The Value of Rules

The "Rules" of the title refers to a set of rules Catherine has written in the back of her sketchbook for David. Catherine feels that David's best hope of "normalcy" is to have explicit rules that can be easily referred to. As Catherine explains, some of these rules are very simple ("Flush the toilet") while others demonstrate more complex situations ("Yell on the playground, but don't yell at dinner"). Still others give David guidance for dealing with the stigma attached to autism, such as "When some people don't hear you, it's because they're choosing not to hear you."

One of the nice thematic concerns of the novel is that Catherine has also developed rules for herself. One important rule is "No dancing unless I'm alone in my room or it's pitch-black dark." This rule displays Catherine's shyness and her unwillingness to take chances or embarrass...