A Quiet Kind of Thunder

Paperback

Published Jan. 12, 2017 by Pan Macmillan, new brand.

ISBN:: 978-1-5098-1098-7

(1 review)

Steffi doesn't talk. Rhys can't hear. They understand each other perfectly. Love isn't always a lightning strike. Sometimes it's the rumbling roll of thunder ... Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life - she's been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He's deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she's assigned to look after him. To Rhys it doesn't matter that Steffi doesn't talk and, as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she's falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it.

5 editions

patchworkbunny reviewed A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

Review of 'A Quiet Kind of Thunder' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I loved this adorable story about Steffi and Rhys, filled with so much damp-eye inducing kindness, which can be so hard to come-by (although I hear a rumour that kindness is all set to be the next big publishing trend).

Steffi suffers from anxiety which results in selective mutism, meaning she doesn't speak except in situations she feels comfortable doing so. She is silent at school but talks to her family and best friend. She wants to go to university and her family want to see that she'll be able to cope. She must try talking more.

It's the start of senior year and Rhys is one of the new kids. Steffi is baffled to why the headteacher thinks she should be personally introduced but soon it becomes clear that he is deaf and she knows basic BSL (British Sign Language). Turns out that Steffi is much more comfortable talking …

I loved this adorable story about Steffi and Rhys, filled with so much damp-eye inducing kindness, which can be so hard to come-by (although I hear a rumour that kindness is all set to be the next big publishing trend).

Steffi suffers from anxiety which results in selective mutism, meaning she doesn't speak except in situations she feels comfortable doing so. She is silent at school but talks to her family and best friend. She wants to go to university and her family want to see that she'll be able to cope. She must try talking more.

It's the start of senior year and Rhys is one of the new kids. Steffi is baffled to why the headteacher thinks she should be personally introduced but soon it becomes clear that he is deaf and she knows basic BSL (British Sign Language). Turns out that Steffi is much more comfortable talking with her hands and their friendship quickly blossoms.

I loved her friendship with Tem and her relationship with her parents. They are separated and her dad is so lovely. Her mum is devil's advocate, some might she her as the bad guy, but both of them have Steffi's welfare at heart. Everyone in this book is so accommodating, it's really nice to see a book about anxiety that doesn't make you feel anxious yourself.

I'm not sure selective mutism was a term when I was at school but I relate a lot to Steffi's experience. I was just labelled one of those quiet kids. I could talk to teachers, especially if it was a subject I liked, but I really struggled with talking to classmates (other than my best friend, just like Steffi). Away from the school environment, things got easier but I still sometimes have to psyche myself up for talking to strangers, especially on the phone. The internet was a revelation to me, because sometimes a different form of communication can be liberating.

It's hard to say if it does a good job explaining that kind of anxiety to someone who has never felt it, but it does feel spot on from my point of view. I can imagine for some people it's hard to get your head round the idea that words just don't come out because you're too busy worrying about the consequences.

I found there was a bit too much exposition around both Steffi's muteness and Rhys' deafness. It wanted to explain a lot, which on one hand is noble, but it could have been shown a bit more through the story. It does highlight some of the things you can do around deaf people to make them feel more included, things hearing people take for granted.