John Wyndham's last novel - Chocky

Chocky - a review of John Wyndham's last novel

Chocky was first published in 1968, a year before Wyndham's death, and
is one of the novels that readily springs to mind when recalling his
work. It is the shortest, yet it bears the hallmarks of Wyndham's
fascination with the sciences and his ability to mix this with a very
everyday backdrop to create a classic science fiction tale.
This story treats us not only to the more usual sci-fi elements of
alien beings and telepathic communication, but also to a very
interesting investigation of psychoanalysis and the joys of
'enlightened' parenthood sixties style. I don't know if Wyndham wrote
any of this in the light of personal experience (with parenthood that
is, not aliens), but the very British middle class family depicted here
is in retrospect almost comical in the way that Freud has certainly
made an impact, but the days of Germaine Greer are still far off.
The story revolves around the Gore family and in particular their son
Matthew. It is told entirely from the point of view of his father who
begins to become worried when he notices Matthew apparently having
conversations with an invisible person and who starts asking questions
about the world rather beyond the normal understanding of a twelve year
old. At first he thinks that Matthew is going through the childhood
phenomenon of inventing an imaginary person, but once Matthew starts
explaining to his parents that he is talking telepathically to someone
called Chocky, who is from another world, it becomes evident that they
are dealing with something much more complicated and potentially
dangerous to their son. His mother is convinced that he has some kind
of psychological disorder which can be cured, but his father becomes
gradually convinced that Matthew is telling the truth and that Chocky
might actually exist.
Despite the dated values, it remains a marvellous story and the final
chapters are gripping as we find out what happens to Matthew and his
mysterious companion. There is also a wonderful and typically prescient
critique of the way our use of our energy resources is so wasteful and
harmful that is as relevant today is it was in the sixties.
Wyndham's career as a novelist spanned over twenty years during which
he established himself as a consistent and individual writer who has
left us with a legacy of very British science fiction, quite a rarity
in itself, which still has its echoes in the film and TV series which
seem to dominate the genre now.