Abel Velasco calculates many things. Things like the arc of falling sycamore leaves, the duration of a dog sneeze, or the number of times his aunt might hit him. He can’t help it – he’s a savant.
It is 1982. Abel has left foster care to live with his newly found relatives. His typical teenage struggles are compounded by the complication of his savant talents. Searching for a challenge, Abel becomes obsessed with the mysterious architecture of an abandoned mansion and strangely numbered Bible, launching his journey from suburban New Jersey to Berkeley, California and beyond.
Dr. Darold A. Treffert, author of "Extraordinary People," consultant for the movie "Rainman" and expert on savant syndrome wrote to Bradley: "Savant syndrome typically is present from birth as a part of some developmental disorder, including autism. But there are also cases of what I call "acquired savant" syndrome following head injury. The Acquired Savant raises interesting questions about the little Rain Man that might reside, perhaps, within us all."
This debut novel by Wind takes the form of the autobiography of a young savant, Abel Velasco. Abel is a mathematical genius with amazing memory skills and acute synesthesia who also suffers from some type of seizure and has social skills reminiscent of someone with Asperger’s. In 1982, he is living with his horrid aunt, “Pigpie,” in North Brunswick, N.J. Like a true biography, there isn’t a single unifying story arc that ties the whole together, other than that Abel lives through and participates in all of the events recounted. The longest plotline involves Abel’s inadvertent discovery in an abandoned mansion of a Bible with a handwritten numerical code and quest to decipher the seemingly random string of numbers. He pursues this search when he is allowed to study at Princeton and in an unforeseen journey that takes him to Berkeley. Wind has created a fascinating character in Abel Velasco with a whirlwind life to match, but other elements, like the injury of his friend Russell Ghety and his fascination with an older woman arise but aren’t followed to a conclusion. (BookLife)
