What do you think?
Rate this book
Range of Motion: A Novel
A tender, wrenching, and comic novel that follows two twin boys from infancy to the cusp of adulthood.
Twin A and Twin B. That’s what Michael and Sal’s neuroscientist father irreverently calls them. The boys are born moments apart, but baby Sal’s brain scan shows a bleed. He has severe cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities.
Told through multiple perspectives—Gabe, the boys’ father; Hannah, their mother; and Michael—this debut novel follows the Mitchell family from the boys’ infancy to the cusp of adulthood as they all try to interpret what Sal, who speaks only eight words, is thinking and feeling. The twins’ upbringing in suburban Ohio is familiar and unfamiliar, ordinary and extraordinary, as this middle-class family navigates the challenges and rewards of nurturing a special-needs human with a killer dimple who is utterly and winningly sweet, stubborn, mischievous, impenetrable, and above all, very funny.
Michael feels that he alone understands Sal and devotes himself to giving his brother a voice in the “normal” world until he grows up and can’t “hear” his twin anymore—his worst fear. Their mother, a teacher who has given up her career for caregiving, and their father, who is determined to succeed in his research, also struggle with the balance of sacrifice and duty and love, especially as Sal’s health deteriorates. Before Michael leaves for college, the twins spend a final week together at a summer camp for people with disabilities, and Sal does something that changes their lives forever.
Transforming perceptions of disability and interdependence through tender attention to detail, Range of Motion is wrenching, beautiful, and sharply comic.
Twin A and Twin B. That’s what Michael and Sal’s neuroscientist father irreverently calls them. The boys are born moments apart, but baby Sal’s brain scan shows a bleed. He has severe cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities.
Told through multiple perspectives—Gabe, the boys’ father; Hannah, their mother; and Michael—this debut novel follows the Mitchell family from the boys’ infancy to the cusp of adulthood as they all try to interpret what Sal, who speaks only eight words, is thinking and feeling. The twins’ upbringing in suburban Ohio is familiar and unfamiliar, ordinary and extraordinary, as this middle-class family navigates the challenges and rewards of nurturing a special-needs human with a killer dimple who is utterly and winningly sweet, stubborn, mischievous, impenetrable, and above all, very funny.
Michael feels that he alone understands Sal and devotes himself to giving his brother a voice in the “normal” world until he grows up and can’t “hear” his twin anymore—his worst fear. Their mother, a teacher who has given up her career for caregiving, and their father, who is determined to succeed in his research, also struggle with the balance of sacrifice and duty and love, especially as Sal’s health deteriorates. Before Michael leaves for college, the twins spend a final week together at a summer camp for people with disabilities, and Sal does something that changes their lives forever.
Transforming perceptions of disability and interdependence through tender attention to detail, Range of Motion is wrenching, beautiful, and sharply comic.
296 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2025
3 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Brian Trapp
2 books5 followersBrian Trapp is director of disability studies at the University of Oregon, where he also teaches fiction and nonfiction. His work has been published in the Kenyon Review, Southern Review, Longreads, Brevity, and elsewhere. He has been a Steinbeck Fellow, a Borchardt Scholar, and an Elizabeth George grant recipient. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, with his twin brother, Danny.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 10, 2026
Range Of Motion by Brian Trapp, is a cleverly written novel about twin brothers, one of which has severe cerebral palsy, and their beautiful relationship. The book depicts the dual mandate of the unfathomable caring and love this family had for this boy and the sacrifice of caring for an individual who is seriously handicapped. It was an education of a beautiful family's journey and it's a must read.
December 29, 2025
A remarkable story, equally hilarious and heartbreaking. I’ll remember Sal for a long time—I feel like I now speak his eight word language. Bravo!!
December 7, 2025
A humorous and touching story that gives depth to disabled people and their families. This is a wonderfully-written, heartfelt novel that portrays characters we don't often get to read about in this manner. It's a delightful read.
January 18, 2026
A brotherly tale told with heart and humor. Highly recommend.
November 30, 2025
I loved the comedic approach to a touching story. Brilliantly written and very entertaining.
October 22, 2025
First novels are funny things. Many end up in desk drawers or on hard drives, having failed to find publishers to champion them. Some make it into the reading world and are respectable, even enjoyable, but ultimately not the kind of books that remain with a reader over the long term.
And then, there are first novels like Brian Trapp’s "Range of Motion." This beautifully written story of twin brothers – one with normal intelligence and abilities, the other with multiple, severe special needs – is the kind of book that changes one’s perspective on the blessings of life and the bonds that sometimes forcefully, sometimes tenuously hold a family together.
Trapp’s writing immerses the reader in the lives of twins Michael and Sal. The reader comes to understand Michael’s love for and devotion to Sal, as well as his guilt over being the twin without special needs. The efforts of the boys’ parents, too, cut to the core. There is Gabe, the scientist father, struggling to support his family in the face of a slowly failing research career, and Hannah, the twins’ mother, whose life since the boys’ birth has revolved largely around Sal’s care. Indeed, Hannah’s ability to care for her family is breathtaking; as she is repeatedly pushed to her breaking point, she manages to extend her range of motion and hold herself and everyone else together.
Perhaps it is the family’s togetherness that makes this novel so special. As grueling as it is to care for a child confined to a wheelchair, a child who communicates with facial expressions and an eight-word vocabulary, the family’s love for Sal, and his love for his parents and brother, are profound. They are a tight, cohesive unit willing to face whatever comes together. They fight insurance companies, school administrators, and childhood bullies to ensure Sal has access to the best care and experiences available. They joke and laugh together. They have disagreements. They are, in every way that matters, a typical family.
There is one final piece of magic in Trapp’s book, and it might be the most important. His writing allows the reader to get to know Sal as a person, a fellow human being, and to overcome the all-too-common initial reaction that individuals with special needs are unrelatable or somehow “other.” By the end of the story, I loved Sal, as well as the rest of his family.
Emotional, hilarious, and unflinchingly real, Brian Trapp’s "Range of Motion" is, quite simply, an amazing novel.
And then, there are first novels like Brian Trapp’s "Range of Motion." This beautifully written story of twin brothers – one with normal intelligence and abilities, the other with multiple, severe special needs – is the kind of book that changes one’s perspective on the blessings of life and the bonds that sometimes forcefully, sometimes tenuously hold a family together.
Trapp’s writing immerses the reader in the lives of twins Michael and Sal. The reader comes to understand Michael’s love for and devotion to Sal, as well as his guilt over being the twin without special needs. The efforts of the boys’ parents, too, cut to the core. There is Gabe, the scientist father, struggling to support his family in the face of a slowly failing research career, and Hannah, the twins’ mother, whose life since the boys’ birth has revolved largely around Sal’s care. Indeed, Hannah’s ability to care for her family is breathtaking; as she is repeatedly pushed to her breaking point, she manages to extend her range of motion and hold herself and everyone else together.
Perhaps it is the family’s togetherness that makes this novel so special. As grueling as it is to care for a child confined to a wheelchair, a child who communicates with facial expressions and an eight-word vocabulary, the family’s love for Sal, and his love for his parents and brother, are profound. They are a tight, cohesive unit willing to face whatever comes together. They fight insurance companies, school administrators, and childhood bullies to ensure Sal has access to the best care and experiences available. They joke and laugh together. They have disagreements. They are, in every way that matters, a typical family.
There is one final piece of magic in Trapp’s book, and it might be the most important. His writing allows the reader to get to know Sal as a person, a fellow human being, and to overcome the all-too-common initial reaction that individuals with special needs are unrelatable or somehow “other.” By the end of the story, I loved Sal, as well as the rest of his family.
Emotional, hilarious, and unflinchingly real, Brian Trapp’s "Range of Motion" is, quite simply, an amazing novel.
January 5, 2026
I wish I had read this book as a young nurse working my first part-time job in a pediatric nursing facility. I had no experience caring for children with disabilities, and while I can still see the faces of some of the children I cared for, I don’t remember feeling attached to any of them. I simply didn’t know how. Few families came to visit, and at the time I assumed they didn’t know how either.
What a gift this book is to families who are trying to unite, to do their best, and to be the kind of family that loves deeply, laughs often, and functions as a cargiving team—each member contributing in their own way. Even Gabe, the twins’ father, shows up in the role he believes is his to play: providing levity, stability, and income.
This book is also a gift to young health professionals. It offers a deeper understanding of empathy—not as a single skill, but as something expressed in many different ways. It gently teaches that caring is not one-size-fits-all, and that presence, patience, and curiosity matter just as much as clinical competence.
And it is a gift to anyone who wants to support a family in their community. Real support can only come from understanding what daily life at home looks like. This book opens that door.
Finally, kudos to the author for acknowledging “secret communication” (but honestly, who wouldn’t want to experience it? a reason to be envious of Michael!)—and for reminding readers that there are many ways to listen, connect, and communicate if we are willing to pay attention.
This gift of a book is a recommended read for families, caregivers, health professionals, and neighbors seeking deeper understanding and compassion for families living with a neurodivergent family member.
What a gift this book is to families who are trying to unite, to do their best, and to be the kind of family that loves deeply, laughs often, and functions as a cargiving team—each member contributing in their own way. Even Gabe, the twins’ father, shows up in the role he believes is his to play: providing levity, stability, and income.
This book is also a gift to young health professionals. It offers a deeper understanding of empathy—not as a single skill, but as something expressed in many different ways. It gently teaches that caring is not one-size-fits-all, and that presence, patience, and curiosity matter just as much as clinical competence.
And it is a gift to anyone who wants to support a family in their community. Real support can only come from understanding what daily life at home looks like. This book opens that door.
Finally, kudos to the author for acknowledging “secret communication” (but honestly, who wouldn’t want to experience it? a reason to be envious of Michael!)—and for reminding readers that there are many ways to listen, connect, and communicate if we are willing to pay attention.
This gift of a book is a recommended read for families, caregivers, health professionals, and neighbors seeking deeper understanding and compassion for families living with a neurodivergent family member.
Want to read
January 29, 2026I want to read this but I’m… scared. I have cerebral palsy myself (literally from a brain bleed like Sal’s), and I’m a fraternal twin whose brother was a wheelchair user from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. He died a month before our 20th birthday. So to say this book will likely hit close to home is an understatement. I don’t know if I’m ready for it, even 17 years after my twin’s death.
May 24, 2025
Center for Fiction First Novel Prize read
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews