Silence

by Deborah Lytton Narrated by Rebecca Gibel, Charlie Thurston

Overview

Stella was born to sing. Someday Broadway. But everything changes 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 if 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.

Editorial Reviews

Compass Book Ratings

"Quite compelling and seeing the journey that the two main characters...go on together and individually is interesting to watch unfold. Deborah Lytton did such a good job with the characters in the book. They felt authentic and even those who weren't my favorite characters (due to their actions) were created in such a way to be disliked but credible...Lytton's beautiful poetic writing [is] full of eloquent sensory language and expressive metaphors...Excellent book."

Foreword Reviews

"A touching story...Lytton creates believable backstories for her characters to explain why they are both wary of love...Teens who enjoyed The Fault in Our Stars and Gracefully Grayson should find plenty to relate to in this novel about different forms of communication and finding confidence despite setbacks."

Booklist

"Lytton's tender tale will tug at the heartstrings. And romance fans will hang on the teens' poetry, tears, texts, and... insights about life."

Emily Wing Smith

“Fans of YA romance will devour this more-than-love-story.”—Emily Wing Smith, author of The Way He Lived and Back When You Were Easier to Love

Deseret News

"Author Deborah Lytton shows how help in healing as well as friendships can develop in unlikely situations, and how to experience the world without one of the senses. Her characters are easy to root for and care about as they've each been handed a situation they didn't ask for and are doing the best they can to persevere and heal."

Booklist

"Lytton's tender tale will tug at the heartstrings. And romance fans will hang on the teens' poetry, tears, texts, and... insights about life."

Ilima Todd

"Excellent writing, sweet clean romance, and a heart-melting story with endearing characters I wish I could meet in real life."—Ilima Todd, author of Remake

School Library Journal

06/01/2015
Gr 7 Up—Sophomore Stella, to everyone's disbelief, earns the coveted lead in the school musical. She comes alive on stage—knowing with her entire being this is what she was meant to do. But then, Stella's ability to hear is taken away in a freak accident one night at a party. Along with her hearing, she loses her identity as a singer. Hayden has his own scars—physical and emotional. A stutterer, he does not have any friends and yet, he feels strongly connected to Stella from the time he first sees her in the hallway at school. After her accident, Hayden is the only one of her peers who can understand and relate to what she is experiencing. The teen lives in a world of complete silence, having to learn how to cope in a hearing world. Hayden helps her to embrace the new Stella and see that life can go on, despite her disability. When she has the chance to gain her hearing back, will Stella forget about Hayden? This bilsdungroman covers a relatively short time period, during which the protagonist reconciles the possibility of never making it to Broadway and eventually comes to realize that there is more to her than just her voice. Hayden is an enigma to readers and isn't as fully developed as Stella. A light romance develops between the two. VERDICT Recommended for libraries in need of romances for younger teens.—Stephanie Charlefour, Wixom Public Library, MI

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169909630
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	12/01/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1

I hear the thunder of feet moving across concrete floors. Lockers clanging. Cell phones ringing. Flirtatious laughter. Hollered greetings. Books dropping. Doors slamming.

The melody of Monday morning at Richmond High School. It plays in my ears like a soundtrack to a movie about someone else's life. I watch from the outside. Listen from the outside. Moving through the noisy hallways without making a single sound. Because I am a nobody. Invisible. Silent.

I walk down the crowded corridor, wrapped in anonymity.

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