Range of Motion - by Brian Trapp (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A tender, wrenching, and comic novel that follows two twin boys from infancy to the cusp of adulthood.

Twin A and Twin B. That's what Michael and Sal's neuroscientist father irreverently calls them. The boys are born moments apart, but baby Sal's brain scan shows a bleed. He has severe cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities.

Told through multiple perspectives--Gabe, the boys' father; Hannah, their mother; and Michael--this debut novel follows the Mitchell family from the boys' infancy to the cusp of adulthood as they all try to interpret what Sal, who speaks only eight words, is thinking and feeling. The twins' upbringing in suburban Ohio is familiar and unfamiliar, ordinary and extraordinary, as this middle-class family navigates the challenges and rewards of nurturing a special-needs human with a killer dimple who is utterly and winningly himself: sweet, stubborn, mischievous, impenetrable, and above all, very funny.

Michael feels that he alone understands Sal and devotes himself to giving his brother a voice in the "normal" world until he grows up and can't "hear" his twin anymore--his worst fear. Their mother, a teacher who has given up her career for caregiving, and their father, who is determined to succeed in his research, also struggle with the balance of sacrifice and duty and love, especially as Sal's health deteriorates. Before Michael leaves for college, the twins spend a final week together at a summer camp for people with disabilities, and Sal does something that changes their lives forever.

Transforming perceptions of disability and interdependence through tender attention to detail, Range of Motion is wrenching, beautiful, and sharply comic.

Review Quotes

"As the twin of someone with severe cerebral palsy, Brian Trapp struggled to find representation of his brother Danny in literature. Too often, able-bodied authors wrote what they imagined was taking place within the minds of individuals with intellectual disabilities, erring toward too simple or objectifying. . . . In October, his debut novel Range of Motion was published by Acre Books, a narrative that authentically captures his brother's spirit, his family dynamic and the challenges of caring for a disabled sibling with inadequate social support. . . . He also hopes it allows people with disabilities to feel seen. The author has purposefully steered in the opposite direction of sentimentality, toward humor. In doing so, he's freed himself from the dehumanizing tropes that evoke pity and inspiration through characters with disabilities."

-- "Bend Bulletin"

"Brain Trapp's Range of Motion is as rip-roaring in pace and humor as it is in its tenderness."

-- "Ninth Letter"

"At its core, Range of Motion is a novel about agency more than ability. Each member of the family is capable in their own way, including Sal. . . . The rotating perspectives of family members becomes a fabulous representation of a major issue in caretaking, of what it means to imprint your desires and beliefs onto someone simply because they cannot speak in the same way as others around them. . . . Here, there is a wonderful formal tapestry that celebrates the familial chaos inherent in disability care. . .Unique in its approach, craft in its scope, and important in its material, the book develops characters with intense emotion and organic sympathy while never leaving us out of the loop or confused about the pressure the Mitchell family is under."

-- "New Ohio Review"

"Growing up with a twin who had disabilities, Brian Trapp didn't see stories with characters like his brother Danny in books or on TV. He didn't see his own experience, or that of his family, reflected either. In his new novel
Range of Motion, [Trapp] delivers a fictional story heavily influenced by his own experiences. Tender, heartwarming, and at times quite funny."

--Marnie Schwartz "Health Central"

"The bounds of brotherhood and familial love are tested as an ordinary Ohio family grapples with the day-to-day realities of raising a child with cerebral palsy in Trapp's novel. . . .The author balances the profundity of his story with a comic tone throughout. The family's pain--as well as their small triumphs--are palpable as the years pass, and the twins must face the possibility of separation as they approach their 18th birthday. This ultimately plays out in a riveting and dramatic series of events. . . A resonant and indelible family saga."

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Full of pathos and humor, warmth and recognition, tenderness and irreverence, Range of Motion may just change the way you think about disability, about sacrifice, and about brotherhood. Trapp's debut is a winner."-- "Jonathan Evison, author of "The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving""

"Irreverently hilarious and profoundly moving, Range of Motion manages the near impossible: to distill into words the unspoken bond between brothers, the resilience of family, and how the beautiful chaos of disability can make life more meaningful. A brilliantly crafted story I've been waiting to read my entire life." -- "Zach Anner, actor and writer for ABC's "Speechless," author of "If At Birth You Don't Succeed," and United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) Ambassador"

"Range of Motion is one of the best novels I've read in recent times. I don't know if I'll ever get over the achingly beautiful humor or the tender relationship between Michael and Sal. The arc of this novel is exquisite, and the ending is as artful as they come. I will be recommending it any chance I get."-- "Elizabeth McKenzie, author of "The Portable Veblen" and "The Dog of the North""

"Range of Motion is an emotional, yet never sentimental, story of a family learning when to cling to each other, and when to let go. Focused on the pivotal moment when two brothers, one with significant special needs, must launch their adult lives, it manages to be both tender and irreverent, lighthearted and sober. A poignant reminder that even a loving household is comprised of a group of individuals with different destinies coming together for a fleeting moment under one roof. Brian Trapp has delivered a truly impressive debut novel."-- "Mat Johnson, author of "Pym" and "Loving Day""

"The remarkably immersive Range of Motion covers years and yet it is constructed of vividly rendered moments that are hilarious and poignant, often at the same time. Trapp's primary subject is the family, and he demonstrates with wit and wisdom the ways that families are formed by their most profound challenges. This is an emotionally ambitious and deeply moving book." -- "Chris Bachelder, author of "Dayswork" and "The Throwback Special""

"A book about boyhood that could make Mark Twain blush. Brian Trapp's bighearted, beautiful novel Range of Motion captures the joy and existential agony of growing up in the 80s and 90s: kung fu classes, twin telepathy, a venial sin with a vacuum cleaner. As funny as it is fearless, the novel wrestles with big questions about faith and guilt, brain bleeds and belonging. Trapp's debut is a monument to the secret language we share with our brothers and how that bond can survive anything, even childhood."-- "Greg Marshall, author of "Leg""

About the Author

Brian Trapp is director of disability studies at the University of Oregon, where he also teaches fiction and nonfiction. His work has been published in the Kenyon Review, Southern Review, Longreads, Brevity, and elsewhere. He has been a Steinbeck Fellow, a Borchardt Scholar, and an Elizabeth George grant recipient. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, with his twin brother, Danny.