Releasing Janet, by Alex Banwell

We all have a past. We’re all products of our family history. Sometimes an innocent remark or incident triggers a process of discovering as aspect of who we really are, and helps us resolve a long-standing hangup.

We knew something of the present from Alex Banwell’s delightful fist book, ‘Just Benny’ and came to love that lad with his special needs. Here she concentrates on his over-anxious mother Janet and the turbulent childhood that formed her.

The setting

Sixteen-year-old Benny is plagued by frequent epileptic seizures. He’s afraid of anyone and anything unfamiliar. And he is terrified of soon having to sit his GCSEs, knowing he will fail miserably. Leaving school to work in his dad’s garage is his greatest wish. The sunshine in his life is pretty Nettie across the road with her lively two-year-old daughter Beth, both of whom he loves passionately.

A casual question as the family looks at old photos – ‘Did you ever wish for a sister?’ – triggers a distraught reaction from Janet, which keeps her in bed for days. As the story unfolds, we learn of the reason for her childhood trauma.

Something happened to shatter her parents’ happiness. But they never talked about it. As a result of their emotional withdrawal, Janet grew up desperately insecure. Would her marriage to Ola be the chance she needed to start afresh? When cheerful Emma is born, they seem like the classic happy family.

But Benny’s arrival changes everything. His demand for special care deprives his sister of the attention she needs and brings strain to his parents’ marriage. Scene after scene sees Janet struggling to find emotional balance and restore the family harmony.

The heart of the story

Very sensitively written, this book explores the wounds and complexities that are common to many families. Occasional bright rays of hope penetrate the agonies of daily life. As Benny learns to cope with his handicap, big questions arise: Will Janet be able to let him go his own way? Can all the family members face their bitterness and seek reconciliation? And will Janet ever find her way back to her simple, childlike faith in Jesus?

A citation

An incident toward the end of the book is very touching. It reveals something of the trauma Janet is learning to come to terms with. She is at her dear sister’s graveside and hears a mother and daughter approach:

They walked past Janet and stopped beside a tiny white cross. The little girl knelt before the cross, unperturbed by the damp grass. Janet strained to listen. ‘I’ve brought Rupert to see you, baby sister.’ The child held out the bear, as though she expected someone to take it. ‘I know you can’t play with him cos you’re in heaven with Jesus, but I still wanna share him with you. Mummy says it’s good to share. And we would’ve played with him together if you hadn’t died in Mummy’s tummy.’

So this little girl had also lost her sister; a sister she had never even met. However, her faith was unwavering where Janet’s had floundered. The child had no doubts that her unborn sibling was in heaven.

‘Releasing Janet’ is a moving, delightful book; it draws the reader onward and inspires deep thought about their own childhood and personal challenges.