I expected to love 'Whisper' as much as I did the first time.
I didn't.
I'm just going to type up all of my thoughts on the second read of 'Whisper' in one go, one rush; best to get it over with, and out of my system forever. Sorry if I don't seem cohesive, or if I'm rambling, but here I am. Here is what this book has done to me:
I was really into it at first. Demi is a little thoughtless and insensitive towards the deaf, but it's for understandable reasons. If I were a teenager whose world has been turned upside down, and whose life has drastically and permanently changed, I'd probably be the same.
But here's a fact: 'Whisper' uses the most common ableist slur there is (you know the one, it begins with an R) nine times. Casually.
I'll repeat that: this YA book about learning to tolerate and accept the deaf community, and the disabled community as a whole, uses an ableist slur nine times, casually, and even as part of its humour, like it's a punchline , in its 265 pages. Once or twice it is even said on the same page. This was published in 2011, so really, there is no excuse. Maybe it was socially acceptable to use the slur in Australia back then, but I hope not. How did I miss this on my first read of 'Whisper'?
And how did I miss the "us vs them" mentality that is prevalent in the middle of the story? Which suggests that the marginalised are just as bad, just as prejudiced, as the oppressors. Even going so far as to mention that the privileged oppressors in society are in fact not oppressors. Not all of them, anyway.
The "both sides" argument is harmful to everyone and helpful to no one. It prevents progress and change.
Thankfully this mindset seems to ease off towards the end of 'Whisper'. But it goes so far as to suggest that Demi, a deaf teenage girl who is only recently adjusting to living as a deaf person, who has been through traumatic experiences, and who is thoughtlessly ignored, patronised and/or made to feel like a burden by nearly every hearing person in her life, is actually thoughtless and selfish herself. Not towards Stella and other deaf people, but to hearing people. Who live literally rich, privileged (white people) lives. You see, the hearies are right: Demi does think that everything should be about her. Never mind her own objectively worse problems, it is she who should be considerate of hearing people and their troubles. She should be helping them, not the other way round. This reads like internalised hatred from a disabled person, and like her own hearing friends and family are gaslighting her. And this is meant to be a positive revelation!
In Demi's first person narrative, deafness is constantly seen as being unnatural, shameful, embarrassing, not normal, not perfect (what does that even mean?!) and nothing to be proud of; so that doesn't help, either. Remember, Demi explicitly states at one point that the disabled community has nothing to be proud of! Again, this attitude is toned down near the end, but only slightly. Demi is sometimes shown to be wrong, but oftentimes it is for the wrong reasons. It's not always positive development she goes through.
There is also internalised misogyny. Nearly every instance of prejudice - audism, via ignorance and cattiness - directed at Demi come from nondeaf women and girls, and all of her conflicts are with women and girls, deaf or not. I hate her mother, too. She's thoughtless, selfish, and simply awful, but she receives no comeuppance whatsoever at the end for everything she's put Demi through. She has her traumatised, gaslighting victim teenage daughter to love her and appreciate her at the end, and to relieve her of responsibility for her actions! Hooray for condoned domestic abuse!
It is heartbreaking, but I have to be done with 'Whisper', once a huge favourite book of mine. The beginning and end are the best parts, but the middle is disastrous. It is a quick, one day read, and it does get some things right about discrimination, I wont deny that. It is still excellent that there exists a YA book - hell, any book - with a deaf protagonist. Her voice and experiences are well written and realistic. I just wish it wasn't so hypocritical.
(I want to avoid using the term "tone deaf". I won't lower myself to this book's level.)
One last note: That speech in the last page from Demi's adorable little nephew Harry? Yeah, no seven-year-old talks like that.
Final Score: 2/5
Everyone - from a young, impressionable age - needs to understand that not everything considered "different" is inherently bad, and that no one with a disability deserves isolation and ridicule. After all, we are all different, which is what makes us all so unique and interesting. Which is why we all deserve to ask for acceptance and respect for who we are, especially if we can't choose or control certain aspects about ourselves.
Since joining Goodreads, I haven't had a lot of luck in reading Australian YA books that I like, with the exception of Melina Marchetta's opuses. But 'Whisper' - about a teenage girl recently gone deaf and how this changes her life - is all kinds of moving, passionate, honest, well researched, wonderful, sweet, heartbreaking, and unforgettable. There aren't many books - or indeed many stories in the media - about deafness or starring a deaf protagonist. Reading 'Whisper' has made me feel kind of guilty for not thinking much about this issue beforehand (I hadn't even heard of audism until I saw the word here). I want to pay more thought and attention to the needs of deaf people, who are not "in the minority" of our society, or in any society and culture. 'Whisper' is the kind of novel which ought to be required reading in schools, because it deserves to be so. Apart from the issues concerning prejudice against an often neglected and barely acknowledged group, it is compulsorily readable.
From the first page the reader immediately enters Demi's world - of the change from being an ordinary, albeit ignorant teen who loved her iPod, into a student of the College For The Deaf. We hear her thoughts and witness her interactions in a world where, two years after a case of meningitis left her profoundly deaf, silence and sign language are central. Permanent. No hope of getting her hearing back.
The reader understands Demi's heartbreak and frustration; of being singled out, left in the dark, left alone with the silence. She is anxious about those closest to her talking about her when she can't hear what's going on. She misses catching up on things, of being included in the world of sounds. Everyday is a constant reminder that she is "different" and "special", and she can't help but feel that everyone is patronising her, or has turned against her. Things have changed now, and her friends and family are trying to cope with her sudden disability, and help her out.
But being deaf is not the end of the world, as Demi will come to understand. She might come to see her life in an entirely new light; to realise a lot of things she'd never even thought about before. From reading body language, gestures and facial expressions, she sees how superficial and class-oriented hearing people are; how self-centred some are and how much they take for granted. She also learns to see things from others' points of view; that she isn't the only one who's suffering and is fed up with how life's turned out for them.
One strength Demi learns all by herself is lip-reading. Even if she can't hear anymore, that shouldn't stop her from continuing her hobbies (like swimming), achieving her dreams of a career in law, hanging out with friends - the old "hearies" and her fellow deaf college students - and having a boyfriend. A nice, awesome boyfriend who will like her for who she is.
I love the characters and their realistic behaviours and actions. Demi's new friends at the deaf college are a lot of fun to read about, and they really are normal teenagers who just happen to be deaf. They are happy with who they are and try to make others happy along with them, and that's admirable. Demi's little nephews are adorable and are already accepting of their aunty being deaf, and a message sent by one of the toddlers is so sweet and profound it almost made me cry. I also identified with Demi trying to re-establish friendships from her old life, after a falling out after she went deaf. Dark places and being alone in a room - or in a whole house - scare her. A sudden hand on her shoulder is enough to make her scream. All understandable reactions. Demi also feels confusion and anger at people's ignorance and bullying of deaf people, even from her closest friends. Like they're the lesser, somehow, and therefore are subject to offensive pejoratives.
Demi reflects on how she used to be one of those privileged, ignorant people in a happy bubble of "normal". And with her reflections and realisations, she will come to learn from her mistakes, and teach others what it truly means to be deaf.
Integrating into a new world when her old world will never be the same again is scary for any teenager to experience, but Demi is stronger than she thinks she is. She will prove her goodness and worth to her friends and family.
Little imperfections - such as the reprehensibly neglectful actions of Demi's mother (who remains the same throughout the story, and I know that in real life nobody's perfect but still), and Demi's old interpreter and crush not receiving much attention - they don't hinder this important book in its eye-opening messages, lovely and relatable characters, addictive writing style and sweetly bittersweet atmosphere.
A relaxing read for any season, I cannot recommend 'Whisper' enough. One of the most enchanting non-fantasy novels I've ever read.
Final Score: 4.5/5
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