I know that Palacio is doing this to make Julian’s fear more sympathetic. Julian is instantly thrown backwards into nightmares. He’s had to see a therapist and has only recently recovered from it when August comes to school.
Julian’s story begins by explaining that from a very young age Julian has been terrified of zombies and other creatures with malformed faces. His mother is a hovering busy-body who thinks that her child’s every cry is a mandate for fulfillment. Julian’s family is your archtypical Upper East-siders. I thought Palacio did a great job of showing complex family dynamics in Wonder, but it didn’t transfer over to The Julian Chapter. Unfortunately, Julian is rather flat as a character, even in his own novelette.
Julian was cruel to August in the book and Palacio made a point of showing his mother as an enabler. The only real exception to this was Julian, the antagonist. Wonder had a good sense of timing and humor, and Palacio dealt with some very touchy subjects well. I thought the characters were surprisingly complex for a children’s book and that the character development was well handled.
Palacio, I didn’t love it, but I did like it. Title: The Julian Chapter: A Wonder Story* Book Review: The Julian Chapter: A Wonder Story by R.J. Palacio
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