Bookclub in a Box Discusses the Novel Deafening

by Marilyn Herbert, Frances Itani

As the surviving voices of the WWI veterans dwindle in number and become forever silent, Itani seeks to recreate the words and thoughts of these participants of war. She measures them against the deaf, who must also carry on in their own soundless world. Frances Itani's beautiful novel, Deafening, highlights the soundless world of the deaf against the constant noise of battle and illustrates how both the deaf and the soldier struggle to make sense of their environment and survive it. Itani's love story follows Grania, who is deaf since childhood, and her husband, Jim. World War I tears them apart and sweeps Jim into the worst of experiences - trench warfare. Jim is suddenly faced with a silence that can't begin to express the relentless sound of war.Bookclub-in-a-Box investigates Itani's passion about language and war. The Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide takes readers into the Itani's honest and poetic story of overcoming obstacles and surviving differences. Her novel is a tribute to the power of language in all its forms.

32 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2005

About the author

As an educator, school librarian, writer, book-talk presenter and facilitator, Marilyn loves to read and talk about books. Her enthusiasm for reading and sharing led her to unite her two favorite things: people and pages. In turn, this led to the creation of Bookclub-in-a-Box, the ultimate discussion companion for contemporary works of literary fiction. Marilyn is always looking for a great debate about books and welcomes all feedback.