The 9:09 Project

YA fiction 

     When a person (or companion animal) really precious to you dies it tears a real hole in your heart and in your life.  Remembering them evokes grief, but the prospect of forgetting them feels like losing them all over again.  Mark H. Parsons explores this predicament in his poignant coming of age narrative, The 9:09 Project.

     Nearly two years ago Jamison, Parsons' protagonist, had lost his mother to cancer.  His mom had been his beloved parent and then some.  They had shared a form of neurodivergence, synesthesia, which involves senses bleeding into one another.  Jamison, for example, sees letters in different colors.  His mother, experiencing life similarly but with more social skills, had been the interpreter between him and the rest of the world, the only one who really got him.

     Jamison's mother had nurtured his talent in photography.  He's trying to honor her memory through his 9:09 project.  Every night at the time of her death he takes a picture at the same corner.  When a friend helps him transfer his work to social media there are unintended consequences.

     His family isn't talking about their loss.  His father spends evenings in the garage mending damaged antique objects.  His sister seems to be immersing himself in school, fashion, and peers.

     This perceptive and sensitive narrative deserves a place in public and school libraries.  It's also an excellent choice for parent and child book clubs.

On a purrrsonal note, Joey cat came into my family's life as a just weaned tuxedo kitten in 2003. My children were 13, 10, and 6.  When he was 3 we discovered that he was medically fragile.  He was even more precious to us.  He was there for beautiful family years.  Then as the children grew independent and set off on their own he was my beloved companion as I figured out who I was and where I belonged in my new normal world.  Despite his frailties he lived vibrantly and robustly, taking joy in every return home from the vet.  He was with us that blizzard day when I was accepted to the graduate program of my dreams.  We got heartbreaking news at the end of my amazing first year.  Lung cancer.  Thanks to a medicine that boosted his appetite I was able to give us three beautiful months during which he was my world.  I was there when he passed.  

People were quick to tell me that I'd get over Joey's loss soon, sometimes asking if I'd get another cat in the next breath.  But I didn't want to the forgetfulness that would end grieving because it would mean losing him all over again.  Today, over 3 years later he lives on in my heart.

When I was open about my grief a lot of people, even complete strangers, came to me with their tales of losing companion animals.  I was about to start a project to honor these fur babies when oh, snap, pandemic put those plans on hold.  Now I can try again.  What I'm planning is a place on campus with a statue of a dog and a cat where people can go to remember and grieve lost animal companions.  Before the pandemic people I surveyed indicated that they were interested and wanted to help.  So now I've got to start again.

If you've lost a loved one, human or animal, my heart goes out to you.

Jules Hathaway 

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