Deafening
Encyclopedia
Deafening is a 2003 novel
written by Frances Itani
.
Author Frances Itani
brings the reader to a small, pre-World War I Ontario town called Deseronto
, where the O'Neil family owns a hotel. The book follows the story of Grania O'Neil, a girl who lost her hearing when she was five years old as a result of contracting scarlet fever
. The novel follows Grania and her family as they learn to accept and adapt to her as a non-hearing person. The first part of the novel establishes the central role Grania's grandmother, known as "Mamo," plays in helping Grania acquire and understand the language of the hearing world, and in convincing Grania's parent to send her to the School for the Deaf in a nearby city. Though the separation from her family is initially traumatic for Grania, the School for the Deaf opens a world of friendship, opportunity and love for Grania.
The second half of the novel alternates between Grania's narrative and that of her young husband, Jim, who becomes a stretcher bearer in the First World War. The novel parallels her struggle with the hearing world with Jim's struggle to survive, in mind and body, the staggering, soul-killing horror of war.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Frances Itani
Frances Itani
Frances Susan Itani is a Canadian fiction writer, poet and essayist.Itani was born in Belleville, Ontario and grew up in Quebec. She studied nursing in Montreal and North Carolina, a profession which she taught and practised for eight years. However, after enrolling in a writing class taught by W. O...
.
Author Frances Itani
Frances Itani
Frances Susan Itani is a Canadian fiction writer, poet and essayist.Itani was born in Belleville, Ontario and grew up in Quebec. She studied nursing in Montreal and North Carolina, a profession which she taught and practised for eight years. However, after enrolling in a writing class taught by W. O...
brings the reader to a small, pre-World War I Ontario town called Deseronto
Deseronto, Ontario
Deseronto is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, in Hastings County, located on the shore of the Bay of Quinte. The town had a population of 1,824 in the Canada 2006 Census.The town was named for Capt...
, where the O'Neil family owns a hotel. The book follows the story of Grania O'Neil, a girl who lost her hearing when she was five years old as a result of contracting scarlet fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
. The novel follows Grania and her family as they learn to accept and adapt to her as a non-hearing person. The first part of the novel establishes the central role Grania's grandmother, known as "Mamo," plays in helping Grania acquire and understand the language of the hearing world, and in convincing Grania's parent to send her to the School for the Deaf in a nearby city. Though the separation from her family is initially traumatic for Grania, the School for the Deaf opens a world of friendship, opportunity and love for Grania.
The second half of the novel alternates between Grania's narrative and that of her young husband, Jim, who becomes a stretcher bearer in the First World War. The novel parallels her struggle with the hearing world with Jim's struggle to survive, in mind and body, the staggering, soul-killing horror of war.
Awards and recognition
- 2004 Commonwealth Writers' PrizeCommonwealth Writers' PrizeCommonwealth Writers is an initiative by the Commonwealth Foundation to unearth, develop and promote the best new fiction from across the Commonwealth. It's flagship are two literary awards and a website...
for Best Book (Caribbean & Canada region). - Shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Literary Prize, 2005.
- Shortlisted for International IMPAC Dublin Literary AwardInternational IMPAC Dublin Literary AwardThe International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is an international literary award for a work of fiction, jointly sponsored by the city of Dublin, Ireland and the company IMPAC. At €100,000 it is one of the richest literary prizes in the world...
. - Deafening was chosen for inclusion in Canada Reads 2006Canada ReadsCanada Reads is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC.-Overview:During Canada Reads, five personalities champion five different books, each champion extolling the merits of one of the titles. The debate is broadcast over a series...
, where it was championed by lawLawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
yer and author Maureen McTeerMaureen McTeerMaureen Anne McTeer is a Canadian author and a lawyer, married to Joe Clark, the 16th Prime Minister of Canada.-Life and career:...
. Une coquille de silence, the French-language translation of Deafening, was chosen for inclusion in Le combat des livres 2006Canada ReadsCanada Reads is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC.-Overview:During Canada Reads, five personalities champion five different books, each champion extolling the merits of one of the titles. The debate is broadcast over a series...
, where it was also championed by McTeer.