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Patience

Toby Litt (Goodreads Author)

4.22 · Rating details · 188 ratings · 45 reviews

MEET ELLIOTT.

Elliott is something of a genius. He is hugely intelligent. He’s an incredible observer. He is able to memorise and categorise in astonishing detail. He has a beautiful and unusual imagination.

More than that, Elliott is an ideal friend. He is overflowing with compassion and warmth and fun. To know him is to adore him.

But few people do know Elliott, properly. ...more

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Paperback, 260 pages

Published August 22nd 2019 by Galley Beggar Press

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Lists with This Book

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

Man Booker Prize Eligible 2019

175 books — 188 voters

Republic of Consciousness Longlisters

54 books — 11 voters

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· 188 ratings · 45 reviews

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Oct 28, 2019 Hugh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2019, modern-lit, r-of-c-2020

Shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2020

Another gem from Galley Beggar, this is a beautiful and heart-rending story of Elliott, an intelligent boy who lives in a Catholic orphanage, and is wheelchair bound and almost unable to move. He tells his own story as a memoir, occasionally alluding to a doctor who effectively unlocked his memories by teaching him to use a special typewriter. Most of the story takes place in the late 70s, as Elliott is befriended by a new boy Jim, who is b ...more

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Dec 11, 2019 But_i_thought_ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: experimental, contemporary-fiction, fave-novels

Where do I even begin to capture this beautiful, urgent paradox of a book? Paradox, for this is a novel that keeps surprising you at every turn, that suspends you, beautifully, in a state of agony tinged with wonder, that de-anaesthetizes you to life.

Let my try by introducing you to our narrator, Elliott — a most unusual voice. Abandoned to an orphanage for disabled children run by nuns, Elliott suffers from spastic cerebral palsy, a condition which renders him incapable of movement or speech. M ...more

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Sep 21, 2019 Gumble's Yard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-republic-of-consciousness-long, 2019, 2020-republic-of-consciousness-shrt

Now shortlisted for the 2020 Republic of Consciousness Prize and recommended by me (as Mr Brown) in the Guardian’s Book of The Year awards

https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

I knew that one day all I would have was the memory of Jim and not Jim himself present in my peripheral vision making all my other senses go zing and now that time has indeed come and Jim is not present and has not been present for many years what I remember and want to record in long-hoarded words and word orders is

...more

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Sep 17, 2019 Paul Fulcher rated it really liked it

Shelves: sub-galley-beggar-2018-19-4, 2019, sub-roc-bookclub-2019-11, republic-of-consciousness-2020

In Toby's Litt's new novel Patience he creates a unique and wonderful narrative voice. He cites the inspiration of the novel as follows (https://www.galleybeggar.co.uk/toby-p...

I made the first note of an idea on March 5th 2007. (I can’t remember whether or not I was sitting at my desk.) I had recently seen a photography exhibition, a retrospective of work by Timm Rautert, in Leipzig. A couple of the photographs moved me a great deal. They were from a series, ‘The Children of Ward Block 5, 1974’

...more

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Sep 24, 2019 Neil rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sub-galleybeggar, 2019, 2019-top-books, 2020-rofc

Patience invites us into the mind of Elliott. We quickly learn that this is a privileged place to be. Seen from the outside, Elliott is disabled by spastic cerebral palsy which has left him with very limited voluntary movement (limited use of his right hand and he is able to paint by holding the brush in his mouth) and some involuntary muscle spasms. But on the inside, the place to which we are invited by this book, he is very active: he is a hoarder of words and a devourer of music - it all goe Patience invites us into the mind of Elliott. We quickly learn that this is a privileged place to be. Seen from the outside, Elliott is disabled by spastic cerebral palsy which has left him with very limited voluntary movement (limited use of his right hand and he is able to paint by holding the brush in his mouth) and some involuntary muscle spasms. But on the inside, the place to which we are invited by this book, he is very active: he is a hoarder of words and a devourer of music - it all goes in even if nothing can physically make its way out, and it is all stored away. When, years later, drugs, therapy and technology have given him some movement and a means of communicating, he is able to write down the thoughts he has stored away and thought about constantly for many years. Specifically, he tells us about a roughly 2 month period of his life in a religious institution where he has been abandoned by his mother into the care of a group of nuns. The significant thing about this period is his friendship with Jim who arrives at the institution blind and mute.

The institution is a heart-breaking place where children struggle with various physical and mental disabilities and where the nuns deliver varying amounts of care and concern but always plenty of religion (”Cardinal Newman and mulligatawny soup…”). What we as readers, we who are privileged to hear Elliott’s internal workings, quickly learn is that even though he feels abandoned by the God the nuns promote, he has an innate grasp of the truth of the Gospel at a much more fundamental level than the nuns themselves. It is Elliott who tells us (the punctuation, or lack of it, is the way Elliott writes):

…I imagined I was saying to him Jim what I would have said if I could have spoken aloud which was that Jesus would not have been the one telling children Thou shalt not pass through this wooden gate He would have been the one saying If you bar this wooden gate to the least of my children you bar this gate to me…

And the religious imagery is often very direct, as in this reference to the Catholic nuns’ beliefs about communion:

…but I felt then with a growing certainty that I was and would become a different better stronger braver boy with some of Jim’s blood working in my body for because it came from him how could it fail to make me more like him?

Elliott has a wonderful ability to take delight in the smallest thing. This is partly forced on him by his physical condition, but it seems to be his underlying character which is that unlikely character in fiction - a genuinely kind, considerate, loving and, of course, patient person. In his book Generosity, Richard Powers wrote, ”Here in front of him, at any event, is one plot no one will ever bother writing down: A happy girl passes through the world’s wretchedness and stays happy.” And he was making the point that happy, satisfied characters don’t normally work in books. Elliott does work as a character and I think that is partly because the reader cannot believe that someone could be so disadvantaged and still find ways to take delight in the world and be caring for his neighbours. Elliott is not blind to the suffering around him, but he finds a way to approach life positively.

There are times when the narrative necessarily drags in the book. At first, I was frustrated by this: having found a new kind of voice and being very intrigued at the start of the book, I found my attention drifting as the book progressed. But then I realised (the title of the book is a clue) that Elliott’s life is built of mundanity that is sometimes reflected in the narrative. It is his optimistic approach to finding a way through this that drives his friendship with Jim that we read about here. ...more

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Oct 08, 2019 Robert rated it it was amazing

Elliott, the main protagonist of Toby Litt’s latest novel, Patience is erudite, has strong opinions about faith, is a connoisseur of classical music, likes The Beatles greatest hits and is creative.

Elliott has cerebral palsy, thus he cannot express all the complicated thoughts in his head due to the fact that it is 1979 and cures for the disability are in it’s infancy. Basically, his life consists of staring at a wall or out of the window. He lives some sort of religious institution run by nuns, Elliott, the main protagonist of Toby Litt’s latest novel, Patience is erudite, has strong opinions about faith, is a connoisseur of classical music, likes The Beatles greatest hits and is creative.

Elliott has cerebral palsy, thus he cannot express all the complicated thoughts in his head due to the fact that it is 1979 and cures for the disability are in it’s infancy. Basically, his life consists of staring at a wall or out of the window. He lives some sort of religious institution run by nuns, which cements his rejection of God and faith. Elliott does have one big dream though.

One day, Jim, a blind mute, walks into his life and for over 50 days a series of events occur which change Elliott’s worldview forever.

Patience is a novel about language and freedom. The language aspect is interesting. The main characters are both people who are unable to communicate in the traditional sense, i.e. vocal conversation. Yet both Elliott and Jim are able to talk through a series of sound effects and humming lines of Beatles lyrics. Ironically the nuns have trouble understanding Elliott and they can see, talk and hear perfectly.

From the first few pages of Patience, Elliott declares that he gave faith and belief in God a chance and it was a failure, yet he does not consider himself free. Since he is in an religious institution, he cannot escape religion. However when Jim arrive he is able to put his plan to break free from the shackles enforced by the nuns. In one poignant scene Elliott and Jim are singing church hymns but then Elliott rejects that and begins to hum Beatles songs, in which Jim joins in and Elliott realises that their mode of communication has gotten richer.

Speaking of poignant scenes, Patience is full of them; Jim and Elliott bonding, The ‘She Loves You’ part and then the final two paragraphs made me reread the passage quite a few times. Since Elliott is sensitive to sounds and smells, there are a couple of humorous moments, plus his world is limited to the ward so when he sees something different, his interpretation of new sights can raise a chuckle . Despite the lack of punctuation and cyclic nature of some of the sentences, Elliott’s way of expressing himself becomes poetic, again proof that language can break all the rules and still get the message across.

I thought Patience was great read. The small cast of characters are endearing and, to use slang, I got the Feels. Constantly and I saw that as a good sign. Once the book is finished you’ll think about Elliott and his quest to break free for quite a while.

Many thanks to Galley Beggar Press for a requested copy of patience, in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Feb 10, 2020 Val rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Elliot is confined to a wheelchair by spastic paraplegia and has been cared for in a home run by nuns since he was eight years old. His life is constrained by his lack of movement and inability to speak, but his brain is fully active and he can focus on tiny details to make his life less limited. The nuns care for the residents physical and (as they see it) spiritual needs, but provide very little of the mental stimulus which would make Elliot's life fuller.
Toby Litt's creation of Elliot's menta ...more

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Sep 05, 2019 Chris Haak rated it liked it

3,5
I'm afraid I just couldn't really get into this book. I can see it was well written, original, beautiful, wonderful characters etc etc.(therefore 3,5). It got some good reviews as well. So I really wanted to enjoy it more. But I struggled finishing it. I couldn't focus on the story line and found it kind of slow. Maybe it just wasn't the right time for me reading this book...
Thank you Galley Beggar Press for the ARC. ...more

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Mar 08, 2020 Lavinia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, in-en, fiction

I did need some patience to get through this book. It's heartbreaking, delightful, and funny. And Beatles. ...more

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Dec 10, 2019 Jonathan Pool rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: british_irish-contemporary, rupublic-of-consciousness

Synopsis

Hollywood gave us Thelma & Louise and Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. Toby Litt has written an epic tale of adventure, of escape, of derringer- do and sod the consequences. The difference is that this story’s heroes are the severely disabled.
Jim is blind and dumb.
Elliott, the narrator, has a hugely debilitating disease (spastic cerebal palsy, with paralysis of all voluntary muscles).
Their friendship covers fifty days following Jim’s arrival at the home.

The age of the two lead character ...more

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Feb 04, 2020 peg rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I read this book as a part of the 2020 Republic of Consciousness book prize for small presses. The story of a young man with cerebral palsy, the reader sees all events from his viewpoint. I think it has a great chance to make the ROC short list which is good because I really need to read it again with more “Patience” and thoughtfulness!

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Feb 18, 2020 Marcus Hobson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

On the Longlist for the 2020 Republic of Consciousness Prize.

This is a uniquely wonderful novel narrated in the first person from inside the head of Elliott. He is imprisoned in a wheelchair inside a children’s home run by nuns. He cannot feed himself, has to be lifted around and is often left looking at a white wall. These long hours looking at the same thing have given him some very unique perspectives on life. Inside, everything is working well and his brain is a sponge for anything that can On the Longlist for the 2020 Republic of Consciousness Prize.

This is a uniquely wonderful novel narrated in the first person from inside the head of Elliott. He is imprisoned in a wheelchair inside a children’s home run by nuns. He cannot feed himself, has to be lifted around and is often left looking at a white wall. These long hours looking at the same thing have given him some very unique perspectives on life. Inside, everything is working well and his brain is a sponge for anything that can be learned, overheard or packed away for future use. Do not feel sorry for Elliott. As he says of himself ‘I am never bored.’

In truth Elliott is one of the most perceptive thinkers I have come across. Allow me to illustrate: “I have no particular virtue or claim to virtue and anything I might think theologically would have been outthought long ago by the thinkers who the Sisters chose to do their thinking for them such as the miraculous and inexhaustible Saint Augustine from whom we often heard at lunchtime but that is the big difference because although you can choose to get great thinkers to do your thinking for you you cannot in any way get great believers to do your believing for you neither your major nor minor believing because that is a private matter between you and the deity however much you might pray to the Virgin Mary for faith and I am one who has frequently beseeched the Virgin Mary for just about everything for which the Virgin Mary can be beseeched healing health friendship faith.”

Something that you might pick up from this quote is the dearth of punctuation. There are full stops and paragraphs, but no commas. No chapters, or breaks of any kind, for that matter. One straight unbroken narrative from Elliott. But at least with paragraphs it is not impossible to read. Time is measured not by years or months but by birthday and Christmas cards. Lunchtimes often contain Cardinal Newman, whose writings are read out and absorbed in much the same way as the food – “lunch of tomato soup with potato chunks of Cardinal Newman”. The closest thing you will get to a running gag in this book.

Into Elliott’s restricted world comes Jim, an older boy who is blind and dumb. The presence of Jim in Elliott’s life is an excitement and a revelation. When Jim takes hold of the handles of the wheelchair and lifts the front wheels off the ground, this is Elliott’s reaction:
“It was not that I hadn’t known even as Jim was walking away from me that I I I was too excited and that was a perilous thing for me because soon I wouldn’t be excited any more but would just be back at being normally there with myself and what was in front of me with my head to the left and only being able to lift my right hand half an inch but apart from that I wouldn’t be able to change anything and so I knew quite quickly I needed to watch myself meaning watch me being whee-eee-eee and all excited but also watch that I didn’t let landing back on all four wheels make me sad when there was no good reason to be sad nothing had changed except potentially everything.”

I love Elliott for his unfettered imagination, so for example when one of his room mates snores all night he “…transposed his snoring when it was loud into the creaking of an imaginary sailing ship crossing a wide sea and sometimes his breath was the sail moving in its wooden fastenings and sometimes it was the hammock of a fellow sailor creaking as it swung back and forth with the rocking of the sea waves as we journeyed onwards purposefully through the oceanic night and thus Finn’s snoring had become for me an adventure story that often continued into dreams…”

Elliott and Jim discover how to communicate with each other through tunes and humming songs that carry meanings. In this way Jim is able to steer the wheelchair and Elliott is able to guide them towards the lift out of the building and into the great outdoors.
I’ll leave you with another of Elliott’s descriptions of being overexcited by what is happening:
“I felt a gush of joy like when I once was given orangeade at a ward party by a young Sister who didn’t know me and who poured it into me too fast so it fizzed everywhere inside my mouth and throat and then bounced out in an explosion of orange and foam closely followed by yellow cake in custard.”

I love Elliott.
...more

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Jun 05, 2020 Rod MacLeod rated it it was amazing

This is just simply a marvellous book. I’ve never read anything quite like it, brilliant!

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Dec 16, 2019 Alan Teder rated it it was amazing

Shelves: stream-of-consciousness, 2019-reading-challenge, author-autographed, experimental-prose, 2019-shakespeare-co-year-of-reading, 2020-republic-of-consciousness-long

Two (or Three) Flew Over the Nun's Nest
Review of the Galley Beggar Press general release (grey cover) edition (2019)

This was an extraordinary caper comedy about Elliott, a boy in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy, and his blind friend Jim and how they work towards an escape into the outdoor world from the orphanage / institution where they live under the care of several nuns. I don't want to overstate my Cuckoo's Nest parallel too much, so I'll quickly say here that the nuns are pretty benign and Two (or Three) Flew Over the Nun's Nest
Review of the Galley Beggar Press general release (grey cover) edition (2019)

This was an extraordinary caper comedy about Elliott, a boy in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy, and his blind friend Jim and how they work towards an escape into the outdoor world from the orphanage / institution where they live under the care of several nuns. I don't want to overstate my Cuckoo's Nest parallel too much, so I'll quickly say here that the nuns are pretty benign and there is no dominant evil Nurse Ratched character, although Sister Britta is the one most flagged as the disciplinarian. There is another older boy Charlie though, who is a bully and the main antagonist.

The extraordinary element is that Elliott can't speak beyond several wordless approximations of language and can only slightly move one hand and somewhat jiggle his wheelchair and Jim, as stated, is blind. These two still manage to create a means of communication about which it would be somewhat spoilery to get into details. Suffice it to say that Elliott is very gifted musically and is able to hum melodies quite easily and Jim is pretty good at that as well. Also there are a few reasons the book is set in 1979 in a pre-digital age. One of these reasons is that the main early Beatles Greatest Hits collections were the so-called Red Album (Beatles 1962-1966) and Blue Album (Beatles 1967-1970) issued in 1974 in various formats including cassette tapes.

I will confess to a bit of hesitancy when I started this book as stream-of-consciousness novels can often require a lot of concentration in order to keep up with the mental leaps. But it all flowed so naturally and smoothly that there were really few issues in keeping up with Elliott (who you have to accept is writing this as a memoir having the added advantage of later technological and medical breakthroughs that he refers to towards the end of the book). Also, don't be put off by the back cover blurb that refers to "30 to 40 pages of tears". This book is not a tragedy and your tears may be those of joy or laughter.

This was easily one of my top reads of 2019 and I also took advantage of a recent Galley Beggar Press sale offering to pick up additional copies as future gifts for reading friends who might otherwise miss it.

Patience was one of the selections in Shakespeare and Company's 2019 Year of Reading subscription which is an excellent annual curated series. You can see the variety of the 2019 selections on this tagged shelf. ...more

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Oct 28, 2019 Stuart Collie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A radiant, vibrant, tragically warm novel. Loved it, and cried my eyes out.

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Feb 02, 2020 Ang rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 09, 2020 Alice rated it it was amazing

I've been a fan of Toby Litt since Adventures in Capitalism, and he just gets more adventurous with each work. I was gripped by Elliott's painstaking efforts to make friends and communicate with Jim, with the goals of wheelchair wheelies and, ultimately, escape from the ward altogether.

Would be unbearably sad if it wasn't also very funny. ...more

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Feb 28, 2020 Karan rated it really liked it

This young man's rich interior life made me feel as though I'm sleep-walking through mine! ...more

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May 21, 2020 Juliet McDonald rated it it was amazing

You might not think that a story about 53 days in the life of a wheelchair-bound boy who can’t move or speak makes for a scintillating read, but in Toby Litt’s skilfully told tale the adventures of Elliott – who suffers from spastic cerebral palsy – are a real page-turner. For me the strength of this book as with all great works of literary fiction is how beautifully it shines a light on what it is to be human. Without a doubt, its central character – cruelly abandoned to be cared for by Catholi You might not think that a story about 53 days in the life of a wheelchair-bound boy who can’t move or speak makes for a scintillating read, but in Toby Litt’s skilfully told tale the adventures of Elliott – who suffers from spastic cerebral palsy – are a real page-turner. For me the strength of this book as with all great works of literary fiction is how beautifully it shines a light on what it is to be human. Without a doubt, its central character – cruelly abandoned to be cared for by Catholic nuns – has every reason to be angry with his lot, but by drawing on his vast reserves of humour and patience and his incredible knowledge and image bank of memories he is able to delight in existence and even views the white wall where the sisters meanly face him each day with good grace. What we are privileged to learn about Elliott – despite him being locked in his own body – is how kind, lovable and intelligent he is and his determination is sure to humble any reader into never wanting to complain of the trivial irritations of everyday life again.
The action centres around the arrival of new boy Jim and Elliott’s quest to befriend him despite the fact that Jim is mute and blind. Their mutual struggle to communicate and their mission to rebel against the nuns are both heart-wrenching as well as comic gold. Elliott has long held a dream of escaping from the ward and out into the world beyond and the plan he makes to fulfil this ambition is as exciting as any action adventure and the stakes as thrillingly high. It’s simply impossible not to end up rooting for Elliott and Jim to succeed with every breath in your body and, in fact, I raced to the end to find out if the boys could pull off their own mission impossible. As a lesson in endurance, Patience is the perfect book for these challenging times and one that I found immensely uplifting. Hats off to the author who has shown how a world with limitations can be one of endless possibilities for those such as Elliott with joy in their heart and a rich inner life.
...more

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Feb 23, 2020 Adrian Alvarez rated it it was amazing

It took me a longer than usual to finish this extraordinary novel because I kept resisting its end. I stretched out the last 50 or so pages as much as I could - even the last 3. I found every page gorgeous, suspenseful, tender, and often surprising.

The story is told from the perspective of a severely disabled boy, Elliot. He can't speak. He can't move unassisted. He spends most of the day in his head working to comprehend the world around him in profound ways and working to carry out a secret pl ...more

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May 13, 2020 Julie rated it really liked it

Exquisite writing. Beautifully told story . Could only process small ‘bites’ at a time

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Jan 25, 2020 Michele rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mookse

It is often said that the universal language is science. I love the idea that the universal earth language is The Beatles.

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Oct 25, 2019 Garry Nixon rated it it was amazing

A story narrated in prose that just won't leave me alone, as I fall asleep, or stand waiting for the bus to work. The title says a great deal about it: just stand and look at the world, a greefinch, a spider's web, or even a urine-scented lay-by. And listen again to Schubert and Mahler and Wagner with new ears. And the undertone: even a kindly-meant tyranny is still tyranny. Let my people go. ...more

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Dec 31, 2019 Kate rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"it was a wonderful thing of compassion and noticing and art and wit" ...more

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May 05, 2020 Annika rated it really liked it

Patience by Toby Litt: 3.5/5

This book proved difficult, if not nearly impossible to review. In an ideal world, I would write two pieces on it: one covering this book as a piece of Literature (with a capital L), and another covering it as an unassigned just-for-fun book.

Let’s get into it. This book is fascinating.

The story is told through the eyes of Elliott, a wheelchair-bound man with limited physical and verbal abilities, living in the second story of a catholic orphanage in 1979. He spends Patience by Toby Litt: 3.5/5

This book proved difficult, if not nearly impossible to review. In an ideal world, I would write two pieces on it: one covering this book as a piece of Literature (with a capital L), and another covering it as an unassigned just-for-fun book.

Let’s get into it. This book is fascinating.

The story is told through the eyes of Elliott, a wheelchair-bound man with limited physical and verbal abilities, living in the second story of a catholic orphanage in 1979. He spends his days parked in front of either a white wall or a window, depending on where the Sisters decide to put him. Though he can’t easily communicate, Elliott’s stream-of-consciousness quickly reveals him to be an astute observer, deep thinker, and hugely intelligent individual. When Jim, a blind and mute man, arrives at the orphanage, he begins to resist the many rules and unspoken codes, piquing Elliott’s interest. Slowly, a friendship builds between the two, promising connection and freedom, however brief it may last.

As a piece of literature, this novel is exquisite and receives a near perfect score. Written in the form of Ellliott’s inner monologue, it takes the reader to the very edges of its narrator’s psyche in a way reminiscent of The Bell Jar. The writing is often repetitive, wandering, and void of punctuation, giving the sense that the reader is privy to Elliott’s thoughts in real time, rather than an edited re-telling of the events he witnesses. It would not surprise me at all to see this novel listed as required reading for a literature or creative writing class. Litt excels at creating a vivid, dynamic principal character whose voice easily carries the narrative. He deftly creates a small world, an ecosystem of sorts, within the walls of the orphanage, populated with characters who range from absurd to tragic. I wish I had an entire class period, or else a highly specific book club, to discuss and analyze this book in the way it deserves.

However, as a book to read for pleasure, for the pure enjoyment of reading and witnessing a story unravel, Patience fell short for me. The format and narration -- the very traits which make it so fascinating on a technical level -- often made it a tedious story to read. It often felt overwhelming, particularly at the beginning. Elliott’s stream-of-consciousness comes with few pauses, few breaks. Sentences often cover two or three topics without so much as a comma, and paragraphs sometimes repeat the same idea multiple times. While these tactics add to the development of Elliott and his voice, they do not make for easy reading. Moreover, the paragraphs themselves are long, and there are few spaces to break up paragraphs and sections of the story. It’s easy to get lost within a paragraph or a page, and the lack of punctuation or spacing makes it difficult to get into the book initially.

Overall, I’m glad I read this book, even if the reading experience wasn’t as enjoyable as I had hoped. The story itself, the character of Elliott, and Litt’s innovative writing style lend themselves to discussion and analysis. That very innovation, though, often came at the expense of the reading experience, and made this a slow, somewhat frustrating book to get through. ...more

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Feb 03, 2020 LindaJ^ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, experimental, republic-of-consciouness-prize-nomi

Meet Elliot. He has cerebral palsy. He cannot speak and has very limited movement. He paints with a brush held in his teeth. He sits each day in a wheelchair. He cannot eat solid food. Elliot entered a Catholic Home when he was 9 or so. He measures the passage of time by how many Christmas cards he has received -- his family always sends a Christmas card, although sometimes it arrives late. Usually he also gets a birthday card but not always, so Christmas cards work better for measuring time. El Meet Elliot. He has cerebral palsy. He cannot speak and has very limited movement. He paints with a brush held in his teeth. He sits each day in a wheelchair. He cannot eat solid food. Elliot entered a Catholic Home when he was 9 or so. He measures the passage of time by how many Christmas cards he has received -- his family always sends a Christmas card, although sometimes it arrives late. Usually he also gets a birthday card but not always, so Christmas cards work better for measuring time. Elliot can hum and make noises. One of the sisters and some of the other patients (the Princesses) understand what some of his noises mean. Elliot rates the sisters on various tasks, such as dressing him in the morning. Sister Cecile scores high on all ratings. But the sisters are strict on the rules and strict in their religion. Elliot has become a non-believer, even though he is a wonderful example of what a Christian strives to be. Elliot is really, really smart. He loves opera and the Beatles. He has learned much about opera from Radio 3, which one sister listens to. He has learned the Beatles songs from the music that the cleaning lady plays.

Elliot has the patience of Budda. He sits either in front of the white wall (when he needs to calm himself) or the window overlooking some trees and grass. He dreams of being in the forest. He is a self-proclaimed "word hoarder." And he really does have a tremendous vocabulary. He can get frustrated at not being able to speak or move. He's been the victim of Charlie's fist many times. But Elliot has patience - more patience that I or anyone I know has.

One day, a new boy arrives on the Elliot's floor. Jim smells salty, and peppery, and a bit meaty. Elliot knows from the meaty smell that Jim is destined to soon move to the Brothers - the place where all boys go when puberty hits. Elliot is excited about Jim's arrival and despite the odds, they are soon friends. Barefoot Jim pushes Elliot's wheelchair. Elliot and Jim, using songs to help, have created a language by which Elliot can tell Jim when to turn, backup, stop, and "Go, Go, Go." Elliot has a plan - he wants to escape and go to the forest and he's sure that with Jim's help he can do it.

This is a beautiful, sad, and inspiring book. Well done Toby Litt. ...more

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Jan 22, 2020 Laurel rated it liked it

It feels cruel to give this only a 3/5 BUT that means I liked it so let’s not forget that! The tl;dr of this is that I really wanted to love it but wasn’t able to connect with the characters as much as I had hoped (and thought) that I would.

This novel follows the life of a boy, Elliott, who is paralyzed and wheelchair bound living in a Catholic orphanage in the year of 1979. He spends most of his days looking out the same window or staring at the same white wall, forcing him to use his extension ...more

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Apr 23, 2020 Konstantin R. rated it liked it

[rating = B-]
I read this as a guest reader for the Republic of Consciousness Prize

I was very eager to read this, especially as I had meet the author and he was such a nice man. This was my second pick to win the award, but it went to Animalia (rightfully to as that is a masterful work). However, that being said, I did enjoy this story, notably the narrative perspective of Elliot. Elliot is a boy at a Catholic Orphanage, and, furthermore, he is in a wheelchair and cannot move...much, cannot much, ...more

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Jan 17, 2021 Mika rated it it was amazing

This is a remarkable novel. Reading it soon after Sara Hernden's What Can a Body Do? made for a wonderful complementarity. Patience is written from the perspective of preteen Elliott, who has cerebral palsy. His condition is severe enough to make him unable to speak or operate his wheelchair. It's 1979, and Elliott is at an institution for disabled children run by nuns. He is the narrator (obviously much later, after "unlocking" by improved medicine and attitudes), and he recounts, in a wonderfu ...more

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May 14, 2020 Eileen rated it really liked it

This is one of the most beautifully written and considered books I have read in a long time.
The world as observed by Elliott is astounding and has so much depth and life. There is such sincerity in the desire to create meaningful relationships with others. The friendship that develops is so fulfilling and emotional, with wonderful, truly human characters.
I was completely transported to this exact time and place, and could easily have been a present onlooker.

As someone who has worked with child ...more

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About Toby Litt

Toby Litt

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Toby Litt was born in Bedfordshire, England. He studied Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia where he was taught by Malcolm Bradbury, winning the 1995 Curtis Brown Fellowship.

He lived in Prague from 1990 to 1993 and published his first book, a collection of short stories entitled Adventures in Capitalism, in 1996.

In 2018, he published Wrestliana, his memoir about wrestling, writing, l ...more