"Silence" by Deborah Lytton ~ Book Review

Silence by Deborah Lytton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received from the Publisher to Review
Genre: YA Romance

Book Description:  STELLA was born to sing. Someday Broadway. But everything changed when a tragic accident renders her deaf; she cannot hear, much less sing. Trapped in a strange new world of total silence, she must face not only the loss of her friends, her hopes, and her voice but also the loss of her identity and her life's purpose. Who is she is she's not a singer?

HAYDEN is a quiet loner, an outcast, and the only person Stella can communicate with; his profound stutter makes him speak so slowly, she is able to easily read his lips. As they find new ways to communicate despite their disabilities, their friendship grows into an unexpected—but welcome—romance. But is it a romance that can last if Stella regains her hearing and resumes her former life?

Alternating between Stella's and Hayden's points of view, Silence is a lyrical story of self-discovery, romance, and resilience, of two souls learning how to find their voices and break through the silence.

My thoughts: The synopsis of this book appealed to me because Stella is a musician, who looses her ability to hear music. As a teen my life revolved around my orchestra and choir concerts and I am drawn to books where the characters are involved in music.

Stella has an amazing talent as a singer. She is able to move others with her voice. While at practice for her high school musical, a new boy is introduced as the pianist. Hayden is also a talented musician, but he stutters and some people have a hard time with that. The two are drawn to each other before Stella has an accident and looses her hearing.

The way that Hayden is able show Stella more to the world than sound is beautiful. He understands her, and is able to point out dolphins in the ocean, the beauty of paint and a paintbrush, and many more things. He shows her a world that is more than the one that she had been living in. The most important thing that he shares with her is emotional support.

This book does a wonderful job at making you think. The importance of true friendship, the beauty of the world, and surviving physical trauma are all subjects of the book.

I think that this is a book that be on my mind for a while after the last page has been closed.

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About the Author:  Deborah Lytton is an established writer who began her work life as an actress at the age of six. She graduated from UCLA and Pepperdine University with a degree in law before becoming a writer. She lives in California with her two daughters and is an active blogger and member of SCBWI.

Visit her wepage!