emruth13
Written on May 3, 2019
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.
The stunning new novel from the bestselling author of Beautiful Broken Things is a love story about the times when a whisper is as good as a shout.
Praise for Beautiful Broken Things:
'Beautiful Broken Things is the book I've been waiting for. It made me want to go and rugby-tackle my best friends and give them a giant hug. It's a beautiful tale of the power and complexities of female friendship'
Holly Bourne, author of Am I Normal Yet?
'Beautiful Broken Things is a book that the YA world desperately needs - a book about the beauty, passion and extremities of female friendship'
Alice Oseman, author of Solitaire
'Starkly realistic and ultimately uplifting, Beautiful Broken Things is a compelling tale of pain and redemption, growing up and growing together, and finding empowerment and strength in friendship'
Catherine Doyle, author of Vendetta
'Stories about female friendships are hard to come by, especially ones with no romance, but Beautiful Broken Things fills that gap in an intensely compelling and passionate way'
Lauren James, author of The Next Together
- ISBN10 1509810986
- ISBN13 9781509810987
- Publish Date 12 January 2017
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 25 May 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Pan Macmillan
- Imprint Macmillan Children's Books
- Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
- Pages 320
- Language English
Reviews
Leigha
Written on Aug 28, 2018
I picked this up from the library when it caught my eye in August. It’s one of those books I picked up to skim, but I ended up reading and enjoying it. Both Steffi and Rhys are complex characters dealing with issues not typically found in young adult literature. I haven’t read any novels with a selective mute and very few with a hearing impairment. The story is really interesting because you get to see these two people living and thriving despite their particular limitations. Their romance is realistic and authentic, if not that memorable. I find the characters themselves to be more interesting than their romance. The plot felt a little unfocused, but the ending is more defined that I thought it would be.
tl;dr Interesting characters mixed with a realistic, if somewhat boring, romance make this a cute read for contemporary romance fans.
Sam@WLABB
Written on Dec 31, 2017
Gosh! I just love Steffi and Rhys so much! I learned so much about the deaf community, while seeing many of my own experiences and feelings echoed with respect to mental health. Cute, adorable, heartwarming -- this one delivered many feels.
I am not even sure if I will be able to properly express how much I adored this book. I had read quite a few positive reviews for A Quiet Kind of Thunder, but I didn't expect it to fill my heart with so much warmth and leave me in such a joyous state.
Characters
I had so much love for both Steffi and Rhys early on in this book.
Rhys was such a sweet little cupcake. He was charming and, for the most part, said all the right things. He wanted to be so independent, that he sometimes let it get him down, when he had to rely on someone else. Seemingly perfect, but slightly flawed.
Steffi was so easy to love and root for. She had something to prove to her parents, her peers, and herself, and I admired her drive. She experienced a lot of setbacks and bumps in the road in her quest to show to her parents that she could navigate her way in the outside world, but even when disappointed, she kept working on herself. I respected that and I also respected that she was doing it for herself.
Friendship
This is what Tem does. She fills my silences.
Tem and Steffi were life long best friends. Tem was Steffi's champion and her voice, when Steffi had none. With Tem attending a different school, Steffi was on her own. She couldn't rely on Tem. Reading all this, it would make the friendship seem sort of one-sided, but it wasn't at all. I really enjoyed seeing the dynamic between Tem and Steffi shift and change over the course of the story, and I like that Tem was better than I thought when I initially met her.
Through so much confusion and turmoil in our lives, we have always had each other.
Romance
This two were so sweet and sickeningly adorable. I smiled so much when they were together, that my face hurt. Like, actually hurt. It was worth it, because Barnard did such a magnificent job capturing those feelings of first love. And this was the type of first love I wish everyone could experience, because it was so beautiful. Barnard put tears in my eyes and warmth in my heart.
Sex-positive
Here Steffi found herself with her first boyfriend, her first love, and as much as she loved kissing him, she was curious. I liked that she talked about sex in a positive way with Tem and with Rhys. There was this one scene, where Steffi and Tem are talking about "saving themselves" for their husbands. It was so honest and wonderful.
You were saving it for you. And you decided when, and you said it was nice. That's more than a lot of people get. You still made the choice.
Family focus
We often see terrible parents in YA, so whenever I see some great ones, I must mention them. Steffi, Tem, and Rhys all had pretty fabulous families. All these parents obviously loved their children, even if they were not totally ready for them to spread their wings. There were times I was so grateful that Steffi had her dad and stepmother, because I was so frustrated with her mother, but she did grow on me, and I forgave her for wanting to protect Steffi. But seriously, nothing but love for dad. Mental health was something discussed openly at Steffi's dad's house. He had these lovely, honest talks with her, and really tried to understand Steffi. He was a calm in the storm and his love and respect for Steffi was apparent. I just loved him!
I learned so much!
I had a childhood friend who's parents were deaf, but those are the only deaf people I had ever interacted with and it was when I was young. Therefore, I was quite grateful to get a look into Deaf culture via Rhys. There were so many little things he did, which taught me quite a bit. Instead of getting mad and calling Steffi ableist, Rhys would gently remind her how this or that was for someone who is deaf or he would help her find a way to explain something to him. I really appreciated being educated instead of berated, and I cannot get over what an education I got. I learned a great deal about mutism as well, and I am glad Barnard took the time to share Steffi's mental health history with us.
stefstef: [YOUTUBE - LOVELY RITA - THE BEATLES 1967]
rhysespieces: erm. stef...
stefstef: doesn't the link work?
rhysespieces: sure it does. my ears don't.
Mental Health
As one who lives with mental health issues, I really appreciated Barnard's approach. Therapy and medication were shown in a positive light, and we also saw that it was a slow, long process that Steffi had to work through in order to achieve her goals. No magic cure. No miracle drug. Just lots of baby step, CBT, and a lot of support from family and friends.
They like explanations and recovery stories. They like watching House and knowing a solution is coming. They like to hear that people get uncomplicatedly better.
I also thought Barnard did an incredible job depicting Steffi's struggle with her anxiety. Her frustration and disappointment when she thought she let her anxiety win was so palpable. My heart ached for her, but what I really latched on to was how people wanted to find a reason for Steffi's mutism. If only she had suffered a traumatic event that could explain it all. But she didn't, and she couldn't. People want mental health issues tied up in neat bows. They want reasons and explanations for why you are the way you are, but sometimes there aren't any.
Overall
This was what I would call a perfect "Sam" book. It had characters I fell in love with, a sweet romance, a strong female friendship, and lots of loving family. File this under "makes me happy", because the smile I wore from the beginning to the end was a clear indication that I loved this book. I can sum up my feelings with a quote from this book:
I nod. My smile might break my face.
**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.
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Bianca
Written on Jan 27, 2017
Jo
Written on Jan 17, 2017
When I heard that A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard featured protagonist who had selective mutism and a love interest who was deaf, I was so eager to read it, though slightly nervous. I didn't enjoy Barnard's first novel, Beautiful Broken Things, as much as I would have liked, simply because I wasn't a fan of the narrator. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it, and was worried that maybe I wouldn't love A Quiet Kind of Thunder, too. But I didn't need to worry - this book is incredible!
This book is so, so beautiful! I haven't really enjoyed reading for the sake of reading in a long time - I've been reading specifically to promote diverse books, not just to enjoy a story. But with A Quiet Kind of Thunder, I was picking it up whenever I could because I simply loved the story and the characters. The romance itself is the cutest; Steffi and Rhys are so lovely together, and for the most part it's light and happy! They were just so adorable, and oh my god, I just couldn't get enough of their romance!
But this isn't a completely light story. Steffi has anxiety - multiple anxiety diagnoses, in fact - and has for most of her life. As well as having panic attacks, Steffi has selective mutism. This book is brilliant because it helped me understand what selective mutism is. I thought, because it's selective, a person who has selective mutism is choosing not to talk. Not in a sullen, sulky stubborn way, but that a person would have experienced something terrible, and their way of coping was just not to speak at all - I've read a couple of books with mute characters - Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton - and I think they are where I got this impression from, but the difference is (unless I am completely wrong, in which case do please correct me) they were choosing for themselves not to speak, where Steffi has no choice. Selective mutism is part of anxiety, and sometimes Steffi simply cannot speak - she tries, but nothing comes out, her mind putting a block on it. It was interesting to see anxiety manifest this way; as someone with anxiety, it was wonderful to see such fantastic representation of anxiety, how it affects Steffi and how her panic attacks were described were just spot on, but my anxiety has never led to selective mutism, and, as I said, I didn't know it was part of the mental illness.
It was so upsetting when she would lose her voice and be unable to say what she wanted, but it was so good to see her getting better. There are so many changes for Steffi this year; she's just starting sixth form, her best friend has gone to a different college, so she doesn't have Tem as a buffer between her and everyone else like she used to, and now she's become friends with Rhys after the head of sixth form asks her to help him out as he's deaf and she knows some basic British Sign Language (BSL), and she's also started using medication. A combination of all these things slowly sees her feeling a little more comfortable in different situations using her own voice. Because she can speak to Tem, she can speak to her family, but at school? Nope. But things slowly change as the story progresses, and it's so wonderful to see.
I loved how Rhys' deafness was represented, as well. A Quiet Kind of Thunder is told entirely from Steffi's perspective, but because of her selective mutism, she knows a little about being heard and listened to when you have difficulty communicating, so in some ways, as well as knowing some BSL, she was the perfect person to introduce to Rhys. But at the same time, she's not deaf, and there are some things she simply doesn't get. Through talking with sign with Rhys on a regular basis, she learns more BSL and becomes more confident, but it's not until she meets Rhy's deaf friends that she realises just how slow she is - and how much Rhys slows down so she can read what he's saying. He also asks her why, when she's around his family, who sign and speak at the same time (as Rhys is the only deaf person in the family) to include Rhys in the group conversation, Steffi does the same, but doesn't when they're both among her friends. Rhys can lip read pretty well, but it's still difficult, especially if they're not facing him or it's dark. Rhys isn't having a go at Steffi at this point, he's just asking why. Part of me wishes A Quiet Kind of Thunder was told from Rhys perspective as well, so we could see just how difficult it can be, but I loved what we do learn.
I'm going to wrap up my review soon, but there are a few things I do want to touch on before I end this. We already know, with Steffi having anxiety and selective mutism and Rhys being deaf, A Quiet Kind of Thunder is a diverse book, but Rhys is also biracial, being half-white and half-Guyanese, and Tem, Steffi's best friend, is Somalian. The sex scenes in this book, of which there are a couple, are fantastic! They are realistic; awkward and nerve-wracking and messy, and not necessarily amazing but still good, and oooh, they were just so well written! There are hints of feminism and challenging gender roles with children as well, which I just loved!
This book is just pretty much perfect! Neither Steffi nor Rhys are perfect though, they both make mistakes, and ironically, sometimes they have communication problems. They both do something ridiculous at one point where I was thinking, "What the hell are you doing?!", but it was still true to the characters and the story, despite how much I was disbelieving at their recklessness.
A Quiet King of Thunder is a beautiful story that I completely fell in love with, and I didn't want it to end. Do yourself a favour and read this gorgeous book!
Thank you to Macmillan Children's Books for the proof.
Kelly
Written on Jan 14, 2017
I move slowly so people won't notice I'm there, because running in public is as loud as a shout.
Her parents now divorced and remarried to their respective partners, Steffi shares how her mother would often manipulate the young girl into speaking, frustrated at her lack of progress. She was against the prospect of her daughter learning basic sign language to communicate, believing it would hinder her development and thus failing as a parent. Thank goodness for Steffi's father who was supportive and although concerned about his daughter, refused to limit Steffi's ability and encouraged her from a young age. Their lives all irrevocably changed after the tragedy they rarely speak of, but binds their family together.
Meekness is my camouflage. Silence is my forcefield.
Rhys was absolutely lovely, vivacious and inspiring. Rhys is hearing impaired and communicates with the use of sign language. Having previously attended a sensory school, he's now enrolled in public education as a challenge and precursor to becoming a games developer. Placed together through a shared understanding of sign language to communicate, Rhys and Steffi begin a wonderful friendship based on a fondness for one another, rather than their perceived limitations. It was one of the loveliest romances I've had the pleasure of reading in young adult. A gradual relationship built upon friendship and a mutual respect despite their differences.
I appreciated Steffi's friendship with her best friend, although Steffi seemed a little too judgmental when disclosing her fondness for relationships. September Samatar is passionate and impulsive, the two having been friends since their mothers having met at the Refugee Council. September brings a sense cultural diversity throughout the storyline, which also touches on the racism the young teen experiences. I did feel Steffi begun to abandon her best friend in favour of Rhys at times.
As their relationship develops, it was wonderful to see that neither character was denied the teenage experience. A Quiet Kind of Thunder also explores mental health, friendships, relationships and romantic relationships. It is remarkably sexually positive and promotes safe sex practices in which I applaud Sara Barnard for her pragmatical approach.
Sincere and endearing, A Quiet Kind Of Thunder was a beautifully written narrative that breaks down the barriers of communication. Exquisite, wonderful diverse and explores the infinite potential of the human condition.
Check out my blog here for the full review.
Joséphine
Written on Jan 2, 2017
My full book review is up on Word Revel.
_________
January 2, 2017
Initial thoughts: A Quiet Kind of Thunder is the first novel I've ever read involving a character with selective mutism and a character who is deaf. Before this book it didn't occur to me that I hadn't, so I'm glad I received this book for review. If not for that, I might not have picked it up because I don't actively seek out romance. Then I realised that the author also wrote Beautiful Broken Things, which I enjoyed too, and decided to give her second book a chance.
Even though I expected a great deal of focus on the romance, I didn't think there'd be quite this much kissing involved. If you're into budding romance, couples who are bliss personified, and can't get quite enough of each other, then A Quiet Kind of Thunder is perfect for you. Even I have to concede that it was kinda cute for the most part.
In terms of plot, A Quiet Kind of Thunder wasn't awfully exciting but as with Beautiful Broken Things, what mattered were the experiences of the characters. To begin with, Steffi, the MC, had a lot to deal with in terms of her social anxiety, selective mutism, and starting a school year without her best friend who had been by her side her whole life. It's her daily life and her determination to get better that were central to the book.
Note: I received an advanced reading copy from a local distributor in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.