Finding Neema is the singular story of an autistic boy of Nepali–Tibetan ethnicity, brought up by the author and her Indian husband. It recounts the couple’s unplanned adoption of Neema, the son of their maid, Poonam; their efforts to have his autism diagnosed and treated; and Neema’s emergence into adulthood as a valuable, though still dependent, human being.
Delving into Neema’s tormented early life and background, the book touches upon some of the more lurid aspects of developing world poverty and introduces us to an assorted cast of characters – some appealing and some appalling, but all of them colourful. Important too are the insights into autism which emerge from the writing. Autism has become a burning issue of our times on account of its burgeoning incidence, and of the many controversies surrounding it, but there is very little writing on the subject outside the boundaries of the developed world. Narrating Neema’s story with compassion, frankness and humour and interweaving it with reminiscences of her own unusual marriage and life, Juliet Reynolds fills that gap.
