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1 Oct

‘Chocky’ by John Wyndham – A Voice from a Distant Planet?

Posted October 1, 2024 by Anokatony in Book Reviews. Tagged: .

 

‘Chocky’ by John Wyndham     (1968) – 149 pages

 

One day, as a father is straightening up his garden shed, he overhears his twelve year-old son Matthew talking to someone he calls Chocky. However there is no one else there. His parents at first assume that Chocky must be Matthew’s imaginary friend.

Chocky seems to Matthew to be of indeterminate sex, and Matthew often calls her “She”. In Matthew’s talks with her/him, Chocky seems to think that things are really primitive down here on Earth.

“Apparently, according to Chocky, we in our civilization, are still suffering from a primitive fixation on the wheel.”

Chocky also complains about our earthly erratic weight, time, and distance measures, pound, yard, week, etc. .

Matthew’s parents become concerned about their son’s obsession with this Chocky and bring in a psychologist to observe Matthew. Afterwards the psychologist comes to this conclusion.

“More than anything I have ever come across it resembles what our unscientific ancestors used to consider a case of “possession”. They would have claimed quite simply that this Chocky is a wandering, if not wanton, spirit that has invaded Matthew.”

Matthew’s mother is not reassured by the opinions of the psychologist.

“I agreed to David asking you to come because I thought you would suggest some course we could take which would rid Matthew of his fantasy without harming him. Instead you seem to have spent the day encouraging him in it and to have become infected with it yourself. I am not able to feel that this is doing much good to Matthew, or to anyone.”

One day Matthew announces that Chocky has to leave. His parents are happy about this, but Matthew is sad.

Matthew’s father becomes convinced that there must be some form of telepathy, a communication of minds, between Chocky and their son. In her afterward, Margaret Atwood speculates thus:

“Could it possibly be that Chocky is what Matthew says she is: a being who lives far away, in another universe, but who can join him at will and look through his eyes?”

 

Grade :   B+

 

 

9 responses to this post.

  1. Lisa Hill's avatar

    Posted by Lisa Hill on October 1, 2024 at 4:47 PM

    I’m actually quite open to the idea of life elsewhere in the universe, and I liked John Wyndham’s Day of the Triffids, but this sounds like the kind of SF that makes no sense to me.

    Why would a being intelligent enough to manage interplanetary space travel spend time with a 12 year old instead of exploring conversation with others?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Anokatony's avatar

      Posted by Anokatony on October 1, 2024 at 5:15 PM

      Hi Lisa,

      According to the latest space research, there are billions of universes, each with a full complement of galaxies which all have millions of solar systems with their own planets. It seems highly unlikely that there wouldn’t be plenty of living creatures elsewhere. Space research still has not answered the big question: Is space infinite or does it have a limit?

      As for a being communicating with a twelve year old, maybe the space being felt a 12 year-old would be more receptive to his communication than an adult.

      Like

    • BookerTalk's avatar

      Posted by BookerTalk on October 31, 2024 at 1:54 AM

      I don’t remember enough details of the book to know whether there is an answer to that question in the narrative. Looking back at my review I said it was a charming story about friendship but also asks questions about how we are looking after the planet

      Liked by 2 people

  2. kimbofo's avatar

    Posted by kimbofo on October 1, 2024 at 4:53 PM

    I love John Wyndham and read this as a teenager but can’t remember a thing about it! From your review, it sounds a bit bonkers.

    Liked by 1 person

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