Book Blurb:
The Sign for Home: Arlo Dilly is young, handsome and eager to meet the right girl. He also happens to be DeafBlind, a Jehovah’s Witness, and under the strict guardianship of his controlling uncle. His chances of finding someone to love seem slim to none.
And yet, it happened once before: many years ago, at a boarding school for the Deaf, Arlo met the love of his life—a mysterious girl with onyx eyes and beautifully expressive hands which told him the most amazing stories. But tragedy struck, and their love was lost forever. Or so Arlo thought. After years trying to heal his broken heart, Arlo is assigned a college writing assignment which unlocks buried memories of his past. Soon he wonders if the hearing people he was supposed to trust have been lying to him all along, and if his lost love might be found again. No longer willing to accept what others tell him, Arlo convinces a small band of misfit friends to set off on a journey to learn the truth. After all, who better to bring on this quest than his gay interpreter and wildly inappropriate Belgian best friend? Despite the many forces working against him, Arlo will stop at nothing to find the girl who got away and experience all of life’s joyful possibilities.
My Review: 4.5 stars
The Sign for Home by Blair Fell is an eye-opening and utterly compelling look into life as a DeafBlind person. This book gives an insider’s perspective of that life while wrapping a brilliant story of human rights, agency, and love around it. The book’s timing couldn’t have better. It was published shortly after the stunning movie CODA (Child of Deaf Adult) came out and won an Academy Award for best movie, plus numerous other awards. Additionally, the brilliant author Sara Nović, released Tru Biz, a book about the deaf community and deaf culture on the same day as The Sign for Home. I couldn’t be happier that books like these, that bring awareness and understanding are becoming mainstream.
Now, back to the book. Arlo is a character you will cheer for, fall in love with and want as your BFF. He’s been dealt a crappy hand in life, which is further complicated by his strict, Jehovah’s Witness practicing preacher of an uncle, who is also his guardian. When Cyril enters his life, as a second interpreter, not a Jehovah’s Witness, Arlo’s life is radically changed. He meets new people, is exposed to new ideas and his college writing professor prompts him to unleash a whole new part of himself.
The story includes a crazy cast of characters that band together for the sake of Arlo and his long-lost girlfriend Shri. This book will give you all the feels, make you want to scream at the system and allow you believe in the goodness of humanity.
Quotes I liked:
It was never an interpreter’s place to make a decision for the Deaf. Our job is to interpret the message well enough so that the Deaf can make decisions for themselves.”
“After all, the vast majority of humanity only has the most casual of relationships with the meanings of words. Linguistic one-night stands.”
“And there it was, one of those moments every interpreter faces. You have knowledge you want to share, but you also have to think about the ethics of sharing it. Ethical rigidity or empathetic advocacy? And as I tended to do, I erred on the side of advocacy, even as I sensed it might come back to bite me in the ass later.”
NOTE: These quotes may differ in the finished copy.
Shop on Amazon Here!
