Keedie by Elle McNicoll

 Keedie by Elle McNicoll is the prequel to A Kind of Spark, learning more about Keedie, Addie's older autistic sister and Nina's twin sister. This book is about bullying, being different, being outspoken, and, most importantly, autism. This follows Keedie trying to tackle the problem of bullying at Juniper's secondary school, where she starts up her own Anti-Bullying Agency where she charges people to deal with their bullies, with the hope of using the money to help Addie, who Keedie is learning more about. The book is set before Addie was diagnosed with autism, meaning we get to see the Darrow family before the diagnosis when they did not completely understand Addie. We also explore autism through Keedie's lens and learn why she is bold and outspoken. About why does she like to try to speak out for the greater good.

I enjoyed this book and found it as gripping as A Kind of Spark. Like A Kind of Spark, I was so gripped that I also managed to read this book in one day, which was super fun, being able to immerse myself into Juniper, but also, to an extent, time travel to five years before A Kind of Spark was set. Before I continue, I admit that I have watched both A Kind of Spark series on BBC Iplayer. So if this contaminates this review regarding the TV series introducing storylines not explored in the book, I sincerely apologise. It was really nice to learn about the Darrow family and Juuniper before Addie took to the stage five years later and to see how Keedie is very much like what Addie becomes. Keedie explores the problem of bullying really well, both generally and also for someone who is neurodiverse and has a strong sense of right and wrong, which is often present in those with autism. We also learn and explore autism from a slightly different viewpoint through Keedie. This is not to say that the information about Autism portrayed in Nicoll's books is subjective and not accurate. Still, because Autism is different for each person, Nicoll has been able to explore the traits irrelevant to Addie through the character of Keedie, which was really valuable. 

In the interviews of the cast following the first series of A Kind of Spark on BBC Iplayer, one of the actors mentioned how autistic people often are attracted to each other like magnets and very easily become friends, disclose and feel like they have known each other for years. The strong friendships between those with Autism are evident in this book, which is really nice to see. It is almost through this idea that the fact Addie is autistic is actually acknowledged. Furthermore, this book is again not just about being Autistic or neurodiverse. It is about being different more generally and also being the victim of bullying. Whereas in A Kind of Spark, this may have been implicitly portrayed through indirect signs of racism, this book suggests that Keedie may be as lesbian, which not only shows how autistic people can also be more likely to diverge in terms of their sexuality but also emphasises how it is ok to be different regardless of what this difference may be.

There is not much I can say that I really dislike about this book. There are, however, moments in Keedie's life that are hinted at in both the A Kind of Spark book and TV series, which were very disappointing not to see included in this book. The main example is the event/conflict between Keedie and Ms Murphy, which is portrayed as quite a big moment in Keedie's life and is really the peripeteia of A Kind of Spark. Covering this would also have enabled Nicoll to speak more about autistic burnout, meltdowns and shutdowns, which would have been beneficial, largely because they are mentioned throughout the two books. There is also the story about Bonnie, which is sadly not covered in the book, which I know (I think from the TV series) there was a big event which made Bonnie's parents reluctant for her to see Keedie. Other than this, it would have been nice to see more factual details about autism in the book; having said that, the present details were blended into the fiction extremely well.

I hope this will not be the final book in the A Kind of Spark series; the final two words suggest not. That is because there is still so much that Nicoll could cover, and I look forward to reading any future books from this series as Nicoll is an outstanding writer. For instance, books could easily be written in more detail on Bonnie and Nina, who in the TV series has been described as the "undercover autistic". If another book about Nina came about, this could introduce the idea of Nina having autism, which essentially went unnoticed, which would really demonstrate the breadth of the autistic spectrum and further represent a part of autism which is very often neglected in the media.

I rate this book 4 stars as it is a very good, gripping book with some important lessons for the reader, but it also demonstrates to the reader that it is ok to be different. Nicoll does an excellent job at writing some amazing books that represent people who may not have previously felt represented in books or other forms of media whilst also educating non-autistic and neurotypical people on what it is like to be neurodiverse and that it is ok to be different. Still, we must not bully or treat people differently for being different. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading any future books.