The Sign for Drowning: A Novel Book

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this short novel in which we follow the journey of a young woman from her tragic witnessing of her little sister's drowning and the collapse of her family around this horrible accident to eventual healing through the experience of taking a little deaf girl into her empty life. Speaking in first person, Anna relates that she learned sign language at the age of eight, telling us "I talked with my hands to my sister who wasn't deaf but couldn't hear." The novelists writes in beautiful, spare prose, and the story spoke to my heart. Anyone who has had to carry the memory of a tragic childhood memory will connect immediately with the world of Anna, and even those who had an ordinary childhood will find this an excellent story, filled with both sadness and great joy. I recommend it highly.