Ben’s Book

Three years ago just before his eleventh birthday, Otis lost his twin brother in a fatal accident. His mother continues to set the table for four and never stops talking about Ben. Otis’s father prefers not to say anything; talking about Ben makes his death even more real. But what about Otis? He pretends to have completely forgotten about ever having a twin brother. When the family first returns to the holiday home where the accident happened, Otis finds it more and more difficult to stick to his memory loss.

Initially Otis is determined not to return to the holiday home, but he decides to join to retrieve Ben’s diary: he knows where his brother hid it. And he also knows that his mother will never stop talking about the diary if she gets her hands on it. In the nearby forest, he meets Venne, a mysterious little girl who turns out to have been friends with his brother. When she mistakes him for his dead brother, he decides to play along – not out of malice, but to avoid hurting her. Venne explains how she was abandoned by her parents and how all she wants is to have a brother or sister. Her life story sets  Otis’s thoughts of the brother he once had in motion.

When the diary, which is actually more of a picture book, is discovered by his mother, things take an unexpected turn. The book turns out to be exactly what the grieving family needs to heal their wounds. ‘My mother wrapped her arms around me and took a deep sigh. ‘I…’ said my father, and then his throat let out the strangest of squeaks.  My mother and l looked at him in shock. There they were, his tears. They filled his eyes, trying not to come out. He was crying stagnant water.’

• A gripping, heartwarming, sensitive but not sentimental  story about grief

• Suitable for ages 10 and up and an equally engaging read for older readers