Ghost Boy: The Miraculous Escape of a Misdiagnosed Boy Trapped Inside His Own Body (2011)

In the Prologue, Martin introduces his world inside a care center, where Barney the Dinosaur plays on TV. Children surround Martin; like him, they “lie motionless on the floor or slumped in seats” (ix). Martin is 25 years old, yet he introduces himself as a “ghost boy,” stuck inside a hollow shell of a body and unable to communicate with those around him. He brings up a woman named Virna who believes that there is an “active hidden consciousness hidden” (x) inside him, which allows him to consider the notion that his circumstances might change.

Chapter 1, “Counting Time,” captures Martin’s seemingly infinite time inside the care center that he attends during the day. He has learned countless pieces of information, stored inside his mind without any particular context or relevance, such as the fact that “Iceland is a country of extreme darkness and light or that after lions come hyenas, then vultures” (2). In Chapter 2, “The Deep,” Martin gives an overview of how his body descended into his illness. Until the age of 12, Martin had exhibited no signs of neurological or physiological impairments. He had a love for Legos and electronics, and a natural curiosity to understand how things worked. Then, gradually, his body and mind stopped working, until he could no longer remember the faces of his loved ones and his “hands and feet curled in on themselves like claws” (6). After countless visits to multiple doctors, Martin’s condition remained a mystery. Doctors made attempts at diagnoses, but his family never received any semblance of certainty or definitive answers.

Chapter 3, “Coming Up For Air,” consists of a collection of Martin’s memories and impressions, like the feeling of wind across his face, one of his caretakers bathing him, or the feeling of his family’s grief around him. These memories and impressions provide a snapshot into his daily experience. In Chapter 4, “The Box,” Martin discusses the notion that he has been categorized into a box, which in his view is due to a human tendency to conveniently define others by initial perceptions. He writes, “to other people, I resembled a potted plant: something to be given water and left in the corner” (17). Martin also mentions his closeness to God, whom he defines as “the only person who knew there was a boy within the useless shell” (15). In Chapter 5, “Virna,” Martin provides more detail about who Virna is, as he alluded to her previously in the Prologue. After Virna became convinced that Martin’s eyes would track her as she spoke to him, she convinces Martin’s parents to get him tested in order to assess his ability to communicate. Before his assessment, Virna tells him, “It’s so important that you show them what you can do because I know you can” (22). Virna’s belief in him becomes the impetus of his desire to do well in the assessment.