58 pages • 1 hour read
Siobhan DowdThe London Eye Mystery
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Cultural Context: Perceptions of Autism
The chief protagonist of The London Eye Mystery is Ted, a 12-year-old boy with “a funny brain that runs on a different operating system” (4). While Dowd never explicitly labels Ted’s diagnosis within the narrative, the reader can infer that Ted most likely has autism. Dowd highlights Ted’s fixation on meteorology to understand the world around him, his difficulty in interpreting social interactions, and his repetitive practices of flapping his hand (known as “self-stimulating,” or “stimming”). Dowd herself was not known to have autism, but she uses Ted’s point of view to highlight the benefits of neurodiversity, showing how Ted’s inner world allows him to make connections that those around him cannot.
While common signs of autism are illustrated within Ted’s character, autism is a constellation of symptoms that can differ for each person with the condition. Common signs of autism include difficulties socializing and speaking, repetitive behaviors, focus on small details, and obsessive attachment to a topic or activity (“Autism.” World Health Organization, 2022). In contrast, Dr. Stephen Shore, an advocate for autism who is on the spectrum himself, stated that “[i]f you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism” (Flannery, Kathleen A. and Robert Wisner-Carlson. “Autism and Education.” Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 2020). For Ted, his implied autism impacts his ability to decipher body language cues; he focuses on changes in details with those around him; and he has limited understanding of figurative language such as metaphors, similes, and idioms.
The diagnosis of autism first appeared in the early 1900s and has evolved as the medical community learns more about individuals on the autism spectrum. Historically, those diagnosed with autism were not provided the support needed to thrive in society. As society’s understanding of autism continues to grow, autism is still a contentious diagnosis for some who believe it can and will someday be cured. However, people with autism who self-advocate have maintained their encouragement of supporting those on the spectrum instead of attempting to find a cure. While there is no definitive experience of autism or singular presentation of life on the spectrum, Dowd highlights the ways neurodiverse individuals like Ted are misunderstood and how they bring value to the lives around them.
Literary Context: The Mystery Novel
The London Eye Mystery is a mystery novel: It presents a crime, a detective or two who gather evidence to figure out “whodunnit,” and a solution revealed at the end of the story.
Mystery novels are a form of crime fiction, which generally divides into two main categories. In the first are “cozy mysteries” (or “cozies”), in which a bright amateur sleuth solves a crime, generally a murder, that happens in a small community. These narratives typically involve little violence, sex, or profanity. Famous examples include the Miss Marple novels by Agatha Christie and the 1980s TV series Murder, She Wrote.
The second category of crime fiction is the “hardboiled” variety, where a detective solves a case that involves violence or murder; these narratives typically include profanity and sex. Examples include The Philip Marlowe mysteries by Raymond Chandler and the Spenser novels by Robert B. Parker. A related format is the “police procedural,” where an official detective and forensic team solve crimes; these include the Alex Cross mysteries by James Patterson and numerous TV shows, such as Hawaii Five-0, Columbo, Bones, Castle, and the various CSI series.
Instead of a murder mystery, The London Eye Mystery is a missing-persons mystery for young readers. The format remains the same as that used in cozies and hardboiled formats: A possible crime happens, and detectives—in this case, a young boy with autism and his teenage sister—gather evidence, puzzle out the clues, and confront suspects who evade or threaten them. As in a murder mystery, the two kids solve the puzzle, reveal the culprit, and set things right.
The book also follows the mystery format by revealing clues one at a time, including evidence that appears trivial but later proves vital. In The London Eye Mystery, one clue is known only to Ted, who uses it to help solve the mystery and reveals it afterward. Other clues in the London Eye story, however, are sufficient to solve the case without it.
