Having read the book now — which I didn’t much like, incidentally — I really see your point here, Jessica. No matter what the author’s intent, I don’t see anything in the text that would make Gareth “diagnosable.” Perhaps she did intend a very subtle portrayal of a very high-functioning person with Aspergers, but I would certainly not have advertised it as such, either.

Being incurably curious however, now I’m wondering if Ned is intended to be manic-depressive, rather than just depressed. There is one mention of his feelings when not depressed as being *extremely* happy… I don’t remember the exact wording now.

I am, perhaps culpably, ignorant about Asperger’s. Does diagnosis lead to treatment? I confess I have no idea. even if there aren’t ways to manage symptoms, it sounds from your comments that just having the diagnosis is significant in itself.

I will have to go back and see if you commented on Tumperkin’s and my review of Lord Ian. I would be curious to know how why that portrayal didn’t work for you.

@willaful: Are two books a bandwagon? Sheesh.

I guess it is curious why Milan hasn’t been upfront about it in interviews, the way Ashley (I think?) was. Maybe it’s the bandwagon thing … or maybe she or her publisher worried it would turn potential readers off? (although how anyone could think that given the wild, enduring success of this h/h dynamic and the embrace of books with heroes who have health-related struggles) or maybe it’s that no one would have identified it when the book was set, so it’s just like the many instances of PTSD or depression or anxiety in historical romances, where the author describes symptoms but never makes a diagnosis, either in the text or in interviews about the book?

Said friend emailed Ms. Milan about it, and, though she wouldn’t tell me the details of the email, said that Ms. Milan confirmed that Gareth is indeed supposed to have Asperger’s. I’ve been wondering why that fact wasn’t mentioned in any of the promo that I’ve seen for the book, because I think it might really have altered reader perceptions of Gareth.

Re: the line: the main problem I had with that other book was that its hero was so horribly, horribly bad at the social stuff. It took many, many more years than it should have for me to be diagnosed. I visited five psychiatrists over those years who missed it completely, even when they saw–and commented on–some very typical Aspie behaviours, and this was after Asperger’s recognized in the DSM. But I didn’t display all of them at once and covered decently in between, so even professionals didn’t put it together. Of course, it’s harder to diagnose in girls, but you can still hide it for years.

In my personal experience, I’ve found that the longer we go undiagnosed, the better we become at creating coping mechanisms for ourselves. And even when diagnosed at a young age, we seem get better and better at learning how to blend in over the years. (That being said, all my Aspie friends have above-average IQs, which probably helps. But I recall reading that most Aspies do.) The people I know who have Asperger’s and has been coping on their own for a long time don’t really seem too socially awkward. Most of the time, they seem pretty normal, if a bit too reserved or not reserved enough. There’s just something about them, though, and I can’t describe it, but it’s like they don’t entirely fit. It’s not as obvious as social awkwardness, even though there may be moments of that, and more of a feeling that doesn’t even always become obvious until you spend a lot of time with them.

I could go on and on and on about this, or about how the maternal aspect of Jenny’s relationship with Gareth was absolutely perfect, but it’s late and I’m too interested in this to stop myself if I start. In brief: willaful, I hope you enjoy Proof as much as I did. It really helped ease my frustration over that other book. (And the fact that so many people in blogland seem to think it’s such a good portrayal! Arg!)

That makes my point right there.

D’oh, and it’s Woodhouse, isn’t it. I am a fan of t’other.

I’ve always found it odd that Emma is so endlessly patient with him, but then, she’s also fond of the none-too-bright Harriet.

However there’s a vast variety of other “symptoms” or associated behaviors, and this list doesn’t address the fact that people can change and develop over time.