by Michael Christie

It’s hard to write a good plot twist. It feels a bit odd to be talking about this again so soon, but it seems like an important thing to discuss with regards to Christie’s book. If you give away too much information, a careful reader will catch wind of it long before the big reveal. On the other hand, not offering enough hints can make a reader feel cheated. You can always pull a Kurt Vonnegut and reveal your “twist” early on, offering another layer of delight to the reader who now knows more than your characters. I briefly thought Christie was going to employ this method, but he instead kept dancing around the truth long past the point that it became apparent. Of course, while this proved a bit unsatisfying, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy If I Fall, If I Die, which happens to be beautifully written with a thoughtful narrative.

The plot of If I Fall, If I Die very much reminded me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, in that it involves a young boy with some sort of social difficulties investigating a mystery. Instead of an autistic boy investigating the death of a neighbour’s dog, we follow Will, venturing outside his home for the first time he can recall in his 11 years, taking it upon himself to discover the whereabouts of a missing child. Will’s been cooped up all this time on account of his mother’s crippling agoraphobia and anxiety; he stays inside partially because he feels an obligation to care for his mother, but also because of the anxieties about the outdoors that she passed on to him. The story flits back and forth between Will exploring the brave new world he’s slowly discovering and his mother, whose illness gradually consumes her.

The author attempts to tackle some lofty topics, such as racial tension in Thunder Bay, which could have succeeded had the author’s heavy hand reeled back even slightly to let this discussion unfold more organically. That being said, Christie’s talent lays with his descriptive prose. He clearly captures a world of beauty contrasted against ugliness, demonstrating how our preconceived notions and fears trap us and dull our perception of the vibrant world that surrounds us.

If I Fall, If I Die is a reminder that good can come out of an uncaring and hostile world, so long as you get out there and face it.