Frances Maynard

I came across this title in an article I read discussing the genre called "UpLit" (Uplifting Literature), which doesn't have a specific definition, but tends to refer to books that have characters who struggle with complex issues, but ultimately find hope or redemption at the end of the book. These are the kinds of stories that I'm drawn to lately, probably because there is so much that's not hopeful in our world right now.

The Seven Rules of Elvira Carr by Frances Maynard has similarities to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, and The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves, in that the main character is neuro-atypical. In these stories, the reader experiences the main characters' issues as they navigate through an often confusing world, where figures of speech and jokes make no sense, and change is hard.

Elvira, or Evvie, is an adult woman who lives with her overbearing mother and misses her deceased father whom her mother disparages on a daily basis for things Evvie cannot understand. When her mother suffers a stroke or "Her Lost Capacity," Evvie has to figure out the world on her own for the first time with the help of a neighbor and others characters who gradually fill her life with something like joy. The title comes from 7 Rules that Elvira writes down to help her figure life out.

There are some mysteries about her father that Evvie tries to unravel, and the reader will probably figure out some of them before the main character does. However, reading about this unique young woman as she attempts to understand her world was enlightening to me as a reader. The author states in her notes that she has experience working with people on the Autism spectrum, and this is apparent in her care and insight as she writes. The book is a little longer than it needs to be, but I was satisfied as a reader when I turned the last page, and was left with the feeling of hope that I'm looking for in this type of book.

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