Back to Bender

I just finished reading An Invisible Sign of My Own by Aimee Bender.  Why do I love her so much?  She's so quirky.  I like that in a writer.  This one is about a girl who's obsessed with numbers, among other things.  She takes a job as a math teacher and quickly becomes a favorite among her students.  Her methods are a little off, though.  She's a little highly strung, largely due to the fact that she's raised by a raging hypochondriacal father who lives most of his adult life convinced that he's going to keel over at any moment.  This accounts for the fact that our heroine is so frightened and socially awkward.

However, her students are drawn to her and her love of numbers.  She uses her numbers as a way to alternately escape from and cope with the world around her.  She likes to count.  She's a little obsessive about it, or should I say a little obsessive compulsive about it.  Whenever she's overcome by emotion, she likes to knock wood four times.  Did you ever have that kind of little ritual?

When I was in middle school, I used to count out every syllable of every word I spoke by pressing my fingers into the palms of my hand.  One press per each syllable spoken.  No one could tell I was doing it, but it made it difficult to follow what other people were saying.  I still find myself doing it from time to time.  I had other little quirks as well.  I'd only turn the light off in my room if I could swing my door shut while simultaneously flipping off the light switch without getting my arm bumped by the door in the process.  Luckily I grew out of these things, except for the syllable counting..  I think I may have been nursing a little tendency toward OCD in those days.  Anyway, I had no trouble whatsoever relating to Bender's protagonist.

The problem is, our heroine starts to place too much stock in the meanings of the numbers she sees, and they ultimately become harbingers of doom.  As she struggles to make sense of the mathematics of her life, she learns some tough lessons.  I really liked this book.  I can't wait for Ms. Bender to write some more.  I want to follow her around and tell her to hurry up.  Ah, patience.  I wish I had more of it.