Jerk, California (2008) -Jonathan Friesen
There’s so much more that could be done in the realm of representation of Tourette’s Syndrome, but this was a decent start.
Content Warnings: Ableism, abuse
Rep: Tourette’s Syndrome, tic disorder
Fav Quote: “Naomi takes my hand. She keeps holding it as my tensing claw pinches and squeezes her fingers.”
Jerk, California is a very standard coming-of-age road trip novel about a newly graduated young man named Sam learning the truth about his late father that he has always resented for passing his Tourette’s Syndrome to him and for the stories his abusive stepdad has told him. This fact-finding journey is prompted by a new friend who Sam learns is closely tied to his own family history and is joined by a girl who Sam can’t seem to understand but thinks about constantly.
The structure of the novel is a very basic chronological narrative that uses easy plot devices to conveniently further the story. The novel is somewhat self-aware of this use of luck to lay everything out for the characters exactly how it is supposed to play out, but this self-awareness feels forced itself. This structure does not ruin the reading experience but does not help the book stand out among the many novels like it.
From the beginning, the main character Sam, and the love interest Naomi, both fall into very common archetypes but as the story continued, my feelings toward these characters diverged. Sam, understandably given his family and social background, starts off as a very typical “troubled” kid who is ostracized by his peers and mistreated by his family, but as readers might expect, opens up as he learns that there are more people in his corner than he knew. Meanwhile, Naomi is revealed to be untrustworthy and selfish, but Sam continuously blames himself for her impulses.
The representation of Tourette’s Syndrome is decent for the time this book was written, but it lacks a sense of intersectionality and problematizes the condition for the character to a slightly excessive degree. Sam is relentlessly bullied for his tics and outbursts and hated by his stepdad for his “twitchiness” and claims “every problem I got is because of Tourette’s.” This is an experience that my very well be individual and speak truth for many people with Tourette’s but is nonetheless a fairly narrow portrayal of what living with the condition looks like.
With this book, you largely get what you expect going into it. Given the scarcity of representation of Tourette’s Syndrome, it is likely one of the better pieces of media in terms of representation and is worth the read if that is what you are seeking out as a reader, but it could go so much further than it does in this book. Overall, Jerk, California is an enjoyable read but feels more YA or Middle Grade and is not especially informational.