Nothing Wright

Laurence Steven is Chairman of the English Department at Laurentian
University and author of Dissociation and Wholeness in Patrick White’s
Fiction.

This novel, aimed at the 9-12 age group, begins with Noel Wright’s
brother Sam telling how Noel received the nickname Nothing. Noel, it
seems, has terrible luck: he can do nothing right. Nothing and Sam meet
Emma Shipworth, a girl who thinks she knows everything, and she becomes
a positive influence on Nothing. Emma decides she is going to uncover
his problem. As the book progresses, Nothing begins to like Emma and
they experience their first kiss. Emma discovers that Nothing’s bad
luck has to do with his brother Sam: every time Sam wants one of
Nothing’s bad-luck streaks to continue the streak stops. She comes up
with several examples to prove her point. The book ends with Sam trying
to be nice to Emma, for his brother’s sake.

The story moves very slowly, describing one bad-luck streak after
another in a way that makes one want to just skip to the last chapter
and get it over with. The plot contains too little excitement and can be
confusing at times. Emma’s Holmes-like discovery of why Nothing has
bad luck is just too far-fetched; it leaves the reader disappointed.
There are occasional humorous parts, such as the bus drivers going
slightly mad because they miss all the green lights when Nothing is on
the bus, or Nothing and Emma winning the first-kiss contest. But these
moments are too few, and can’t compensate for the book’s general
dullness.