The Ha-Ha by Dave King

Howard Kapostash has not spoken in thirty years. Sixteen days into his tour of duty in Vietnam, a land mine caused a blunt trauma injury to his head, and he was left without the ability to speak or to read. In recovery, Howard is told every day what a miracle it is he survived. Now, thirty years later, Howard is still just surviving. Years of therapy were grueling, and, when the results stopped coming, he quit. Now, he relies on a series of gestures and grunts to communicate with the few people he meets in his daily life.

Living in the house he grew up in with an oddly assorted set of roommates, Howard maintains only a handful of friendships, despite the fact that he is living in the town he never really left. The one constant in his life is Sylvia, and she is anything but constant. When Howard left for Vietnam, it was Sylvia’s picture he carried in his pocket. Their high school relationship is the only serious love affair he’s had, and thirty years later he is still pining for those carefree days. We get the impression right away that Sylvia has not exactly shed a tear over losing Howard, especially since she never lost him, just gave him up. Sylvia is a classic user – in every sense of the word.

As if Howard’s world wasn’t bleak enough, in bounces Sylvia, with a call in the middle of the night to ask Howard to watch her nine-year-old son Ryan, while she spends a little needed time in rehab. You can see where this is going – guy with issues meets needy kid, they bond, etc., etc. You might think this, and you’d be right. Dave King’s story, told through the tortured voice of Howard, is fairly predictable. While there are a few surprises, there is nothing shocking in the lessons learned and the relationships formed. But getting there is worth the read. Howard’s voice is heart-breaking, his denial of all the obvious signals Sylvia sends him about their relationship is painful, but there are moments of grace and beauty that make you root for him despite his ignorance.

Sylvia, on the other hand, is pretty much a caricature of every 12-stepper you’ve ever heard about. Her blatant disregard for Howard’s feelings is pretty over the top; despite his discounting her intentions and defending her indefensible positions. You are rooting for Howard, but you may want to kill Sylvia.

In any case, since this is not a thriller, I will say that the ending was satisfying – not your typical perfect ending with all the loose ends tied in a bow, but pretty enough. The roommates are carefully drawn, and Ryan is alive on every page. There are also some very good minor characters. I think what really drew me into the story was the idea that these people (not Sylvia) are basically good, and they are trying, each day, to put a little more goodness out in the world. Before Ryan came into the picture, Howard did not believe his life could make a difference. And, corny as that sounds, I enjoyed, for once, reading a book about people who had their faults, but tried, each day, to make things a little better for someone else.