Not everything is blue through the eyes of a young boy with autism in this fishy tale – “The Dolphin Code” by Joe Boudreault.
Things are about to take a turn when Corey Sheppard strays from his usual routine and sails out into the choppy Eastern Canadian waters with his parents, as well as his uncle “Max,” on their small fishing boat. There’s a sense of relief as they cut through the waves for the first time with this indifferent boy.
Corey always saw the world in ways they did not, but maybe this time he’s turning the chapter and coming out of his shell or at least that’s what they hope. It’s a fine day for fishing too, and other vessels bounce over the waves and prepare to cast their nets with their hearts set on a big catch.
But Corey is going to see more than the ocean.
It starts with a slight disturbance in the water, and then a school of dolphins swarms around him. They begin to talk through visions and sounds to the toddler. This is the first awakening and the unravelling of Corey’s special gift, although he does not understand the colours, flashes and noises at first.
The dolphins, however, have their own agenda.
The family’s attention is swiftly turned from the boy to the noise of cod being rounded up and nudged into “nets of air bubbles” under their vessel. It’s never happened before. Max, an amateur marine biologist, has a flinching feeling about Corey and his silence is about to be broken.
This adult science fiction reminisces between Ernest Hemingway’s classic and profound novella, “The Old Man and the Sea” and the bridging of cultures from “Planet of the Apes,” by Pierre Bouelle. It presents the reader with an interesting new concept for a code-breaking story.
The story follows in the wake of marine mammals, with their own names and dialogues, and dips into a war rivalry between the orcas versus the dolphins and humans. It lightly splashes in a moral dilemma, which is highlighted by the dolphins, on the effects of pollution on the ocean by humans.
Corey becomes a messenger for the dolphins as he interprets their code, but there are a few more surprises in store for the reader that reminds them how swiftly the tide can change.
At times the vocabulary is poetic with its descriptions, and the reader can almost breathe and taste the salty air surrounding the small coastal communities off from Newfoundland. The author then occasionally breaks this rhythmic flow with choppy scientific terminology, which steals from this power of place and time.
The author, Joe Boudreault, was born and raised on Prince Edward Island. He grew up on a farm with six siblings. His father shared his knowledge and love of the sea, which can be seen in the pages of “The Dolphin Code.” Boudreault served four years in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a radar technician.
For more information on the author or the book, visit www.joeboudreault.com.
