I love getting an advanced readers copy (ARC) of a book because I feel like I get to make my own opinion of a book before anyone else has read it and influenced me. I got my hands on this book a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to pick it up.
Title: Silence
Author: Deborah Lytton
Pages: 312
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Date: January 6, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Summary: Stella was born to sing. Someday Broadway. Even though she's only a sophomore at a new high school, her voice has given her the status as a "cool kid." But everything changes when a tragic accident renders her deaf. She can't hear herself sing not to mention speak. She can't hear anything. Silence. What happens when everything you've dreamed of and hoped for is shattered in a single moment?
Enter Hayden, the boy with blond curls who stutters. He's treated like an outcast because he's not "normal." And, yet, Stella feels an attraction to him that she can't explain. As Hayden reaches out to help Stella discover a world without sound, his own tragic past warns him to keep a distance. But their connection is undeniable. Can the boy who stutters and the girl who's deaf ever find a happily-ever-after? Silence is a story of friendship and hope with a lesson that sometimes it takes a tragedy to help us find and appreciate beauty and love in unexpected places.
My Opinion: Like a sonnet. A steady rhythm of beautiful words and feelings. You anticipate the ending, but don't want it to be over either.
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| 4.25/5 Stars |
I was initially intrigued with the idea of this novel - a girl who loves to sing, but tragically loses her hearing. A boy who stutters is the only one she can understand.
I loved the quick connection that I felt to Stella and Hayden. I'm glad I got to see both of their perspectives (I wish I'd had more from Hayden!). The teenage voice was spot on.
The best part about this novel is the feelings and thoughts it created in me. Stella has to rediscover herself and the question is posed: is her voice what makes her? It raised the question in me: am I defined by what I can do or by who I am?
I love that Hayden is there, literally and figuratively saving Stella and teaching her that she doesn't need her hearing to live, that Someday Broadway isn't what makes her who she is. She can be something in silence.
I haven't read a lot of books lately where I love the ending. This book changed that for me. Throughout the story I kept hoping that Stella and Hayden would heal each other, but I wasn't sure if I wanted Stella to get her hearing back. I was so pleased with the turn of events (I won't spoil it).
This would be a great read for anyone that enjoys YA or light romance. Even though it wasn't set in the Jane Austen era, it had the feel of a Regency Period piece - a slow and steady building to a dramatic end.
My Content Rating: PG
Sexuality: Mild (Kissing, Hand holding)
Language/Profanity: None
Drug/Alcohol Use: Mild (Hayden's mom and alcohol at a party)
Intense/Scary Scenes: Mild (Pool scene, some blood)
Violence: Mild (Physical/Emotional Abuse by Hayden's mom)
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