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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
This was a good thriller! Not as strong as Lupton’s previous work, but if you think the idea of a mother and her daughter racing to save a loved one in the harsh winter of the Alaskan North is interesting, I would definitely check it out.
It’s not without its problems however. While Lupton’s flowery prose is usually a positive for me in her books, it didn’t work quite so smoothly here. Particularly in switching between Ruby’s first person narration and the third person omniscient voice used throughout the rest of the book, there were some particularly jarring transitions. The use of flashbacks also came a cross as a bit clunky, sometimes peeking in at inopportune moments and killing the pacing.
It doesn’t help either that the way the conflict is initially set up, it kind of sucks the tension out of the story for the first bits. It seems like the conclusion is foregone and makes for a rather toothless affair until the first big twist in the journey happens. Luckily, once the danger inherent in Yasmin and Ruby’s journey takes hold, it becomes a lot more enjoyable to read. Never perfect but the tension shows up and there are some great twists that play off your expectations. Some of these twists seemed a bit farfetched from a plausibility standpoint, but it was never silly enough to truly distract from the story.
Really, the good parts of this book do shine through despite the obstacles in their way. It’s overall a beautiful story about a mother and daughter truly connecting for the first time through their harrowing journey, especially given the daughter, Ruby’s, deafness. The portrayal of said deafness was thoughtful and very positive which was a great take for something that doesn’t normally get that kind of representation in books like this. It’s also about Yasmin coming to terms with where her marriage has ended up, the importance of environmental safety and health in contrast to more greedy ambition, and plenty of questions of morality aimed both at our protagonists and eventually revealed antagonists.
Overall, I’m glad I gave this book a chance despite the lower ratings than usual for a Lupton novel. It’s definitely her weakest work I’ve read, but despite the flaws, a lot of her strengths as a writer still shine through.
It’s not without its problems however. While Lupton’s flowery prose is usually a positive for me in her books, it didn’t work quite so smoothly here. Particularly in switching between Ruby’s first person narration and the third person omniscient voice used throughout the rest of the book, there were some particularly jarring transitions. The use of flashbacks also came a cross as a bit clunky, sometimes peeking in at inopportune moments and killing the pacing.
It doesn’t help either that the way the conflict is initially set up, it kind of sucks the tension out of the story for the first bits. It seems like the conclusion is foregone and makes for a rather toothless affair until the first big twist in the journey happens. Luckily, once the danger inherent in Yasmin and Ruby’s journey takes hold, it becomes a lot more enjoyable to read. Never perfect but the tension shows up and there are some great twists that play off your expectations. Some of these twists seemed a bit farfetched from a plausibility standpoint, but it was never silly enough to truly distract from the story.
Really, the good parts of this book do shine through despite the obstacles in their way. It’s overall a beautiful story about a mother and daughter truly connecting for the first time through their harrowing journey, especially given the daughter, Ruby’s, deafness. The portrayal of said deafness was thoughtful and very positive which was a great take for something that doesn’t normally get that kind of representation in books like this. It’s also about Yasmin coming to terms with where her marriage has ended up, the importance of environmental safety and health in contrast to more greedy ambition, and plenty of questions of morality aimed both at our protagonists and eventually revealed antagonists.
Overall, I’m glad I gave this book a chance despite the lower ratings than usual for a Lupton novel. It’s definitely her weakest work I’ve read, but despite the flaws, a lot of her strengths as a writer still shine through.
3.5 stars
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I had not previously read any of Rosamund Lupton's books but after reading The Quality of Silence I think I should.
Just after Ruby and her mother land in Alaska they get terrible news. Her father, whom they came to visit, has been killed in a tragic fire. Her mother doesn't believe it and sets out, together with Ruby, to find him. In Alaska, in the middle of the winter.
Ruby made a very interesting main character, she is a very smart little girl who happens to be deaf. Since the POV is switching between Ruby and her mother, this makes for some interesting dynamics as her mother tries to shield Ruby from what is going on. The ending of the story I thought was a bit predictable, but the lovely descriptions of Alaska made up for that. I was reading the book when it was +/- 15 C outside, and still got cold.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I had not previously read any of Rosamund Lupton's books but after reading The Quality of Silence I think I should.
Just after Ruby and her mother land in Alaska they get terrible news. Her father, whom they came to visit, has been killed in a tragic fire. Her mother doesn't believe it and sets out, together with Ruby, to find him. In Alaska, in the middle of the winter.
Ruby made a very interesting main character, she is a very smart little girl who happens to be deaf. Since the POV is switching between Ruby and her mother, this makes for some interesting dynamics as her mother tries to shield Ruby from what is going on. The ending of the story I thought was a bit predictable, but the lovely descriptions of Alaska made up for that. I was reading the book when it was +/- 15 C outside, and still got cold.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I want to give this 4.5 stars. A super unique premise with building suspense and a mostly satisfying ending;
The book was interesting, but I found it hard to read. The language itself was beautiful, but there were frequent shifts both in speakers and in time frame making it hard to figure out who exactly was speaking and whether or not the story had shifted again in time. I was constantly rereading to try and figure out who was speaking and where we were in the story: in the present? In the past? I was also a little lost by the "fracking" terminology.
Other than that, the book built up its tension nicely, and there were beautiful descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness and wildlife. I also think that Ms Lupton did a wonderful job of portraying the silent but rich world of Ruby and her relationships with both her father and mother.
Other than that, the book built up its tension nicely, and there were beautiful descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness and wildlife. I also think that Ms Lupton did a wonderful job of portraying the silent but rich world of Ruby and her relationships with both her father and mother.
Deaf reader reviewing books with deaf characters.
For a novel written by a person who has experienced childhood deafness, I found all the audism and inaccuracies super disappointing. I'm not sure why the author, whose hearing was surgically restored (presumably inner ear fluids drained, but no specifics) and who never learned to sign would attempt to write a totally deaf since birth signing character. I'm also not sure why her profoundly deaf agent provided positive feedback on this character, who is definitely one of the worst deaf characters I've seen.
Let's get into it.
First, this novel is told by the deaf child Ruby and her hearing mother, Yasmin. Ruby's part is written in 1st POV, while Yasmin's is in 3rd POV--odd, because this is the exact same trope as Yaara Shehori's [book:Aquarium: A Novel|57693573], where a hearing author is writing from the point of view of a deaf character even though they do not understand the experiences they're telling. (I also reviewed that novel, FYI.)
Before we get to the actual characters, though, I want to touch on Lupton's descriptions of signed language in this novel. There is a lot. Like, a LOT wrong all throughout the novel. This isn't even a comprehensive list!
Signed Language
Ruby is a 10-year-old British girl, which means she would have been taught British Sign Language (BSL). She does use this throughout the novel. But sometimes Ruby sprinkles in American Sign Language (ASL)--a totally distinct signed language. An ASL user is not going to understand a BSL user, and vice-versa. It's possible that Ruby had been learning ASL on her own online or enjoying ASL content and picked it up there, but I just don't find it believable that she is fluent in both signed languages, and Lupton doesn't feel the need to explain why she is. Worse, throughout the novel Lupton starts confusing BSL and ASL, describing signs from both languages incorrectly, or having Ruby use one or the other without explaining which one she is using, or if she is combining them both, etc. There's just no distinction made between them, usually.
That makes it hard to understand things like Ruby and her dad's sign for aputiak: the letter A and then a curved roof shape overhead. From the description it sounds like they are using the one-handed ASL alphabet rather than the two-handed BSL. It’s possible they sign the BSL letter for A and then make the roof, as two separate signs rather than one integrated movement. Who knows?
Lupton describes the "American sign” for HOORAH as fists beating once on the chest and then going up in the air, but I have never seen that sign and cannot find a reference for it online. It's possible she incorrectly described the real sign for HOORAH, which is made with two fists pumping at shoulder level or above, but they never touch the chest.
At one point, Yasmin tells Ruby that the sign for “star” looks similar to “vagina”?!?! In what language?? It's definitely not ASL or BSL. The sign for star is performed over the head, where stars are located. The sign for vagina is signed at waist level or lower, where the vagina is (generally, hopefully) located. I haven't been able to find a single signed language where this isn't true. So why would Lupton make such a ridiculous claim??
Yet another claim: “The sign for Daddy is making a D shape with your fingers.” Not true in ASL or BSL. The literal only place I see it signed this way is Famlingo, whose app has 3 one-star ratings (and ONLY those ratings), and they provide no info about who is teaching these signs. The woman signing Daddy in the videos I spotted uses the D shape as the author describes, and she also incorrectly and awkwardly signs the traditional F shape, so I’m assuming this signer is totally unqualified and not fluent (much like the author!).
The author's linguistic decisions are also confusing because apparently, Silesian is competent in ASL. When he notices Ruby and her mother signing, he puts on a creepy smile and starts signing ASL (at least he's fluent instead of just flapping his hands like many hearing people do?). And yet Silesian watches mom, who is surely using BSL, sign to Ruby, and apparently understands it. So it seems that everyone in this novel who signs knows both BSL and ASL, somehow!
At one point, there's also a brief mention of home signs, which Ruby and Yasmin occasionally use together. Why? If they all learned BSL (and/or ASL) together, why would they need a home sign system? It's possible Lupton means the signs that toddlers make up before they are exposed to the correct sign, but nearly all of them will have outgrown such signs by the time they reach childhood, especially ten, especially if they have access to a full language like BSL (and/or ASL). In the same way that hearing toddlers make up/bungle words (ba-ba for bottle; bickinmons for vitamins; etc.). Having Ruby use home signs at ten years old would be like having a 10-year-old hearing character saying ba-ba and bickinmons. There's no need for the author to infantilize Ruby with such signs, though. So why?
Adeeb thinks the whole world should learn sign language, and that then there would be no “foreign accents,” as though sign language is universal and every deaf person in the world uses the exact same signs for every single concept. He also considers it’s "impossible" to have a signed conversation while driving, despite the fact that deaf people do this all the time. Unclear whether this is simply his own thoughts as a hearing person or the author’s ideas as well, considering other descriptions of signed language.
We've also got the magical hearing author trope of signing in the dark: Ruby and Yasmin have signed conversations in the truck cab, but considering it’s super dark outside and there’s no mention of cabin lights except a small interior light that Yasmin needs to hold a map super close to in order to see it, how are they seeing each other? They have no issues with seeing and understanding each at all throughout the novel--except! Conveniently, and for the first time, towards the end of the book, there is not enough light to sign while the bad guys are monologuing their evil plans. But once their story is over, there is light enough to see that Matt can sign to Yasmin that Ruby and the laptop are gone.
There's also no issue while decked out in layers upon layers upon layers of clothes: Ruby and Yasmin are somehow signing despite having on all their layers, including face masks, and I’m assuming gloves as well, in the dark, in a full-on blizzard. I dare you to try it!
The last point I'll make on the subject: Ruby's teacher learns basic sign language (presumably BSL, since they're in Britain) so they can have one on one lessons without a “special assistant,” even though Ruby thinks it’s “funny” to have one. I'm assuming the special assistant is an interpreter? Why would Ruby think having linguistic access is funny? How is the teacher communicating complete concepts to her student with only the basics of BSL? That's worse than a first-year Spanish student teaching a fluent Spanish speaker figurative language and grammar. Literally what gives?
Now we'll have shorter discussions of other issues, such as terrible characterization of people and things:
Ruby
This is a ten-year-old, totally deaf, signing British girl with a strong online presence (even though you’re actually supposed to be 13 to even create a Twitter account). I don’t really find Ruby’s narration believable. She’s in the gifted program, but something about her voice is way too mature for a child. Her definition poems are little too professionally abstract, if that makes sense, like she’s been writing and tweaking them for years already. At other times there’s a forced innocence/ naivety about her, like when she obeys her mother's order to stop lipreading people.
Yasmin
Probably one of the more believable characters, but I just hate her guts.
Even though she “hates” doing it, Yasmin uses Ruby’s deafness to keep secrets from her. She doesn’t tell her what’s going on in the news or what people are saying around her, endangering her life by bringing her along on this trip, etc.
Ruby hasn’t spoken in two years, and Yasmin is sad because she’s sure Ruby would have friends if she did. Never mind that Ruby does have friends, and she has a Twitter following to keep her company and whatnot. Also, Yasmin repeatedly thinks Ruby is completely helpless because she refuses to speak, as though Ruby is illiterate and doesn’t have communication technology, etc. And as though Yasmin weren't the one who literally brought Ruby on this dangerous mission. Yeesh.
Yasmin desperately wants Ruby to use her voice so she will “be heard.” You’d think she would have opted to have Ruby cochlear implanted, but there is not one mention of the tech. If Yasmin really wanted to mold Ruby into a hearing person, as hearing parents often do, why would she not have had Ruby implanted? Sure, not all children qualify for the surgery, but Lupton doesn't even bother to bring up the topic.
Speaking of, Lupton does bring some assistive technology throughout the novel, but these are poorly integrated and do not reflect actual deaf experiences.
Tech
Ruby has a vibrating bracelet that alerts her to loud noises (probably some Neosensory device that most deaf people consider scammy). The bracelet is mentioned once, then disappears from narrative for over 100 pages, until it’s mentioned that Ruby is wearing it in the truck so it’s constantly vibrating…Why would she be wearing it in the truck? How much battery does it have? And how much battery does her laptop have? They’ve been on the road for over 24 hours and Ruby has had her laptop going for hours, and it seems her bracelet has been on for all this time, too. And then suddenly it seems that the bracelet, like the laptop, isn’t picking up the truck engine at all (indicating that the author has never been inside a vehicle in her entire life). But the bracelet does alert Ruby to the sound of an avalanche?
Ruby considers speech to text magical, but text to speech is not-magic. There is literally no explanation for this. The software she uses is "Voice Magic," and it works perfectly despite the noise from the truck. Voice Magic also picks up and perfectly understands the CB radio. It truly must be magic, then! It is unlike any STT software we currently have.
When Adeeb passes out Ruby types on Voice Magic telling him to wake up, then uses her own voice, then hugs him. This is one of those forced naivety moments. We know Ruby isn’t stupid. Why would she waste time typing on the laptop to tell him to wake up instead of doing the normal first response: tapping and shaking someone. Come on. When I was a kid, I was poking sleeping adults and dogs left and right to ask them annoying questions, as were my brothers, cousins, and friends. It can't be a cultural thing, as I've seen Latinx and Japanese children do this, too.
My final point on the subject of Voice Magic is the "big" reveal: Ruby, who hasn't spoken for two years, has actually been practicing her speech all this time using Voice Magic and Dragon Dictate. So the speech to text struggles with Ruby's voice only, and in literally zero other situations if hearing people are speaking in the vicinity or on the radio. Got it. So totally believable, sure. /sarcasm.
Lipreading
Yasmin hardly signs to Ruby, wanting her to lipread and speak. She assumes that Ruby will be able to lipread everyone who doesn’t cover their mouth when they talk, regardless of accent. She also tells Ruby when to and not to lipread, assuring her that she will tell her the important things. Completely unbelievable that Ruby would obey such a command in the first place, let alone trust that her mother, who often refuses to accommodate her, would actually keep that promise.
Ruby perfectly lipreads two men from a distance while they are sitting in the helicopter, then secretly relays their words in signs to her mother. Literally a superhero, right? Looks like Yasmin was right to assume Ruby can lipread every single thing ever! Also, Ruby is standing in the dark at the edge of the light from the bonfire, but luckily her mother can still see her, of course. It's that night vision hearing authors are so fond of. And apparently no one heard Ruby walking or tripping in the snow, suggesting that she is somehow able to move silently despite her clumsiness.
Other issues
Apparently all the kids at Ruby's school message each other through Facebook and email. I was very skeptical, but then looked up British statistics and saw that 84% of 11 - 16 kids used Facebook in Great Britain in 2015, so I guess it’s a cultural divide. Fair enough!
Speaking of cultural divides, Lupton has a man accompany his adult daughter to the departure gate of an airport, even though people without tickets aren’t allowed past security. That really stood out to me as odd, and I was confused as to why it didn't strike Yasmin that way, either, since she's presumably experienced US airport travel. Spoiler: the man never actually went to the gate, as he lied about his identity. But still, it was noticeably weird.
Lupton keeps having Americans say “for definite” instead of “for sure,” and it irks me because I’ve literally never seen this phrase before. She also has an American say “bollocks.” That's definitely not a thing here in the States. We're more likely to say "balls" or some other curse word.
“The people who built Coldfoot knew that this was as far north as a person could reasonably go.” And yet, the Inupiat are good to go. Are they not reasonable people? I think Lupton means it was as far as the colonizers could handle.
Overall, I had to force myself to get this novel. Every time the author made a wild or inaccurate claim about deafness, lipreading, tech, and signed language, I wanted to scream and tear the paperback in half. Anyone who knows anything about these would probably not enjoy the novel, unless they have incredible skills of suspension of disbelief.
Link to ranked list of deaf characters in fiction: https://modcast.blog/2022/12/17/ranked-deaf-characters-in-fiction/
For a novel written by a person who has experienced childhood deafness, I found all the audism and inaccuracies super disappointing. I'm not sure why the author, whose hearing was surgically restored (presumably inner ear fluids drained, but no specifics) and who never learned to sign would attempt to write a totally deaf since birth signing character. I'm also not sure why her profoundly deaf agent provided positive feedback on this character, who is definitely one of the worst deaf characters I've seen.
Let's get into it.
First, this novel is told by the deaf child Ruby and her hearing mother, Yasmin. Ruby's part is written in 1st POV, while Yasmin's is in 3rd POV--odd, because this is the exact same trope as Yaara Shehori's [book:Aquarium: A Novel|57693573], where a hearing author is writing from the point of view of a deaf character even though they do not understand the experiences they're telling. (I also reviewed that novel, FYI.)
Before we get to the actual characters, though, I want to touch on Lupton's descriptions of signed language in this novel. There is a lot. Like, a LOT wrong all throughout the novel. This isn't even a comprehensive list!
Signed Language
Ruby is a 10-year-old British girl, which means she would have been taught British Sign Language (BSL). She does use this throughout the novel. But sometimes Ruby sprinkles in American Sign Language (ASL)--a totally distinct signed language. An ASL user is not going to understand a BSL user, and vice-versa. It's possible that Ruby had been learning ASL on her own online or enjoying ASL content and picked it up there, but I just don't find it believable that she is fluent in both signed languages, and Lupton doesn't feel the need to explain why she is. Worse, throughout the novel Lupton starts confusing BSL and ASL, describing signs from both languages incorrectly, or having Ruby use one or the other without explaining which one she is using, or if she is combining them both, etc. There's just no distinction made between them, usually.
That makes it hard to understand things like Ruby and her dad's sign for aputiak: the letter A and then a curved roof shape overhead. From the description it sounds like they are using the one-handed ASL alphabet rather than the two-handed BSL. It’s possible they sign the BSL letter for A and then make the roof, as two separate signs rather than one integrated movement. Who knows?
Lupton describes the "American sign” for HOORAH as fists beating once on the chest and then going up in the air, but I have never seen that sign and cannot find a reference for it online. It's possible she incorrectly described the real sign for HOORAH, which is made with two fists pumping at shoulder level or above, but they never touch the chest.
At one point, Yasmin tells Ruby that the sign for “star” looks similar to “vagina”?!?! In what language?? It's definitely not ASL or BSL. The sign for star is performed over the head, where stars are located. The sign for vagina is signed at waist level or lower, where the vagina is (generally, hopefully) located. I haven't been able to find a single signed language where this isn't true. So why would Lupton make such a ridiculous claim??
Yet another claim: “The sign for Daddy is making a D shape with your fingers.” Not true in ASL or BSL. The literal only place I see it signed this way is Famlingo, whose app has 3 one-star ratings (and ONLY those ratings), and they provide no info about who is teaching these signs. The woman signing Daddy in the videos I spotted uses the D shape as the author describes, and she also incorrectly and awkwardly signs the traditional F shape, so I’m assuming this signer is totally unqualified and not fluent (much like the author!).
The author's linguistic decisions are also confusing because apparently, Silesian is competent in ASL. When he notices Ruby and her mother signing, he puts on a creepy smile and starts signing ASL (at least he's fluent instead of just flapping his hands like many hearing people do?). And yet Silesian watches mom, who is surely using BSL, sign to Ruby, and apparently understands it. So it seems that everyone in this novel who signs knows both BSL and ASL, somehow!
At one point, there's also a brief mention of home signs, which Ruby and Yasmin occasionally use together. Why? If they all learned BSL (and/or ASL) together, why would they need a home sign system? It's possible Lupton means the signs that toddlers make up before they are exposed to the correct sign, but nearly all of them will have outgrown such signs by the time they reach childhood, especially ten, especially if they have access to a full language like BSL (and/or ASL). In the same way that hearing toddlers make up/bungle words (ba-ba for bottle; bickinmons for vitamins; etc.). Having Ruby use home signs at ten years old would be like having a 10-year-old hearing character saying ba-ba and bickinmons. There's no need for the author to infantilize Ruby with such signs, though. So why?
Adeeb thinks the whole world should learn sign language, and that then there would be no “foreign accents,” as though sign language is universal and every deaf person in the world uses the exact same signs for every single concept. He also considers it’s "impossible" to have a signed conversation while driving, despite the fact that deaf people do this all the time. Unclear whether this is simply his own thoughts as a hearing person or the author’s ideas as well, considering other descriptions of signed language.
We've also got the magical hearing author trope of signing in the dark: Ruby and Yasmin have signed conversations in the truck cab, but considering it’s super dark outside and there’s no mention of cabin lights except a small interior light that Yasmin needs to hold a map super close to in order to see it, how are they seeing each other? They have no issues with seeing and understanding each at all throughout the novel--except! Conveniently, and for the first time, towards the end of the book, there is not enough light to sign while the bad guys are monologuing their evil plans. But once their story is over, there is light enough to see that Matt can sign to Yasmin that Ruby and the laptop are gone.
There's also no issue while decked out in layers upon layers upon layers of clothes: Ruby and Yasmin are somehow signing despite having on all their layers, including face masks, and I’m assuming gloves as well, in the dark, in a full-on blizzard. I dare you to try it!
The last point I'll make on the subject: Ruby's teacher learns basic sign language (presumably BSL, since they're in Britain) so they can have one on one lessons without a “special assistant,” even though Ruby thinks it’s “funny” to have one. I'm assuming the special assistant is an interpreter? Why would Ruby think having linguistic access is funny? How is the teacher communicating complete concepts to her student with only the basics of BSL? That's worse than a first-year Spanish student teaching a fluent Spanish speaker figurative language and grammar. Literally what gives?
Now we'll have shorter discussions of other issues, such as terrible characterization of people and things:
Ruby
This is a ten-year-old, totally deaf, signing British girl with a strong online presence (even though you’re actually supposed to be 13 to even create a Twitter account). I don’t really find Ruby’s narration believable. She’s in the gifted program, but something about her voice is way too mature for a child. Her definition poems are little too professionally abstract, if that makes sense, like she’s been writing and tweaking them for years already. At other times there’s a forced innocence/ naivety about her, like when she obeys her mother's order to stop lipreading people.
Yasmin
Probably one of the more believable characters, but I just hate her guts.
Even though she “hates” doing it, Yasmin uses Ruby’s deafness to keep secrets from her. She doesn’t tell her what’s going on in the news or what people are saying around her, endangering her life by bringing her along on this trip, etc.
Ruby hasn’t spoken in two years, and Yasmin is sad because she’s sure Ruby would have friends if she did. Never mind that Ruby does have friends, and she has a Twitter following to keep her company and whatnot. Also, Yasmin repeatedly thinks Ruby is completely helpless because she refuses to speak, as though Ruby is illiterate and doesn’t have communication technology, etc. And as though Yasmin weren't the one who literally brought Ruby on this dangerous mission. Yeesh.
Yasmin desperately wants Ruby to use her voice so she will “be heard.” You’d think she would have opted to have Ruby cochlear implanted, but there is not one mention of the tech. If Yasmin really wanted to mold Ruby into a hearing person, as hearing parents often do, why would she not have had Ruby implanted? Sure, not all children qualify for the surgery, but Lupton doesn't even bother to bring up the topic.
Speaking of, Lupton does bring some assistive technology throughout the novel, but these are poorly integrated and do not reflect actual deaf experiences.
Tech
Ruby has a vibrating bracelet that alerts her to loud noises (probably some Neosensory device that most deaf people consider scammy). The bracelet is mentioned once, then disappears from narrative for over 100 pages, until it’s mentioned that Ruby is wearing it in the truck so it’s constantly vibrating…Why would she be wearing it in the truck? How much battery does it have? And how much battery does her laptop have? They’ve been on the road for over 24 hours and Ruby has had her laptop going for hours, and it seems her bracelet has been on for all this time, too. And then suddenly it seems that the bracelet, like the laptop, isn’t picking up the truck engine at all (indicating that the author has never been inside a vehicle in her entire life). But the bracelet does alert Ruby to the sound of an avalanche?
Ruby considers speech to text magical, but text to speech is not-magic. There is literally no explanation for this. The software she uses is "Voice Magic," and it works perfectly despite the noise from the truck. Voice Magic also picks up and perfectly understands the CB radio. It truly must be magic, then! It is unlike any STT software we currently have.
When Adeeb passes out Ruby types on Voice Magic telling him to wake up, then uses her own voice, then hugs him. This is one of those forced naivety moments. We know Ruby isn’t stupid. Why would she waste time typing on the laptop to tell him to wake up instead of doing the normal first response: tapping and shaking someone. Come on. When I was a kid, I was poking sleeping adults and dogs left and right to ask them annoying questions, as were my brothers, cousins, and friends. It can't be a cultural thing, as I've seen Latinx and Japanese children do this, too.
My final point on the subject of Voice Magic is the "big" reveal: Ruby, who hasn't spoken for two years, has actually been practicing her speech all this time using Voice Magic and Dragon Dictate. So the speech to text struggles with Ruby's voice only, and in literally zero other situations if hearing people are speaking in the vicinity or on the radio. Got it. So totally believable, sure. /sarcasm.
Lipreading
Yasmin hardly signs to Ruby, wanting her to lipread and speak. She assumes that Ruby will be able to lipread everyone who doesn’t cover their mouth when they talk, regardless of accent. She also tells Ruby when to and not to lipread, assuring her that she will tell her the important things. Completely unbelievable that Ruby would obey such a command in the first place, let alone trust that her mother, who often refuses to accommodate her, would actually keep that promise.
Ruby perfectly lipreads two men from a distance while they are sitting in the helicopter, then secretly relays their words in signs to her mother. Literally a superhero, right? Looks like Yasmin was right to assume Ruby can lipread every single thing ever! Also, Ruby is standing in the dark at the edge of the light from the bonfire, but luckily her mother can still see her, of course. It's that night vision hearing authors are so fond of. And apparently no one heard Ruby walking or tripping in the snow, suggesting that she is somehow able to move silently despite her clumsiness.
Other issues
Apparently all the kids at Ruby's school message each other through Facebook and email. I was very skeptical, but then looked up British statistics and saw that 84% of 11 - 16 kids used Facebook in Great Britain in 2015, so I guess it’s a cultural divide. Fair enough!
Speaking of cultural divides, Lupton has a man accompany his adult daughter to the departure gate of an airport, even though people without tickets aren’t allowed past security. That really stood out to me as odd, and I was confused as to why it didn't strike Yasmin that way, either, since she's presumably experienced US airport travel. Spoiler: the man never actually went to the gate, as he lied about his identity. But still, it was noticeably weird.
Lupton keeps having Americans say “for definite” instead of “for sure,” and it irks me because I’ve literally never seen this phrase before. She also has an American say “bollocks.” That's definitely not a thing here in the States. We're more likely to say "balls" or some other curse word.
“The people who built Coldfoot knew that this was as far north as a person could reasonably go.” And yet, the Inupiat are good to go. Are they not reasonable people? I think Lupton means it was as far as the colonizers could handle.
Overall, I had to force myself to get this novel. Every time the author made a wild or inaccurate claim about deafness, lipreading, tech, and signed language, I wanted to scream and tear the paperback in half. Anyone who knows anything about these would probably not enjoy the novel, unless they have incredible skills of suspension of disbelief.
Link to ranked list of deaf characters in fiction: https://modcast.blog/2022/12/17/ranked-deaf-characters-in-fiction/
An intriguing promise, let down by a terrible plot!
I really love Lupton's books, but unfortunately this one was very weak. A mother and her deaf daughter travel to Alaska to track the missing husband. To do so, they have to travel through a bleak, eerie and hostile environment.
Lupton does set the scene beautifully - and creates that hostility well. The language used to create the environment helps keep the hairs on the back of your neck sticking up - and indeed helps drive forward the plot, and makes the reader want to keep going.
The characters are also, for the most part, intriguing. The creation of a deaf young child is excellent - and the book sensitively explores the relationship between parent and child, as well as disabilities. Nevertheless, despite the child offering an interesting and unique perspective, some of the writing is let down with overuse of "super-coolio", and other phrases you'd imagine a real child would not utter!
Where the book really falls down is the implausible plot. Naturally, with fiction you need to suspend your belief - but this plot was so unrealistic that at times it was laughable. I simply could not buy that this character could quickly learn to drive such a dangerous vehicle in such dangerous circumstances (considering the qualifications and experience you must need to do so!). And to bring her daughter along for such a dangerous ride was also fairly ludicrous.
Despite the loose plot, I was intrigued to keep on reading. Unfortunately, the ending of the book was even more unrealistic than the plot itself - and didn't seem to fit in with the tone of the story.
All in all, a disappointing book from a novelist I normally love.
I really love Lupton's books, but unfortunately this one was very weak. A mother and her deaf daughter travel to Alaska to track the missing husband. To do so, they have to travel through a bleak, eerie and hostile environment.
Lupton does set the scene beautifully - and creates that hostility well. The language used to create the environment helps keep the hairs on the back of your neck sticking up - and indeed helps drive forward the plot, and makes the reader want to keep going.
The characters are also, for the most part, intriguing. The creation of a deaf young child is excellent - and the book sensitively explores the relationship between parent and child, as well as disabilities. Nevertheless, despite the child offering an interesting and unique perspective, some of the writing is let down with overuse of "super-coolio", and other phrases you'd imagine a real child would not utter!
Where the book really falls down is the implausible plot. Naturally, with fiction you need to suspend your belief - but this plot was so unrealistic that at times it was laughable. I simply could not buy that this character could quickly learn to drive such a dangerous vehicle in such dangerous circumstances (considering the qualifications and experience you must need to do so!). And to bring her daughter along for such a dangerous ride was also fairly ludicrous.
Despite the loose plot, I was intrigued to keep on reading. Unfortunately, the ending of the book was even more unrealistic than the plot itself - and didn't seem to fit in with the tone of the story.
All in all, a disappointing book from a novelist I normally love.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So far-fetched. It was atmospheric and I enjoyed the character Ruby and her struggle to communicate with her mother as a deaf child. The flashbacks were pointless and boring. The ending was ridiculous.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
www.snazzybooks.com
The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton is a slow burner of a novel about desperation and adventure. It is her third novel and is very different to her other novels (I really enjoyed Sister and want to read Afterwards).
Although the characters are all really well developed, some of the characters feature far less than others (which obviously makes sense when you think about the plot of the book). We learn about Matt through Yasmin and Ruby’s memories, but only a limited amount- most of the novel is focused on Ruby and Yasmin’s struggle to find Matt, and the challenges they face in trying to do so. Yasmin and Matt’s relationship is, for most of the novel, a question mark.We learn about the early days of their relationship, but not a great deal between then and Matt leaving to work in Alaska- but it all seems to have gone quite wrong in that time, and their marriage is on ‘thin ice’ (…groan, sorry!) It leaves things between them quite uncertain and a little mysterious for the reader. I was really hoping all the way through that Matt would be OK, but as the novel goes on it looks less and less likely…(won't give too much away though).
I really liked the fact that Ruby is deaf is not shown as a negative, but just as a different quality to her which she deals with well. It's interesting that her parents seem to be more worried about her deafness, and how it affects Ruby, than Ruby herself! She seems to just get on with it for the most part, and the novel doesn’t overly focus on the fact that Ruby is deaf- the story is what it is, and Ruby’s deafness is just another interesting element to the narrative.
Lupton creates a strong sense of atmosphere, and uses wonderfully descriptive language throughout. I really felt like I could be there, feeling the ice cold winds around me and losing the feeling in my toes! We learn that people traveling at this time of year in Alaska need to ensure they don’t sweat whilst they’re outside, as it’s so cold that the sweat will freeze on their skin and can cause hypothermia. Therefore running too fast is out of the question, even though you’d think you could run hell for leather to try and warm yourselves up…but no! This is just one of the many threats that Ruby and Yasmin face in the harsh Alaskan winter.
However, I never felt truly scared for Ruby and her mum- I don't know why, as the landscape around them was very threatening, as I've mentioned. It's just that the storyline itself didn't have me on the edge of my seat. It was perhaps a little slow for me. Because of this, I didn't enjoy this novel anywhere near as much as her other novels. It just didn't have the same element of mystery and threat.
The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton is a slow burner of a novel about desperation and adventure. It is her third novel and is very different to her other novels (I really enjoyed Sister and want to read Afterwards).
Although the characters are all really well developed, some of the characters feature far less than others (which obviously makes sense when you think about the plot of the book). We learn about Matt through Yasmin and Ruby’s memories, but only a limited amount- most of the novel is focused on Ruby and Yasmin’s struggle to find Matt, and the challenges they face in trying to do so. Yasmin and Matt’s relationship is, for most of the novel, a question mark.We learn about the early days of their relationship, but not a great deal between then and Matt leaving to work in Alaska- but it all seems to have gone quite wrong in that time, and their marriage is on ‘thin ice’ (…groan, sorry!) It leaves things between them quite uncertain and a little mysterious for the reader. I was really hoping all the way through that Matt would be OK, but as the novel goes on it looks less and less likely…(won't give too much away though).
I really liked the fact that Ruby is deaf is not shown as a negative, but just as a different quality to her which she deals with well. It's interesting that her parents seem to be more worried about her deafness, and how it affects Ruby, than Ruby herself! She seems to just get on with it for the most part, and the novel doesn’t overly focus on the fact that Ruby is deaf- the story is what it is, and Ruby’s deafness is just another interesting element to the narrative.
Lupton creates a strong sense of atmosphere, and uses wonderfully descriptive language throughout. I really felt like I could be there, feeling the ice cold winds around me and losing the feeling in my toes! We learn that people traveling at this time of year in Alaska need to ensure they don’t sweat whilst they’re outside, as it’s so cold that the sweat will freeze on their skin and can cause hypothermia. Therefore running too fast is out of the question, even though you’d think you could run hell for leather to try and warm yourselves up…but no! This is just one of the many threats that Ruby and Yasmin face in the harsh Alaskan winter.
However, I never felt truly scared for Ruby and her mum- I don't know why, as the landscape around them was very threatening, as I've mentioned. It's just that the storyline itself didn't have me on the edge of my seat. It was perhaps a little slow for me. Because of this, I didn't enjoy this novel anywhere near as much as her other novels. It just didn't have the same element of mystery and threat.