Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Sign for Home by Blair Fell

4 reviews

purplepenning's review

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

 There's a lot going on here, and the jaunty rom-com cover doesn't capture, well, any of it really. This isn't a rom-com or a romance, though there is a romance within it. It's the coming-of-age Bildungsroman tale of Arlo Dilly, a DeafBlind college-age man under the guardianship and care of a strict Jehovah's Witness uncle and a devout JW interpreter. It's also the coming-into-focus and coming-into-courage tale of Cyril Brewster, a gay middle-age ASL interpreter with an aversion to the tactile ASL required to communicate with DeafBlind clients. Their paths cross when Arlo attends an English language class at the community college and needs a second interpreter to help with it. He chooses Cyril because Cyril follows best practices for accessibility and actually tells Arlo what's going on and being said (his longtime interpreter takes a more selective/paternalistic approach). Despite his aversion to tactile, Cyril takes the contract, hoping it will finally give him the financial cushion he needs to move on and move out of Poughkeepsie. Through the class and through Cyril's interpretations, Arlo begins to see and understand more of the world, of his family, of his friends, of himself. Cyril's own story of self-discovery runs parallel to Arlo's.

This is genuinely one of the best books I've read — in fiction or nonfiction — for introducing a reader to the world and experiences of a person who is living a very different kind of life from the reader's. The story, at times heartrending, heart-pounding, and joyous, lagged in the middle for me and some of the JW content may be difficult to read for those who have experienced controlling religious groups. The writing, however, carried me through. The author does a beautiful job of conveying the voice and experiences of these characters and it's full of information about DDBHH (Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing) communication. It also avoids, calls out, and subverts lazy tropes and stereotypes (including the savior trope) and avoids lapsing into inspiration p*rn. It is inspiring, though — it's an inspiring look at the kinds of discussions we should be having and services we should be expanding for our disabled communities. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Violence, Cancer, Confinement, Homophobia, Sexual content, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Cursing, Police brutality, and Excrement

kimveach's review

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

I loved this book!  I wish I could find these characters and become their friend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Blood, Cancer, Homophobia, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, and Medical trauma

uranaishi's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Ableism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Excrement, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Medical content, Outing, Terminal illness, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Cancer, Colonisation, and Cursing

Minor: Suicide attempt, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Deportation, Physical abuse, Vomit, Blood, Child death, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm

sammies_shelf's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective 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

4.25

Blair Fell has written a wonderful and very original debut novel using his own experience as an ASL interpreter.

Arlo Dilly, our Deafblind, Jehovah's Witness protagonist, enrolls in a college writing course to improve his English. Through his interaction with a new, open-minded interpreter, Cyril Brewster, and his engagement with a personal writing assignment for his class, he uncovers the secrets that have been kept from him by his guardian about his past trauma and current accessibility options.

I have never read anything quite like this book. It combines an original cast of characters, a compelling plot, excellent narration from both Arlo and Cyril, and information about the Deafblind community. The author writes dialogue communicated in ASL with the accurate grammar and spells out words that are finger-spelled, which is an excellent detail. I was really impressed by the character development, and the conflicts are very real as everyone fights for what they believe is best for Arlo, as Arlo discovers the agency to fight for what he wants. This book is so human and provides an honest look at the experiences of the Deafblind community. The second-person writing for Arlo's chapters allows the reader to step into Arlo's shoes and understand how he understands his world and experiences his wide range of emotions as he uncovers secret after secret. I was really invested in the relationship between Arlo and Cyril as they work to understand each other, and as Cyril faces ethical dilemmas while knowing he must advocate for Arlo. I was rooting for Arlo to win his freedom and his love! I loved that the ending leaves us with an awareness of the unknown and a warm heart. This is a unique and educational coming-of-age story that I absolutely recommend.

Pub date: 04/05/22

Many thanks to Emily Bestler, Atria Books, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for the digital ARC. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Rape