Listen!

by Frances Itani

Liz invites her sister, Roma, and two friends to dinner. The four women have something in common: they are hearing daughters of deaf parents. Each woman brings an old family picture to the table. Each tells a story about her picture. Roma has always felt alone and different. As a child, she had to listen and tell. Roma became the listener because her mother could not hear. But by the end of the evening, Roma knows she is not alone. She and the other women learn that growing up with deaf parents has given them rare and special gifts. This novella is a quick and easy read for people on the go.

84 pages, ebook

First published July 18, 2012

About the author

Frances Susan Itani is a Canadian fiction writer, poet and essayist.

Itani was born in Belleville, Ontario and grew up in Quebec. She studied nursing in Montreal and North Carolina, a profession which she taught and practised for eight years. However, after enrolling in a writing class taught by W. O. Mitchell, she decided to change careers.

Itani has published ten books, ranging from fiction and poetry to a children's book. Her 2003 novel Deafening, published in 16 countries, won the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Canada and Caribbean Region) and the Drummer General’s Award for Fiction and was a finalist for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Her short story collection, Poached Egg on Toast, won the Ottawa Book Award and the CAA Jubilee Award for Best Collection of Stories. She was recently awarded the Order of Canada. Frances Itani lives in Ottawa.

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is from a series of books intended to promote literacy — "a great story, using clear language."

This particular book also serves to illustrate the lives of children living with deaf parents. Four women who grew up in these circumstances get together and share their stories.

The story itself is under 70 easy-reading pages, and could be classified as a short story, rather than a novella. But aimed at reluctant readers or ESL students, it provides the satisfaction of reading an entire book.

I'm rating this 4 stars, based on the informative content, and judging the format for what it is intended to be. I read Deafening long ago, so came into this believing Itani to be a talented and accomplished writer.

[Isis Ray-sisco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because I liked the fact that it gave us an inside look at what it is like to be a CODA. I liked that each character told a story about what it was like growing up. I thought it was a sweet story...I just wished there was more to it. But that is my complaint about a lot of short stories. I would of loved to have more detail and know more about each character etc...overall though I thought it was a quick and easy read.

[Susan Quenneville · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not used to reading short stories but Frances Itani has written a lovely short story of less than 95 pages of women gathering together to share a common bond...that of being raised by at least one non-hearing parent. Though these mothers were deaf, they all did a fantastic job of raising caring, delightful children.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy Adult Literacy readers. So much story in such a concise package. Since I read more to learn than to get lost in epics, I appreciate them. This one taught me a lot about the 'culture' of the hearing offspring of deaf parents. Unlike others, there's not quite as much to discuss, but there's plenty to think about.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet story. I am learning ASL and this is a delightful short story.

[Meagan Jesmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read with interesting looks a untold stories of CODAs.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exquisite ENDING, in which Liz and Roma find something in a final box not ever opened of their mother's things. This novella really weaves four stories, and yet they are connected. I love Itani and I love her words, her feelings, her stories, her heart. She inspires me. And again, it makes me think of my mother. Did she leave anything? Anything that actually would be meaningful to me? Probably not, but worth looking for at some point.
"Roma recognized their mother's handwriting. She read out loud, to her sister.
This belongs to Roma. I should have given it to her a long time ago. The day the wishbone dropped in the river, I thought it was lost forever. I went back the next day to see if I could find the things I dropped. Everything had floated away except the wishbone pin, which was partly trapped under a rock near shore. I must have stepped on it when I grabbed baby Liz up out of the water. The pin on the back was bent so badly, I hid the wishbone away. I didn't have the heart to give Roma a broken present for her fifth birthday. But I couldn't throw it out, either. I'm leaving it at the bottom of my sewing basket, where I first hid it. Maybe Roma will find her wishbone pin her some day..
Roma reached into the envelope, and there it was. A slightly crooked wishbone with faded sparkles and coloured stones. The pin on the back was badly bent.
Roma looked at Liz and they both grinned. They clicked their wine glasses.
'Mam really was full of surprises,' said Liz. 'Looks like she gets the last word tonight.'
'She's adding her story to the evening,' said Roma. 'The end of a story. I can hardly believe the pin was hidden away all those years.'
'I suppose you get to make your wish now,' said Liz.
'So much time has passed. What I once wished for has changed over the years. Why don't you make a wish, too, Liz? We could both wish for something.'
Each sister held a side of the tiny wishbone pin.
'What shall we wish for?' said Liz.
'Listen!' said Roma. 'Wishes should never be told. Just close your eyes and think of what you want most. Then don't ever tell a soul. And hope for the best.'"

Roma and Liz are sisters, and yet they do not necessarily know each other's stories. I love how Itani expresses herself, how she connects the stories, how she presents her prose. She is an amazing writer, and this is just a very simple (effective, gorgeous) example. In this example, Liz is telling the end of her story about Mam, and then it is reflected in the conversation with her sister. I guess this also makes me think about my mother, and what I never knew....
"After Mam's friends left, I asked her, 'Why didn't you tell me you knew how to dance?'
'Because you never asked,' she said.
'What else can you do that I don't know about?' I asked.
'I can do many things that might surprise you and Roma,' said Mam.
*
'I've never heard that story,' Roma said to her sister. 'I love to think of Mam dancing with her friends. Why didn't you tell me before?'
'Because you never asked,' said Liz."

This is Roma's story. She was responsible for making sure her mother knew what was going on, at all times, but she was a child and so accidents happened. She did the best she could.
"While Roma was growing up, she was the bridge between hearing and deaf worlds.
'Listen!' Mam said. 'Tell me what is happening.'
Roma reported back. If she wanted to help Mam, she had to know what was going on."

This novella, sweet and precise, starts with the title, which is woven throughout the story, and tells the tale of four women whose parent(s) were deaf and how their lives (especially their childhoods) were affected by it. Each tells her story, based on a photo that she has brought with her to the dinner. Extraordinary and brilliant. Perfect, as only Itani can do it.
"'Listen!' said Roma. 'Listen! Keep your ears and eyes open. You have to know what's going on.'
But she was talking to herself.
She looked out the train window at the night rushing by. When she spoke, her own face looked back at her from the dark window. She travelled by train because she liked to have time alone. ..."

[Elizabeth Gosse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story is about two sisters, Liz and Roma. They grew up in Ontario and both of their parents were deaf. Their father died when they were young and their mother raised them. Roma goes to visit her sister and meet her friends what also grew up with two deaf parents. They each share a story about growing up and the sisters learn something about one another and their mother.

[Wilma Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good novel for ESL/Literacy learners. The issues faced by children of deaf parents are sometimes the same as those faced by children of immigrant parents - having to listen and translate for parents, even in situations beyond their years ie. doctors, lawyers, schools, service people, etc.

[Aisha Toor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved loved Requiem and I was so excited to meet Itani and get assigned ARC of this book.