Wonder by R. J. Palacio

 

Last night I watched the movie ‘Wonder’, an adaption of the book by the same name by R. J. Palacio's. This 2017 American drama film directed by Stephen Chbosky and written by Jack Thorne, Steven Conrad, and Chbosky stars Jacob Tremblay as August "Auggie" Pullman, Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson as his parents and Izabela Vidovic as Olivia "Via" Pullman, his sister.

The book was inspired by a real-life encounter Palacio had with a child who had a craniofacial disorder.

I’ve read the book a couple of times before and have loved the easy flow from chapter to chapter; each talking about the situation at hand from each character’s eyes. The movie too captures this transition effortlessly... something I don’t see often in movies. I’ve always felt that movies are over-rated and often undermine the essence of the book and its characters. Thankfully, this movie stays true to the book and does complete justice to the characters and their personalities.

Auggie Pullman is a 10-year-old boy born with a rare medical facial deformity, which he refers to as "mandibulofacial dysostosis", and has undergone 27 different surgeries in order to see, smell, speak and hear. He has been home-schooled so far, but as he approaches fifth grade, his parents (his mother really) believe it is time he goes out into the real world and meets children his age.

To ensure a smooth entry into school, the Principal Mr. Tushman of Beecher Prep, a public school, arranges a tour for him with three other students: Jack, Julian, and Charlotte.

The story follows Auggie as he deals with bullies, meets children, goes on a trip, makes friends and finally wins the Henry Ward Beecher Medal for his strength and courage throughout the school year.

We are also taken through the situation from the eyes of his sister, his father, his friends and his sister’s friend.

A beautiful story about deformity, empathy, compassion, spirit, passion, grit and friendships – this book makes for a wonderful read. The fact that the movie exceeded expectations and matched the standards of the book makes this a wonderful duo to have on your read and watch list.