Title: Turn On The Light So I Can Hear
Author: Teri Kanefield
Genre: Fiction
Reviewer: Aly
Book Blurb:
A young artist badly in need of money bluffs her way through an interview into a job she is not prepared for.
To succeed, she must make room in her life for two people: Curtis, a deaf architect who has sworn he will never date a hearing woman, and thirteen-year-old Alex, profoundly deaf, rebellious, bold, and frightened. As each takes new risks in friendship and love, the hearing and deaf worlds come together.
With sign language--nimble and evocative--at its center, Turn On the Light So I Can Hear is about reaching across distances, the transformative powers of art, and finding a place to belong.
Review:
Turn On the Light So I Can Hear was a good read. It had solid writing and at no time did I feel that the writing was less than on par. I did find that occasionally the book jumped around a bit, and that I occasionally had a difficult time following along until I went back and reread a few sentences. I also felt that certain scenes didn’t hold my attention as well as others, and I would take a minute to check my phone or play with my tablet. Other than that, it was an enjoyable story. The plot was different from anything I’ve read recently, and that makes it stand out to me. There’s not a lot of books about deafness and the challenges that the hearing-impaired face daily. It was certainly an eye-opening view on something I can honestly say I haven’t experienced before. Reading the story I found myself seeing new perspectives and maybe growing a bit.
The thing that I felt was done extremely well was the characters and the relationships that grew between them. Curtis, Bretna and Alex were characters that one learned about and soon viewed as friends. You formed a connection with them, even if it was over something as simple as being a fellow hermit. They were far from perfect and did things that they shouldn’t have but this just proves they’re human. The characters really made the story for me.
Turn On the Light So I Can Hear mimics real life in the way that not everything works out how you wanted and not everyone were interested in anything but themselves or certain other people. I feel like the hiring of Bretna as an interpreter and tutor shouldn’t and wouldn’t have happened in real life, but that’s the only thing I feel was kind of iffy for me.
Overall, this was a good book, but it just couldn’t keep and hold my attention as some books can. But that doesn’t mean Turn On the Light So I Can Hear isn’t worth your time.
Rating:
