The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais is an unforgettable read spotlighting Deaf culture. There are so few books out there with Deaf main characters, so I was happy to see the confident and witty protagonist in this one. This book also respects the syntax of ASL as the author narrates Maya’s signs, and the many nuanced discussions about current debates in the Deaf community make it a must-read.
Title: The Silence Between UsAuthor: Alison Gervais
Publisher: Blink
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: August 13, 2019
Rating:
Deaf teen Maya moves across the country and must attend a hearing school for the first time. As if that wasn’t hard enough, she also has to adjust to the hearing culture, which she finds frustrating—and also surprising when some classmates, including Beau Watson, take time to learn ASL. As Maya looks past graduation and focuses on her future dreams, nothing, not even an unexpected romance, will derail her pursuits. But when people in her life—deaf and hearing alike—ask her to question parts of her deaf identity, Maya stands proudly, never giving in to the idea that her deafness is a disadvantage.
Review: The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais
Because of an illness four years ago, Maya lost her hearing. However, after her mother gets a new job, she is forced to move across the country and transfer to a hearing school for the first time. As the only Deaf student there, and the only one with an interpreter following her, Maya struggles to fit it at first. However, when one of her classmates starts learning sign language to communicate with her, things start looking up for her, and she finds a new group of friends, and even romance.
❀ Likeable Main Character
Maya is a likeable main character, and I admired her confidence. She loves herself the way she is, and she refuses to let people try to change her and push her to get a cochlear implant. At school, many people talk down to her, but I enjoyed the way she is unafraid to call them out on this behaviour. The book also contains many supportive side characters, which I always like to see. I especially enjoyed Maya’s interactions with her little brother and, of course, Beau, the boy who learns sign language for her.
❀ Fantastic Representation of Deaf People
One of my favourite parts about this book is its fantastic (in my opinion) representation of Deaf people. Throughout the story, there are many nuanced conversations about cochlear implants and their impact on Deaf identity, and through Maya’s character, the author discusses the way Deaf people don’t need to be “fixed.” I also loved the way the book uses the syntax of ASL when Maya signs. I have never seen this done before, and the way the sentences respect the grammar of ASL makes the story more realistic.
❀ A Moving Story
The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais is a moving story about loving yourself. The main character is realistic, and the representation of Deaf culture is the best I’ve seen in YA. I would recommend this to those looking for a contemporary with both humour and discussions of current social debates.
About Alison Gervais
Alison Gervais began writing at the age of five and gained recognition by posting her work on Wattpad in 2011. She graduated from Colorado State University - Pueblo with a degree in English and is still figuring out what else she'd like to do in life. As for now, she plans to keep writing, rereading Harry Potter, watching Supernatural and Law and Order: SVU, and enjoying life with her husband and their two cats, Jane and Smoke.
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, novice New Yorker, & professional bibliophile.
Yay for great representation of dead culture! I’m sure there isn’t a whole lot of rep with that in YA so it’s good that this book is out there.
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Right?! Such a fantastic book! 🙂
I agree with you about the rep. I found the way the author wrote certain parts of the dialog had a big impact on helping me really understand the character’s experience better.
Absolutely! 🙂
Oh wow! This one sounds really good. I have read a few books with deaf characters and it is always interesting to learn more about them. Have you read Five Flavors of Dumb? I really enjoyed that one.
I am going to have to look for that one! 🙂
That sounds like a really good book!
It sure is! 🙂
I’m already getting emotional just reading your review!
Awww! It is a very emotional book! 😉
This sounds phenomenal. I have a masters in applied linguistics but unfortunately we didn’t study deaf culture very much. Thank you for the recommendation.
It is a really fascinating aspect to study! I recently took a course in LSQ (Quebec Sign Language) and it really opened my eyes. 🙂
Sounds like a good book