Book Review - Whisper

Title: Whisper
Author: Chrissie Keighery
Publisher: Templar Publishing
Release Date: 1 July 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1848775466

Synopsis
Fifteen-year-old Demi's world is shattered when she is left profoundly deaf by a sudden illness. Everything is different now, and Demi must learn to adapt to a new school, new friends and even learn a whole new language.

Whisper is a coming-of-age tale, about discovering who you are and where you fit in life. About friendships and first love and, most of all, learning to love the person you are.



My Review
I saw a trailer on youtube for this book and I was immediately intrigued, it was one of the best trailers I had ever seen! Don't ask me why, it just rang out to me.  So I had to order a copy at the library. I also told my book group about it and they seemed excited too, so I'll have to pass it on.
This story follows Demi, she got ill with Meningitis and ended up deaf, she has now been deaf for 18 months and is learning to live differently. She moves to a special school for deaf people and learns to sign and read lips. Life on mute is very different and sometimes very scary.


I loved the raw honesty of this book, Demi is very open about how she feels and what is happening to her and I felt my heart lurch multiple times for her. I wanted to hug her, cheer her on, yell at her, she became very real to me.
The idea of becoming deaf is a terrifying thought. We rely so much on all our senses it would turn the world into a whole otehr place, I think like Demi, one of the things I would miss most would be the ability to listen to my ipod etc.
Demi has to struggle between 2 worlds, her old friends who can talk and hear and laugh as always, they try to include Demi, but sometimes seem to forget she can't follow in the same way. Then she has her new friends from the school for Deaf people, learning to follow their quick signs, their different quirks and habits. She doesn't seem to fit in either world at first, she doubts where she belongs and who she is, throughout this book you really see Demi evolve as a character, she grows and becomes stronger as the book goes on and I loved reading it. 
This book serves as a strong reminder to treat people fairly and respectfully, it delves into certain issues such as job discrimination, common courtesy and a mix of stereotypes. It makes you think about the way you look at life and treat other people. I don't know many deaf people, but I know if I meet someone now i will make sure to treat them with the utmost respect and courtesy. 


This book is such a simple idea but it's executed so well and it really resonates with you. I finished this hours ago but it's still coursing through my mind, I'm sure it will stay with me a long time. I think I'm going to buy a copy to keep so I can read it again sometime. Definitely a book I would want to revisit. 


My Review