Meet Noah, who
can’t open a door unless he pushes on the handle 5 times,
must count to 5 under his breath, and sometimes louder than that, and
keeps 5 pebbles in his pocket to run through his fingers.
And that’s just the start of the 5s. Not to mention the ever-encroaching Dark that allows him no rest.
A violent incident at 17-year-old Noah Groome’s school sets into motion a chain of events that will test him and his family deeply.
There’s Kate, Noah’s mother, who has been bearing the brunt of his condition; Dominic, Noah’s successful father, who is withdrawing more and more each day; and Noah’s sister Maddie, his ally and protector, deeply affected by her brother’s struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
When Noah is sent to a treatment centre, he is not the only one challenged to face his anxieties: his family must also confront the secrets lurking beneath their seemingly perfect veneer.
But redemption lies in surprising places, as Noah’s unlikely friendship with ‘Notorious Juliet Ryan’, a fellow resident whose behaviour precedes her, will attest.
In The Enumerations, Máire Fisher scrupulously explores the effects of mental conditions on the family. She shows the great power of those who hold us as we learn to harness the strength within us.
