Book Review:
Title: A Quiet Kind Of Thunder
Author: Sara Barnard
Publisher: Macmillan Books
I received an early copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Steffi doesn't talk, but she has so much to say.
Rhys can't hear, but he can listen.
Their love isn't a lightning strike, 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.
What an adorable book!
Having never read a book that dealt with selective mutism before and not knowing much about it, I was excited to read A Quiet Kind of Thunder and broaden my knowledge on the disorder.
But, as well as teaching me about selective mutism, this book managed to teach me more about the deaf community and BSL, which I loved. It also got me thinking about how much we take our voices and hearing for granted. Imagine how difficult life would be if you couldn't speak or hear.
Any book that can teach me something new and important and get me thinking is, in my mind, already a fantastic book.
Steffi is a selective mute. Rhys is deaf. In theory, it should be hard for these two communicate, but thanks to BSL and their perseverance they managed to fight through the barriers. Their relationship is what really made this book for me. It was cute, funny, awkward and no way near perfect.
No relationship is ever truly perfect. There's always going to be some miscommunication. There's always going to be some struggles. But the main thing that matters is if both parties are able to overcome these hurdles to keep their love alive, which both Steffi & Rhys managed to do.
Alongside the romance, I really enjoyed the friendship between Steffi and Tem. There is something so empowering about female friendships. In a lot of YA books, girls are always pitted against each other which I loathe, so when I read a book with a strong friendship, I can't help but fall in love even more.
Also, I just want to say that even though this book focuses on Steffi and her arc mainly, I loved that Rhys had his own arc as well. In AQKOT, Rhys is the love interest, but he is actually so much more than that. He had his own battles to face, the main one being, feeling helpless when it came to 'looking after' Steffi. He constantly felt inadequate and it broke my heart.
I think Sara Barnard dealt with both characters and their disorders extremely well - you can easily tell that a lot of research went into writing this book, which I appreciate so much!
Overall, I completely adored A Quiet Kind of Thunder & I highly recommend picking this book up - it's heart-warming, thought-provoking and has a realistic depiction of social anxiety.
This was my first book by Sara Barnard, but it certainly won't be my last!
4 Stars
Goodreads