A Terrifying Silence

I like mysteries. But I'm not a huge fan of ones that are closer to a thriller than simply a puzzle. Sure, I like to watch crime shows (Criminal Minds, Bones, etc.) and while some of the episodes are scary, it has always been more terrifying to read about it rather than simply watch.

But, I couldn't put this book down.

It was awesome in a terrifying, I could image it happening kind of of way. And that, is a pretty good recommendation for a book.

The Silent House by Nell Pattison

Her strengths lay in her interviewing skills, in her ability to tease information out of suspects, but that case has shown her talents were no use if she wasn't able to communicate directly with the people she was interviewing.

Not only did the mystery keep me involved, and slightly terrify me, but this book is full of d/Deaf characters, signing, and interpretations.

The story follows Paige, an BSL (British Sign Language) interpreter who grew up as the only hearing child in a Deaf family. She is called into interpret with little information, only to find out that her sister's godchild was killed. The family, including the children, are all Deaf. Throughout the book, Paige gets more and more involved with trying to find out who killed the little girl (Lexie), putting herself - and her sister - in dangerous situations.

Family Interpreter

Being the only hearing person in the family, Paige naturally began interpreting for her family at a young age and got a certification almost as back up and a way to earn money while she went to school for clothing design. Things happened and she had to leave school and fell back into interpreting. Is it what she loved? No, but it is what she knows and she loves the community.

"What do you do for a living?" He asked. "Don't tell me, you're hearing, with a deaf family member, so fifty-fifty chance, you're an interpreter."

While the book is full of d/Deaf characters, it is focused on Paige and how she is hearing involved with a Deaf community. She worries about her sister, and tries to keep her from investigating (which, no, she shouldn't have done) but it was more because her sister is Deaf that she is worried. She truly understands later that being Deaf shouldn't be the reason why she worries for her sister.

Deaf Representation

The author herself has been involved in the Deaf Community for over 12 years as a teacher before she began losing her hearing. Now, she herself doesn't wear hearing aids. I personally prefer NOT to wear my hearing aids. I get headaches from them, and really, yes, they may help amplify sounds but they don't solve everything.

The author does an amazing job with showcasing how Deafness is a spectrum - some people use hearing aids, others don't. Some speak, others don't. Some lip-read, others don't. And so on.

Being Deaf is a cultural identity, not simply a term for hearing loss.

When reading the book, you can truly begin to comprehend the vastness that is the Deaf community and how special it can be - or can have just as many "typical problems" as the hearing community.

Deafness is not seen as the enemy in this book, as something to be fixed, but rather, it's just another aspect of a person. Do you have hearing people who are trying to "fix" or "take care" of a Deaf person? Yes, but that is a true example of the realities of being Deaf. You'll always have those kinds of people.

And best of all, you find that some of the hearing people in the book learn more about what it means to be Deaf.

Final Thoughts

It was a fantastic representation for the Deaf community. And I loved their Deaf Club - I want one here - where I live! It was a gripping story, so much, that I bought her next two books even if I'm slightly terrified to read them since I know that it will keep me up, wondering and making sure that my house is locked. But I know that she will be going on my list as both a Hard-of-Hearing author, as well as books that have legitimate representation.

One more quote that I liked, even if I didn't like the original reasoning why the character did it, but...

She smiled and let herself live in a fantasy world, if only for one night.

If you'd like to see the ASL review, click HERE.

Happy Reading!