sewer Rats of Satan or the role the cats play. But for once in a while, that's fine. It doesn't seem to leave the reader wanting. One enigma is Jules, the only person who can see Gurl when she's invisible. He seems to turn up from time to time, typically when she's in trouble. At the end, he describes himself as a “Personal Assistant”. And then goes away again.

Overall, The Wall and the Wing produces an interesting and entertaining mixture of the real and identifiable and the surreal and imaginative. It manages to poke a little fun at our modern internet-ridden life and at the conventions of fiction involving gangster hideouts and grasping matrons. At its heart, though – and it does have a heart – is the story of a pair of youngsters who are trying to overcome their defects and find their place in the world.