Orbiting Jupiter

I read Gary D. Schmidt’s new middle grade novel in a day. Learning about the book from Sherry’s review, I was interested — even though she had made it clear that it was not a feel-good story.

I’ll let Amazon’s description suffice for plot summary. Orbiting Jupiter tells

the shattering story of Joseph, a father at thirteen, who has never seen his daughter, Jupiter. After spending time in a juvenile facility, he’s placed with a foster family on a farm in rural Maine. Here Joseph, damaged and withdrawn, meets twelve-year-old Jack, who narrates the account of the troubled, passionate teen who wants to find his baby at any cost. In this riveting novel, two boys discover the true meaning of family and the sacrifices it requires.

Note “shattering,” “damaged,” “troubled,” and “cost,” all honest clues about the emotional impact you can expect from this tale. It was my first Schmidt read, and I wonder if the seriousness of this one’s tone and subject matter are typical.

I found the spare style suited the story well. There is no room for superfluities in the difficult effort the Hurd family must make to earn Joseph’s trust or provide a reliable atmosphere of purpose, care, and safety. The chill winter setting of the tale, the simplicity of the family’s organic farm, and the relatively small cast of characters work together with Schmidt’s stylistic economy to bring a sharp focus to the novel’s concerns.

Interestingly, there were few visual descriptions of people. I have no idea what Jackson Hurd (the tale’s 12-year-old narrator), his parents, the principal, the bus driver or any other characters look like. The only one we are given a clear visual picture of is Joseph Brook, whose hair and eyes are black, and who is “a little less than middle for height, a little less than middle for weight, sort of middle for everything else.” (One other character is described too, but I want to avoid spoilers.) He is the most detailed, and most important, figure in Jack’s world.

I felt that Schmidt handled a difficult subject with delicacy and poignancy. My only complaint was that the ending, although I saw it coming and felt Schmidt has been preparing us for it, seemed awfully abrupt. It is a gut-wrenching story, and I understand why one reviewer I read felt manipulated.

But Orbiting Jupiter is a book I would recommend, though it is deeply, realistically sad. As Sherry points out in her review, stories like Joseph’s exist, and reading can be a form of personal preparation. Even in my small circle, I know of three families who are fostering children, and it is a noble, risky gift. This story captures that generosity, and the many good fruits it can bear — along with the sometimes overwhelming cost.

There is an interview with the author here, for those interested.