Functional Family

I see the theme of a functional family it stands out to me because two books we have read, Diary and Speak, have such dysfunctional families, families that cannot work together to accomplish a goal.  In Bats, the goal is for father and son to finish mourning the loss of their mother and wife and move on with living life.  We read on page one Kevin's father gives him a notebook and tells him, "You're gonna have a lot of time on your hands. Maybe you'll like writing something down." It is on page four, we are first introduced to the idea something is unusual with his mother when he writes, "When I was little and got sick, Mom used to read to me. Thinking about that's not going to help." Later in the book we learn his mother died much faster than predicted. The unexpected death of a parent is something a child should write about. Kevin's father is a writer himself so he makes the correct assumption in thinking that while Kevin is home sick with momo, he will have time to think about his mother and it is best to write those thoughts down. I don't think Kevin's father was expecting Kevin to develop into a poet. The poems "Mom's Car" (p58) and "And a Half-Order of Sestina, Please," (p50) both bring tears to my eyes every time I read them. They both have happy but difficult memories for a boy who has lost his mother. Kevin's father figures out he has been writing poetry and he suggests they go to a poetry reading (p80) and in the end of the book suggests Kevin read his poetry at an open reading (p112). Father and son have similar traits and accomplish the goal of healing the pain of loosing a member of their small family in similar ways; by writing away the pain of loss.