My Life as a Book

Family serves as a central motif in My Life as a Book. Protagonist Derek Fallon is 12 years old and still relies heavily on his parents’ support, love, and understanding. Derek is an only child, so he often finds himself bored and getting into trouble. He acts out when he doesn’t get his way. For example, when his mother refuses to tell him about the newspaper article, Derek climbs onto the garage roof and begins swinging croquet balls at the satellite dish. Derek’s mother often gets angry with him, but after she has time to calm down, she approaches her son with empathy and patience. After Derek hounds his mother for days about going to Martha’s Vineyard and seeing his grandma, she finally gives in; she too wants to see her mother and heal the wounds of the past by visiting Susan’s mother, Madeline, in person. Seeing Madeline shows Derek and his mother that family bonds don’t disappear when someone dies. Madeline’s house is full of “unframed photos of Susan in a giant collage” (174), and Madeline is still deep in the throes of grief. At the end of the family’s trip, when they stand together on Lambert Cove, Derek shares an intimate moment with his parents as they bond and grieve for Susan.

Derek has a special bond with and admiration for his father, an “artist who draws storyboards for films” (34). Because Derek aspires to be an illustrator, he enjoys accompanying his father to his office and learning from him through observation. At his father’s office, Derek looks at his dad’s sketches, examines movie props, and bonds with his dad. Derek similarly spends time with his mother where she works at the vet clinic, helping her with the animals and learning how to be responsible for others. His time at the clinic brings him closer to his mother while teaching him to be a better owner for Bodi. Derek has a strong bond with Bodi and takes him everywhere he can. Derek loves Bodi’s smell, burying himself in his fur and running around with him inside and outside. When Derek thinks about Bodi saving him from drowning, he remarks, “Lauren’s story doesn’t make me love Bodi more. Not because I don’t appreciate that he saved my life, but because it’s impossible for me to love him one bit more than I already do” (177).

Humor is a motif in My Life as a Book that characterizes the protagonist, Derek, and supporting characters and offsets the dark tone of many scenes and concepts in the novel. Derek discovers a family secret surrounding the death of a teenage girl named Susan, and when he learns that she might have drowned saving him, he spirals into guilt. It soon becomes clear that his mother has felt the same way for years, and as the two of them cope with their journey toward the truth together, Derek often uses humor to balance his mood. When Derek receives the email from Susan’s mother, for instance, he remarks, “If Susan’s watching me from heaven, it’s probably with daggers in her eyes thinking about all the fun she’s missing down here on earth. It’s amazing she doesn’t magically appear and push me in front of a train” (118-119).

Derek is a 12-year-old boy who’s still very much attached to his childhood. He gets his sense of humor from his parents, who display endless patience for his antics. Derek’s narrative style regularly includes asides and jokes, and he his illustrations often carry a humorous tone. One such instance is in his discussion of Susan as a guardian angel, which he illustrates with a drawing of an angel looking over a boy as he stares at a TV. The mischief that Derek gets into provides humorous plot points too, especially when he steals Pedro from his cage at the vet clinic and takes him back to his house. He dresses Pedro up as a cowboy and puts him on top of Bodi for a ride. As “Bodi is barking and Pedro’s shrieking, [Derek starts] screaming too” (62). When Derek’s mother walks in on this scene, she decides to send him to Learning Camp, which starts a ripple of experiences and lessons for Derek throughout the summer.