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The Shape of Sound
I am still unlearning the habit of secrecy. And yet, whenever somebody discovers that I am deaf, my body still reacts with churning terror. How do you build up a sense of robust pride when your body has taught itself to be fearful?
Fiona Murphy’s memoir about being deaf is a revelation.
Secrets are heavy, burdensome things. Imagine carrying a secret that if exposed could jeopardise your chances of securing a job and make you a social outcast. Fiona Murphy kept her deafness a secret for over twenty-five years.
But then, desperate to hold onto a career she’d worked hard to pursue, she tried hearing aids. Shocked by how the world sounded, she vowed never to wear them again. After an accident to her hand, she discovered that sign language could change her life, and that Deaf culture could be part of her identity.
Just as Fiona thought she was beginning to truly accept her body, she was diagnosed with a rare condition that causes the bones of the ears to harden. She was steadily losing her residual hearing. The news left her reeling.
Blending memoir with observations on the healthcare industry, The Shape of Sound is a story about the corrosive power of secrets, stigma and shame, and how deaf experiences and disability are shaped by economics, social policy, medicine and societal expectations.
This is the story of how Fiona learns to listen to her body. If you enjoy the writing of Bri Lee and Fiona Wright, this is a book for you.
Fiona Murphy’s memoir about being deaf is a revelation.
Secrets are heavy, burdensome things. Imagine carrying a secret that if exposed could jeopardise your chances of securing a job and make you a social outcast. Fiona Murphy kept her deafness a secret for over twenty-five years.
But then, desperate to hold onto a career she’d worked hard to pursue, she tried hearing aids. Shocked by how the world sounded, she vowed never to wear them again. After an accident to her hand, she discovered that sign language could change her life, and that Deaf culture could be part of her identity.
Just as Fiona thought she was beginning to truly accept her body, she was diagnosed with a rare condition that causes the bones of the ears to harden. She was steadily losing her residual hearing. The news left her reeling.
Blending memoir with observations on the healthcare industry, The Shape of Sound is a story about the corrosive power of secrets, stigma and shame, and how deaf experiences and disability are shaped by economics, social policy, medicine and societal expectations.
This is the story of how Fiona learns to listen to her body. If you enjoy the writing of Bri Lee and Fiona Wright, this is a book for you.
288 pages, Paperback
Published March 30, 2021
29 people are currently reading
1312 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Murphy
3 booksFiona Murphy is a Deaf poet and essayist. Her work has appeared in the Griffith Review, Big Issue, Kill Your Darlings and Overland, among others. In 2018 she was shortlisted for the Richell Prize, and in 2019 the Monash Prize for creative writing.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
May 20, 2022
What a gorgeous, heartfelt memoir. The voice is unique and literary and yet so simple and direct at the same time. Even though I'm not a member of the Deaf community, and have no close relationships with deaf people, I felt I knew exactly what Fiona Murphy was trying to say to me at all times. Honestly, half the time I felt slapped in the face by the realities Murphy was describing about her life among abled/ableist people, and the other half of the time my spirit soared, to be reminded of how glorious we humans can be. Easily the best memoir I've read since Alan Cummings's 2014 book, Not My Father's Son.
April 18, 2022
This is a fascinating memoir about deafness, the author was born deaf in her left ear and spends most of her childhood and early adult life keeping it a secret even from friends and colleagues. It’s a stressful effort concentrating all day to make sure she can follow conversations. The information about how hearing works, hearing aids, disability policy, history of sign language and how deaf people are treated by society and much more is presented amongst Murphy’s own experiences as she negotiates work and her personal life with deteriorating hearing in her right ear. It’s beautifully written and I found it an enjoyable and moving read.
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April 8, 2022The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of The Shape of Sound
‘I devoured this in a day, fascinated, enlightened, moved.’
Helen Garner
‘In The Shape of Sound Fiona Murphy impressively turns the intimate yet inanimate sense of hearing into a tangible, tactical object to be shared and explored with readers. Through a personal lens, she investigates the social, environmental, economical and political impacts of deafness and disability with rigour, yet without ever losing a pervading humanity. The Shape of Sound is an impressive accomplishment, equally industrious and delicate, and an exciting addition to Australian disability literature.’
Kylie Maslen
‘'Every now and then you come across a book that really makes you see your world anew. In the case of The Shape of Sound, Murphy has allowed me to hear something new. More than a memoir, this book reveals both glorious and shocking things about sound and society that I'd never even realised I didn't know. Murphy revels in words, finding the most extraordinary ways to render the body and mind as sometimes warring, sometimes synchronous. This book is special: it offers us a unique and committed voice, sure of the right things while also unsure of the right things. I challenge anyone to come away from reading The Shape of Sound without at least a handful of revelations. Mark the name Fiona Murphy.'
Bri Lee, author of Eggshell Skull
‘'Fiona Murphy is a spectacular writer. Her memoir about keeping a medical secret close, then celebrating disability, Deaf identity and community, highlights the need to remove barriers to access and inclusion. The Shape of Sound is brilliant.'
Carly Findlay, author of Say Hello
‘The Shape of Sound is an exquisite, eloquent and poetic memoir. Fiona Murphy draws the reader into a different sensory world, and provides a devastating critique of a society that all too often punishes disability. A damn fine read.'
Astrid Edwards, host of Anonymous Was a Woman and The Garret: Writers on Writing
'Powerfully written—books like this restore the world.'
Sarah Krasnostein, author of The Trauma Cleaner
‘In The Shape of Sound a young Deaf woman navigates the corrosive impact of ableism. With precise and elegant prose, Fiona Murphy chronicles the vigilance needed to exist in a world designed for hearing people and how this attentiveness, while debilitating, translates to a keen sensitivity. Through her intelligent observations, her persistence and strength, she highlights the importance of writing in helping her to inhabit her Deaf self. It is a beautifully crafted memoir, enriched by thoughtful rendering of the gifts of a life without sound.'
Jessica White, author of Hearing Maud
'I have been waiting for Fiona Murphy’s debut: a memoir about the lived experience of deafness and a developing understanding of disability as cultural identity. There is no reading The Shape of Sound without wishing that every Australian would read it too.'
Sam Twyford-Moore, author of The Rapids
'The Shape of Sound is a game-changer, a book that challenges assumptions not only about what it means to be deaf, but what it takes to truly listen, communicate and connect. Fiona Murphy's writing is both powerful and poetic; her words about the are body visceral, candid and often exquisite. The Shape of Sound will open your eyes—and ears—to what it means to live in a deaf body, offering glimpses of how a world better attuned to deafness might benefit everyone.'
Angela Savage, author of Mother of Pearl
‘Full of heart and delving into what it means to inhabit flesh, blood, sound and movement. The Shape of Sound is definitely a book I will return to over the years, and gain more from with each read. A brilliant debut.’
Katerina Bryant, author of Hysteria
‘This book is an act of resistance. In her raw and unflinchingly honest memoir, Murphy tells the story of how she overcame shame and secrecy to claim her Deaf identity. An outstanding work and a must read.’
Jax Jacki Brown, disability activist and writer
'The Shape of Sound is about coming of age, and coming to terms with the unseen and unspoken forces that impinge upon a life lived in a disabled or different body. In this utterly gripping book, Murphy writes with candour and elegance, as she challenges how the reader sees the world.’
Fiona Wright, author of The World Was Whole
'Beautifully written, honest and heartfelt, this is the book I needed years ago, when I was grappling with my own sense of self as a disabled person. As a musician, I was enthralled by how Fiona experiences music, and I marvelled in Fiona’s journey to true self-acceptance.'
Eliza Hull, musician, writer and disability advocate
'“Deaf people feel and see sound: the entire body becomes a receptor,” Fiona Murphy writes in The Shape of Sound. You will feel and see this book. Every page vibrates with poetry and shines with brilliance. Murphy’s gorgeous prose is a doorway to a new world – and we readers are lucky to have her as a guide.’
Sarah Sentilles, author of Draw Your Weapons
'Fiona Murphy’s writing – on the cost of concealment, the exclusion of others, and the mysteries and miracles of the human body – is so astute, generous and perceptive. There’s such wisdom here about what we can all learn in the quiet by paying attention.’
Benjamin Law
'It is vital to read stories like this for their incredible insight, as Murphy navigates stigma, ableism and ideas of disability with reference to public space and her own time in the healthcare industry. The Shape of Sound presents wisdom hard-won through personal transformation, and Murphy’s story is compelling, honest and truly revelatory.’
Books+Publishing
'The Shape of Sound is wondrous…each sentence feels like a poem. It is a pleasure to open Fiona Murphy's book and read her words.’
Anonymous Was a Woman
‘Beautifully written…[gives] profound insight into sound, into the experience of sound and language, in such new and interesting ways.’
Kill Your Darlings
'Murphy’s personal story is one that reaches out to deaf and hearing people alike. It reveals the toils of stigma, the effects on one’s identity, the toll it exacts on social life...She shows through her own personal history what it is to carry a secret that impinges on every single interaction, every single day of one’s life.’
Australian Book Review
‘A brilliant and touching memoir that completely draws the reader in. Murphy doesn’t hold back, and I laughed with her and cried with her. There is complete vulnerability and honesty on every page...devastatingly powerful.’
Readings
'Murphy writes incisively about the built environment, exploring how our health and wellbeing are significantly impacted by the design of our cities, suburbs and streetscapes. In a repudiation of the shame Murphy felt about her deafness, The Shape of Sound is about gaining deafness through culture and community.’
Melbourne Writers Festival
‘Tender, honest, poetic, and intellectually rigorous all at once. Murphy’s ability to blend everyday observation with critical theory and research on disability is a feat. This book punches well above its weight as a memoir – at once personal and political, humorous and serious.’
Better Read Than Dead
‘[Fiona Murphy] attends in fascinating detail to the body’s autonomy, and the physical stages of sound...The Shape of Sound’s compelling approach to sound, society, and disability contains the means to experience the world and the body in a deeper way.’
ArtsHub
'Murphy’s work…[asks] whether society can learn to mediate its needs and aversions, its desires and fears, according to the demands of those whose lives have often been ignored.’
SMH/Age
'Murphy’s writing is clear, spacious and unaffected, but also contains passages of heartbreaking lyricism...It’s an invigorating and thought-provoking achievement, as testimony and as literature.’
Saturday Paper
'A powerful exploration of how social, political and economic factors shape the way we perceive and engage with disability…Fiona's writing is beautiful and she skilfully breaks down preconceived ideas about sound…Incredibly compelling.'
Good Reading
'Compelling and insightful…A thoughtful, generous and deeply honest book about sound and silence, secrets and community.'
Weekend West
'Illuminating and an absolute breath of fresh air…Murphy's attention to detail and her emphasis on language and language choices has really shone a light on how words and intentions matter….This book is such a gift.'
3RRR
'The range of imagery, as well as the poetry and precision of Murphy's writing...sparkles like morning light on a diamond ring. The loveliness of her writing does not obscure the seriousness of her subject.'
Jessica White, Sydney Review of Books
'Murphy writes with great insight and self-reflection.'
Canberra Times
'Generously, the author shares such personal experiences and takes us on a journey unimaginable to those without hearing loss…those able to address the issues raised should regard this as a blueprint from a truly knowledgeable insider.’
NorDocs Magazine
‘A tenderly written memoir that explores the author’s experience of coming to terms with her own deafness, which then forms a lens through which she talks about sound and silence and how our bodies move through the built environment. As a language nerd, I especially loved Murphy’s reflection on how Auslan and other signed languages build meaning and nuance through the whole body and its position in space.’
Alan Vaarwerk, Kill Your Darlings
'The Shape of Sound encourages all readers to consider the ways in which the world embodies belonging, what types of bodies are fully enfranchised and how we can develop our awareness of difference.'
South Sydney Herald
‘I devoured this in a day, fascinated, enlightened, moved.’
Helen Garner
‘In The Shape of Sound Fiona Murphy impressively turns the intimate yet inanimate sense of hearing into a tangible, tactical object to be shared and explored with readers. Through a personal lens, she investigates the social, environmental, economical and political impacts of deafness and disability with rigour, yet without ever losing a pervading humanity. The Shape of Sound is an impressive accomplishment, equally industrious and delicate, and an exciting addition to Australian disability literature.’
Kylie Maslen
‘'Every now and then you come across a book that really makes you see your world anew. In the case of The Shape of Sound, Murphy has allowed me to hear something new. More than a memoir, this book reveals both glorious and shocking things about sound and society that I'd never even realised I didn't know. Murphy revels in words, finding the most extraordinary ways to render the body and mind as sometimes warring, sometimes synchronous. This book is special: it offers us a unique and committed voice, sure of the right things while also unsure of the right things. I challenge anyone to come away from reading The Shape of Sound without at least a handful of revelations. Mark the name Fiona Murphy.'
Bri Lee, author of Eggshell Skull
‘'Fiona Murphy is a spectacular writer. Her memoir about keeping a medical secret close, then celebrating disability, Deaf identity and community, highlights the need to remove barriers to access and inclusion. The Shape of Sound is brilliant.'
Carly Findlay, author of Say Hello
‘The Shape of Sound is an exquisite, eloquent and poetic memoir. Fiona Murphy draws the reader into a different sensory world, and provides a devastating critique of a society that all too often punishes disability. A damn fine read.'
Astrid Edwards, host of Anonymous Was a Woman and The Garret: Writers on Writing
'Powerfully written—books like this restore the world.'
Sarah Krasnostein, author of The Trauma Cleaner
‘In The Shape of Sound a young Deaf woman navigates the corrosive impact of ableism. With precise and elegant prose, Fiona Murphy chronicles the vigilance needed to exist in a world designed for hearing people and how this attentiveness, while debilitating, translates to a keen sensitivity. Through her intelligent observations, her persistence and strength, she highlights the importance of writing in helping her to inhabit her Deaf self. It is a beautifully crafted memoir, enriched by thoughtful rendering of the gifts of a life without sound.'
Jessica White, author of Hearing Maud
'I have been waiting for Fiona Murphy’s debut: a memoir about the lived experience of deafness and a developing understanding of disability as cultural identity. There is no reading The Shape of Sound without wishing that every Australian would read it too.'
Sam Twyford-Moore, author of The Rapids
'The Shape of Sound is a game-changer, a book that challenges assumptions not only about what it means to be deaf, but what it takes to truly listen, communicate and connect. Fiona Murphy's writing is both powerful and poetic; her words about the are body visceral, candid and often exquisite. The Shape of Sound will open your eyes—and ears—to what it means to live in a deaf body, offering glimpses of how a world better attuned to deafness might benefit everyone.'
Angela Savage, author of Mother of Pearl
‘Full of heart and delving into what it means to inhabit flesh, blood, sound and movement. The Shape of Sound is definitely a book I will return to over the years, and gain more from with each read. A brilliant debut.’
Katerina Bryant, author of Hysteria
‘This book is an act of resistance. In her raw and unflinchingly honest memoir, Murphy tells the story of how she overcame shame and secrecy to claim her Deaf identity. An outstanding work and a must read.’
Jax Jacki Brown, disability activist and writer
'The Shape of Sound is about coming of age, and coming to terms with the unseen and unspoken forces that impinge upon a life lived in a disabled or different body. In this utterly gripping book, Murphy writes with candour and elegance, as she challenges how the reader sees the world.’
Fiona Wright, author of The World Was Whole
'Beautifully written, honest and heartfelt, this is the book I needed years ago, when I was grappling with my own sense of self as a disabled person. As a musician, I was enthralled by how Fiona experiences music, and I marvelled in Fiona’s journey to true self-acceptance.'
Eliza Hull, musician, writer and disability advocate
'“Deaf people feel and see sound: the entire body becomes a receptor,” Fiona Murphy writes in The Shape of Sound. You will feel and see this book. Every page vibrates with poetry and shines with brilliance. Murphy’s gorgeous prose is a doorway to a new world – and we readers are lucky to have her as a guide.’
Sarah Sentilles, author of Draw Your Weapons
'Fiona Murphy’s writing – on the cost of concealment, the exclusion of others, and the mysteries and miracles of the human body – is so astute, generous and perceptive. There’s such wisdom here about what we can all learn in the quiet by paying attention.’
Benjamin Law
'It is vital to read stories like this for their incredible insight, as Murphy navigates stigma, ableism and ideas of disability with reference to public space and her own time in the healthcare industry. The Shape of Sound presents wisdom hard-won through personal transformation, and Murphy’s story is compelling, honest and truly revelatory.’
Books+Publishing
'The Shape of Sound is wondrous…each sentence feels like a poem. It is a pleasure to open Fiona Murphy's book and read her words.’
Anonymous Was a Woman
‘Beautifully written…[gives] profound insight into sound, into the experience of sound and language, in such new and interesting ways.’
Kill Your Darlings
'Murphy’s personal story is one that reaches out to deaf and hearing people alike. It reveals the toils of stigma, the effects on one’s identity, the toll it exacts on social life...She shows through her own personal history what it is to carry a secret that impinges on every single interaction, every single day of one’s life.’
Australian Book Review
‘A brilliant and touching memoir that completely draws the reader in. Murphy doesn’t hold back, and I laughed with her and cried with her. There is complete vulnerability and honesty on every page...devastatingly powerful.’
Readings
'Murphy writes incisively about the built environment, exploring how our health and wellbeing are significantly impacted by the design of our cities, suburbs and streetscapes. In a repudiation of the shame Murphy felt about her deafness, The Shape of Sound is about gaining deafness through culture and community.’
Melbourne Writers Festival
‘Tender, honest, poetic, and intellectually rigorous all at once. Murphy’s ability to blend everyday observation with critical theory and research on disability is a feat. This book punches well above its weight as a memoir – at once personal and political, humorous and serious.’
Better Read Than Dead
‘[Fiona Murphy] attends in fascinating detail to the body’s autonomy, and the physical stages of sound...The Shape of Sound’s compelling approach to sound, society, and disability contains the means to experience the world and the body in a deeper way.’
ArtsHub
'Murphy’s work…[asks] whether society can learn to mediate its needs and aversions, its desires and fears, according to the demands of those whose lives have often been ignored.’
SMH/Age
'Murphy’s writing is clear, spacious and unaffected, but also contains passages of heartbreaking lyricism...It’s an invigorating and thought-provoking achievement, as testimony and as literature.’
Saturday Paper
'A powerful exploration of how social, political and economic factors shape the way we perceive and engage with disability…Fiona's writing is beautiful and she skilfully breaks down preconceived ideas about sound…Incredibly compelling.'
Good Reading
'Compelling and insightful…A thoughtful, generous and deeply honest book about sound and silence, secrets and community.'
Weekend West
'Illuminating and an absolute breath of fresh air…Murphy's attention to detail and her emphasis on language and language choices has really shone a light on how words and intentions matter….This book is such a gift.'
3RRR
'The range of imagery, as well as the poetry and precision of Murphy's writing...sparkles like morning light on a diamond ring. The loveliness of her writing does not obscure the seriousness of her subject.'
Jessica White, Sydney Review of Books
'Murphy writes with great insight and self-reflection.'
Canberra Times
'Generously, the author shares such personal experiences and takes us on a journey unimaginable to those without hearing loss…those able to address the issues raised should regard this as a blueprint from a truly knowledgeable insider.’
NorDocs Magazine
‘A tenderly written memoir that explores the author’s experience of coming to terms with her own deafness, which then forms a lens through which she talks about sound and silence and how our bodies move through the built environment. As a language nerd, I especially loved Murphy’s reflection on how Auslan and other signed languages build meaning and nuance through the whole body and its position in space.’
Alan Vaarwerk, Kill Your Darlings
'The Shape of Sound encourages all readers to consider the ways in which the world embodies belonging, what types of bodies are fully enfranchised and how we can develop our awareness of difference.'
South Sydney Herald
April 11, 2021
Since reading Hearing Maud a few years ago I have wanted to read more about being deaf in a noisy, hearing-centric world. Murphy has well and truly delivered. This book covers so much ground and I found myself profoundly moved and enlightened, especially in the sections about Auslan, the act of listening/paying attention, aged care, and loneliness. I felt the structure reflected Murphy’s relationship with her deaf body; what starts as memoir accounts of her as a child trying to constantly conceal and compensate for her disability as the world makes no allowances for her becomes complex essays about Deaf Gain and designed spaces as she ages and further interrogates the relationship between herself and her body and the world. Reading how someone experiences the world differently to oneself is a true gift. Reading prose that does this in such a poetic and elegant style is an even greater gift.
April 8, 2021
Disclaimer: I was sent an advanced copy of The Shape of Sound late last year and I read it earlier this year. I forgot to add it to my read list!
The Shape of Sound is a memoir about being deaf by Fiona Murphy.
Fiona Murphy is a spectacular writer. Her memoir about keeping a secret close, then celebrating disability, Deaf identity and community, highlights the need to remove barriers to access and inclusion. The Shape of Sound is brilliant.
It will be a wonderful book for young Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing people to read, and also for medical professionals and educators. It was a relatable read for me, despite having a different impairment.
I love this passage:
“I am still unlearning the habit of secrecy. And yet, whenever somebody discovers that I am deaf, my body still reacts with churning terror. How do you build up a sense of robust pride when your body has taught itself to be fearful?”
Keeping secrets about disability is such a huge weight. I believe Fiona’s book will give many other young Deaf and disabled people permission to be honest with themselves about their impairments, and with others too - especially around advocating for access.
Fiona has a great ability to write about ableism she has endured - which is such a rich resource for those who want to understand ableism better.
And just as important is the way she writes about disability and deaf pride - giving permission for others to feel this too.
Bravo Fiona! Thank you!
The Shape of Sound is a memoir about being deaf by Fiona Murphy.
Fiona Murphy is a spectacular writer. Her memoir about keeping a secret close, then celebrating disability, Deaf identity and community, highlights the need to remove barriers to access and inclusion. The Shape of Sound is brilliant.
It will be a wonderful book for young Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing people to read, and also for medical professionals and educators. It was a relatable read for me, despite having a different impairment.
I love this passage:
“I am still unlearning the habit of secrecy. And yet, whenever somebody discovers that I am deaf, my body still reacts with churning terror. How do you build up a sense of robust pride when your body has taught itself to be fearful?”
Keeping secrets about disability is such a huge weight. I believe Fiona’s book will give many other young Deaf and disabled people permission to be honest with themselves about their impairments, and with others too - especially around advocating for access.
Fiona has a great ability to write about ableism she has endured - which is such a rich resource for those who want to understand ableism better.
And just as important is the way she writes about disability and deaf pride - giving permission for others to feel this too.
Bravo Fiona! Thank you!
May 23, 2021
It saddens me to say this book has turned into an exercise in frustration for me.
Ms Murphy's story is fascinating, relatable (for someone with sensory issues reading about the author's experience with hearing aids is terrifyingly familiar – my brain can't differentiate between background and foreground sounds either), visceral, and immersive. It is also told in chunks, smaller and bigger, interrupted by random non-sequiturs. Sometimes there'll be a run of dictionary definitions. We jump from other people's memoirs to John Cage to paintings to Reddit communities. And the part that interests me the most, which is Ms Murphy herself and her experience, the one I can relate to and get lost in, becomes scattered in the background.
There is a chance – the author mentions repeatedly that she remains uncomfortable with her deafness, or Deafness (the d/D distinction is an important theme of the book) – that she has hidden her reality under all those tangents, consciously or not. The loosely defined chapters – personal essays, I thought? actual chapters? – all feel similar in their lack of clarity and direction. Sometimes, within a few pages, they move between difficulties of navigating a world not made for people without perfect hearing and then personal experience and then sadness and the going out for drinks and then Beethoven and then the peculiarities author's job and… you get the gist. And a lot of it is fascinating in a complete-mess-in-a-museum's-storage-unit way.
I would have loved to read a version of this book picked apart, then put back together by an editor – or simply the author's memoir. The way it reads now just tired me, especially as I couldn't even skip past the parts that didn't interest me, because I never knew when the "good bits" would return. I'm used to reading multiple books at once, but not inside the same cover.
(6.5/10)
Ms Murphy's story is fascinating, relatable (for someone with sensory issues reading about the author's experience with hearing aids is terrifyingly familiar – my brain can't differentiate between background and foreground sounds either), visceral, and immersive. It is also told in chunks, smaller and bigger, interrupted by random non-sequiturs. Sometimes there'll be a run of dictionary definitions. We jump from other people's memoirs to John Cage to paintings to Reddit communities. And the part that interests me the most, which is Ms Murphy herself and her experience, the one I can relate to and get lost in, becomes scattered in the background.
There is a chance – the author mentions repeatedly that she remains uncomfortable with her deafness, or Deafness (the d/D distinction is an important theme of the book) – that she has hidden her reality under all those tangents, consciously or not. The loosely defined chapters – personal essays, I thought? actual chapters? – all feel similar in their lack of clarity and direction. Sometimes, within a few pages, they move between difficulties of navigating a world not made for people without perfect hearing and then personal experience and then sadness and the going out for drinks and then Beethoven and then the peculiarities author's job and… you get the gist. And a lot of it is fascinating in a complete-mess-in-a-museum's-storage-unit way.
I would have loved to read a version of this book picked apart, then put back together by an editor – or simply the author's memoir. The way it reads now just tired me, especially as I couldn't even skip past the parts that didn't interest me, because I never knew when the "good bits" would return. I'm used to reading multiple books at once, but not inside the same cover.
(6.5/10)
June 2, 2021
This is a fantastic memoir about living with hearing loss and how this affects all areas of one’s life, and also touches on other invisible disabilities such as language delays, learning difficulties and mental health. Murphy is a beautiful and visceral writer, accurately conveying how it feels to live in a world which isn’t designed for you.
On a personal level this was an extremely confronting read. I live with my own unexplained hearing loss, tinnitus and anxiety, and have never met anyone who shares these experiences/sensations or remotely understands the impact this has on me, so it was very impacting seeing this in the book. I found it pretty hard going from early on and I kept reading in the hopes it would become more optimistic but I didn’t really find that - similar to my own experiences, Murphy kept getting thrown curveballs and having to adjust, with no clear answers or solutions. She has more resilience than I do.
On a personal level this was an extremely confronting read. I live with my own unexplained hearing loss, tinnitus and anxiety, and have never met anyone who shares these experiences/sensations or remotely understands the impact this has on me, so it was very impacting seeing this in the book. I found it pretty hard going from early on and I kept reading in the hopes it would become more optimistic but I didn’t really find that - similar to my own experiences, Murphy kept getting thrown curveballs and having to adjust, with no clear answers or solutions. She has more resilience than I do.
May 31, 2021
An important and informative book. It is well researched with lots of external references - I particularly liked the stories of Winston Churchill. The childhood chapters were my favourite. Very easy to read - read it in one weekend.
April 13, 2021
What an absolutely glorious and poignant book. My body is actually tingling having just finished it. This book was fascinating, insightful, and joyous. A must read for 2021.
March 12, 2022
Originally published on my book blog, TheBibliophage.com.
4.5 stars rounded up
Fiona Murphy focuses her lyrical memoir, The Shape of Sound, on her experience with hearing and deafness. We follow her memories of childhood up until the present. So, we learn about her ongoing denial of being deaf in one ear. She analyzes how and why she hid her partial deafness through her teens and most of her twenties. And ultimately, Murphy discusses how she reached acceptance and what it meant to her. Through it all, she explores insights about music, silence, and sound.
Murphy discusses what influences our perception of hearing, whether science, medicine, or society. Societal influences biased the scientific study of hearing loss over time. And generally, the public doesn’t understand either how common hearing loss is or how best to support those with hearing loss. And in Murphy’s experience, medical professionals including audiologists, aren’t much better.
While Murphy spends most of the book sorting out multiple frustrations regarding her hearing, her perspectives are engaging and generally positive. This could be a collection of whining essays, but they aren’t. They are introspective, emotional, and investigative. She approaches every essay with her heart wide open, yet still uses analytical skills to expose her deepest feelings on the page.
My conclusions
The Shape of Sound is delightful, even as Murphy struggles to find her sense of self. Our twenties are a typical time for this, but she’s got the added complications of hearing versus deafness. And it’s the whole package of these things that makes this memoir an engaging book.
Murphy is also trained as a physiotherapist, a professional not dissimilar from my own massage therapy background. She uses her applies her professional skills of physical and scientific analysis to her own situation. This combination also further endeared her to me.
I learned many new things about sign language, including why it varies from country to country. Murphy explores Auslan, the Australian version of sign language, and also explains her learning process. She takes classes, hires a tutor, joins a meet-up group, and watches online videos. Each of those serves a different purpose, and I appreciated understanding more about the process.
As a hard-of-hearing person, this book also touched me emotionally. It gave me hope for the future, as my own hearing continues to decline. Murphy continually advocates for herself, which is a skill every patient with chronic illness and/or disability does. It’s encouraging to see someone moving through a process even a little bit similar to my own.
I recommend The Shape of Sound if you live with hearing loss or deafness, or if someone you know does. It’s a memoir that melds together various journeys, from medical to emotional to practical aspects of being partially deaf.
Pair with Fierce and Delicate: Essays on Dance and Illness by Renée K. Nicholson, another terrific memoir of a young woman finding her way through disability and life purpose.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to NetGalley, Text Publishing, and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review. Available April 12, 2022, in the United States.
4.5 stars rounded up
Fiona Murphy focuses her lyrical memoir, The Shape of Sound, on her experience with hearing and deafness. We follow her memories of childhood up until the present. So, we learn about her ongoing denial of being deaf in one ear. She analyzes how and why she hid her partial deafness through her teens and most of her twenties. And ultimately, Murphy discusses how she reached acceptance and what it meant to her. Through it all, she explores insights about music, silence, and sound.
Murphy discusses what influences our perception of hearing, whether science, medicine, or society. Societal influences biased the scientific study of hearing loss over time. And generally, the public doesn’t understand either how common hearing loss is or how best to support those with hearing loss. And in Murphy’s experience, medical professionals including audiologists, aren’t much better.
While Murphy spends most of the book sorting out multiple frustrations regarding her hearing, her perspectives are engaging and generally positive. This could be a collection of whining essays, but they aren’t. They are introspective, emotional, and investigative. She approaches every essay with her heart wide open, yet still uses analytical skills to expose her deepest feelings on the page.
My conclusions
The Shape of Sound is delightful, even as Murphy struggles to find her sense of self. Our twenties are a typical time for this, but she’s got the added complications of hearing versus deafness. And it’s the whole package of these things that makes this memoir an engaging book.
Murphy is also trained as a physiotherapist, a professional not dissimilar from my own massage therapy background. She uses her applies her professional skills of physical and scientific analysis to her own situation. This combination also further endeared her to me.
I learned many new things about sign language, including why it varies from country to country. Murphy explores Auslan, the Australian version of sign language, and also explains her learning process. She takes classes, hires a tutor, joins a meet-up group, and watches online videos. Each of those serves a different purpose, and I appreciated understanding more about the process.
As a hard-of-hearing person, this book also touched me emotionally. It gave me hope for the future, as my own hearing continues to decline. Murphy continually advocates for herself, which is a skill every patient with chronic illness and/or disability does. It’s encouraging to see someone moving through a process even a little bit similar to my own.
I recommend The Shape of Sound if you live with hearing loss or deafness, or if someone you know does. It’s a memoir that melds together various journeys, from medical to emotional to practical aspects of being partially deaf.
Pair with Fierce and Delicate: Essays on Dance and Illness by Renée K. Nicholson, another terrific memoir of a young woman finding her way through disability and life purpose.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to NetGalley, Text Publishing, and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review. Available April 12, 2022, in the United States.
May 9, 2021
'While some people tell stories in order to live, some of us hide our stories in order to survive.'
In this wise and generous memoir about her experiences as a Deaf person, Fiona Murphy explores the cultural, medical, societal and political dimensions of deafness and hearing loss. The Shape of Sound prompted me to question my assumptions and challenged my ignorance. But I hope this doesn't make it sound dully worthy – this is a joyful, poetic, luminous book.
In this wise and generous memoir about her experiences as a Deaf person, Fiona Murphy explores the cultural, medical, societal and political dimensions of deafness and hearing loss. The Shape of Sound prompted me to question my assumptions and challenged my ignorance. But I hope this doesn't make it sound dully worthy – this is a joyful, poetic, luminous book.
October 5, 2022
What is your relationship with sound? For me, it's quite complicated. As someone who is highly sensitive to sounds, I sometimes find myself mad for the noise in my ear and wishing for the silence. It made me wonder, how do Deaf person perceive sounds?
The Shape of Sound is a memoir written by a half-deaf person. In day to day life, she pretends that she doesn't have any problem with her hearing. She found it hard to be vulnerable and admit her hearing loss, not to mention how the ableism world despise people with disability.
This heartfelt memoir tells her experience how she slowly tries to accept her condition, find a community that supports her, and even her experience with hearing aid. Through this memoir, I learned that having a hearing aid doesn't make everything come back to normal again, and some day technology is not the answer.
As the blurb said; The Shape of Sound is a story about the corrosive power of secrets, stigma and shame, and how deaf experiences and disability are shaped by economics, social policy, medicine and societal expectations.
The Shape of Sound is a memoir written by a half-deaf person. In day to day life, she pretends that she doesn't have any problem with her hearing. She found it hard to be vulnerable and admit her hearing loss, not to mention how the ableism world despise people with disability.
This heartfelt memoir tells her experience how she slowly tries to accept her condition, find a community that supports her, and even her experience with hearing aid. Through this memoir, I learned that having a hearing aid doesn't make everything come back to normal again, and some day technology is not the answer.
As the blurb said; The Shape of Sound is a story about the corrosive power of secrets, stigma and shame, and how deaf experiences and disability are shaped by economics, social policy, medicine and societal expectations.
December 13, 2025
Wow. What a wonderful book - informative and storytelling woven together in a beautiful way. The way the deaf experience is told in this book actually hits a lot of the same ways as TBI, so while a triggering read at times it was incredibly informative - moved me to tears several times to feel so validated in my experience of a disabled body.
I have already used what I learned to make an event a (hopefully) more comfortable experience- when asked if we should have music I suggested that the background noise of lots of talking could already be a trigger to people with hearing aids & who already find hearing difficult, and music could add to the struggle.
I have already used what I learned to make an event a (hopefully) more comfortable experience- when asked if we should have music I suggested that the background noise of lots of talking could already be a trigger to people with hearing aids & who already find hearing difficult, and music could add to the struggle.
May 29, 2022
Some virtue signalling, white lady, Leigh sales style mess. Severely lacking in intersectionality. The dropping of statistics on hearing health in incarcerated indigenous populations is distasteful, performative and not enough. Some entry level reading for Rich White able bodied cishet’s discovering disability justice for the first time. 2 starts instead of 1 because I did appreciate the breadth of references included.
September 28, 2021
This book was absolutely stunning and is easily going on my 2021 favourites list.
I first came across Fiona Murphy's writing in Growing Up Disabled in Australia, which I read a few weeks ago and I was so excited to find her memoir at my local library. Just like her original essay in Growing Up Disabled, this book didn't disappoint.
In this book, Fiona recounts her life growing up as the deaf daughter of Irish immigrants, working as a physiotherapist in Sydney and Melbourne, and finally learning to embrace her Deafness in rural NSW. Growing up, she saw her deafness as a shameful secret, which she kept from everyone for as long as possible, determined to "beat" her deafness. However, as her life progresses, this secret becomes more and more of a burden, until, step by step she confronts it and begins to embrace this part of her identity.
Murphy's writing was so evocative and full of imagery, I truly loved reading it. The way she described herself and the world around her, it was so easy to imagine things from her point of view and to see the world as she saw it.
I highly recommend this book to d/Deaf and hearing alike. It was exceptionally raw, well-written and a powerful memoir.
I first came across Fiona Murphy's writing in Growing Up Disabled in Australia, which I read a few weeks ago and I was so excited to find her memoir at my local library. Just like her original essay in Growing Up Disabled, this book didn't disappoint.
In this book, Fiona recounts her life growing up as the deaf daughter of Irish immigrants, working as a physiotherapist in Sydney and Melbourne, and finally learning to embrace her Deafness in rural NSW. Growing up, she saw her deafness as a shameful secret, which she kept from everyone for as long as possible, determined to "beat" her deafness. However, as her life progresses, this secret becomes more and more of a burden, until, step by step she confronts it and begins to embrace this part of her identity.
Murphy's writing was so evocative and full of imagery, I truly loved reading it. The way she described herself and the world around her, it was so easy to imagine things from her point of view and to see the world as she saw it.
I highly recommend this book to d/Deaf and hearing alike. It was exceptionally raw, well-written and a powerful memoir.
April 11, 2021
The Shape of Sound is a beautifully written memoir that explores the experience of being deaf but 'passing' as hearing. I enjoyed the layout of the book, the way each of the four parts was split into chapters that explored a different experience. Murphy's incorporation of outside sources was always relevant and added to the point she was trying to make. Although I was already familiar with most of the information about the Deaf Community, I was surprised and interested to read about DeafSpace, a concept I had never heard about before.
Another reviewer mentioned that there was little about romantic interests. I was relieved by this, as I felt that a romantic storyline would have detracted from the book. I admired how Murphy maintained a unwavering focus on disability and identity throughout the memoir.
This book was perfectly balanced between emotional and informative. I was expecting a bit more on Murphy's experiences within the Deaf Community, but it sounded like she was only just beginning to engage with other Deaf people. I will be sure to read more of her works in the future, and I wish her all the best.
Another reviewer mentioned that there was little about romantic interests. I was relieved by this, as I felt that a romantic storyline would have detracted from the book. I admired how Murphy maintained a unwavering focus on disability and identity throughout the memoir.
This book was perfectly balanced between emotional and informative. I was expecting a bit more on Murphy's experiences within the Deaf Community, but it sounded like she was only just beginning to engage with other Deaf people. I will be sure to read more of her works in the future, and I wish her all the best.
March 30, 2025
"The Shape of Sound" is an exploration of deafness that not only captivates the reader but also sheds light on a world often overlooked.
In a world where deafness is often misunderstood, this memoir serves as a powerful reminder of the richness of diverse experiences and the importance of being better informed.
In a world where deafness is often misunderstood, this memoir serves as a powerful reminder of the richness of diverse experiences and the importance of being better informed.
February 20, 2022
It kills me to rate this so low as I had very high expectations and thought I’d enjoy it. There were bits I did enjoy, but it just wasn’t enough. 2.5 stars.
I should say that as an LGBT person I also have a significant amount of experience “hiding a shameful secret” for all of my youth and ping ponging around life trying to come to terms with it, hiding it, and eventually becoming comfortable with it. Perhaps my own struggles left me feeling less moved by those of Fiona because I could relate. Perhaps for cisgender, heterosexual white people, this will be incredibly eye opening, but for those of us who society doesn’t openly accept, it feels like a pretty standard story.
I should say that as an LGBT person I also have a significant amount of experience “hiding a shameful secret” for all of my youth and ping ponging around life trying to come to terms with it, hiding it, and eventually becoming comfortable with it. Perhaps my own struggles left me feeling less moved by those of Fiona because I could relate. Perhaps for cisgender, heterosexual white people, this will be incredibly eye opening, but for those of us who society doesn’t openly accept, it feels like a pretty standard story.
Read
August 3, 2021This review was first published on the Underground Writers website: http://underground-writers.org/review...
As I read Fiona Murphy’s debut novel, The Shape of Sound, I could feel the weight of the anxiety and pressure Murphy carried with her as she accepts her deafness. In her memoir novel, Murphy details her upbringing, struggles with education, continuous loss of sound (or perhaps, as Murphy noted towards the end, gaining of silence), difficulties with relationships, career moves, and stigma surrounding the deaf community while battling to keep her condition a secret. This novel is shaped around Murphy’s condition, but it does not mean the novel is without its moments of lightness.
Secrets drag you down; this is a profound point in The Shape of Sound. Secret keeping is a way to bar others from accessing your world and assists in maintaining an illusion of yourself you cannot stand others shattering. As Murphy attempts to follow conversations by reading lips, staring, facing people straight on, and mimicking other peoples’ reactions, I could not help but feel exhausted; Murphy’s unfailing determination to blend in made me feel sick with worry over the risk that her secret could be exposed. I almost felt complicit in my desperation for Murphy to keep her condition secret, and this is an important point Murphy confronts in regard to stigma and conformation.
Nestled within Murphy’s memoir are quotes, summaries, and extracts on statistics, articles, novels, and other academic and non-academic information on deafness. A consistent theme in these sources (which are kindly listed at the end of the novel based on book section and chapter), are how people with a hearing disability have a higher chance of facing economic and social difficulties. Murphy notes that people with hearing difficulties are perceived as burdensome and rarely receive the chance to enter a profession where they can progress. Murphy’s own fears on how to maintain a job and difficulties in the workforce are detailed within the novel so vividly I had to put the book down due to frustration several times. While some colleges are/were unaware of Murphy’s condition, Murphy notes that leniency and help in the workplace—despite laws on disability in the workplace—are not extended or understood by others. What shocked me the most was that Murphy works in healthcare! A profession that should have staff properly trained in how to handle and address medical issues in the workplace.
While I am examining the heavier parts of the novel, The Shape of Sound is not without its humour and lightness; however, when I turned the last page, it was not the humour that sat with me, or the heaviness of the novel, but the hopeful ending. Murphy’s experience of continuous sound loss is not over because the book has ended and she recognises this, but she also recognises her advantages as an educated white woman in Australia. While she still has choices to make that could delay—if not halt—her progression to becoming completely deaf, Murphy recognises that she still has her hands to communicate with people. Murphy’s attention to detail about her experience learning Auslan (Australian Sign Language)—in particular the way her hands move, the slight differences between words, the different lexicon between spoken and signed English, how the body needs to move with signing—was beautifully examined as she educated herself.
Though this story does, in some ways, follow the ‘overcoming your disability’ narrative that prevails in so much of disability literature, it just reinforces how deeply inaccessible the world is to people with disabilities. Murphy’s need to keep her deafness secret and to work around others to avoid discrimination highlights how our society is still geared towards making people with disabilities change their behaviours rather than building systems that include them.
The Shape of Sound is a stunning, thought-provoking, and at times rage-inducing debut by Fiona Murphy. Murphy’s beautiful, captivating prose is weaved throughout her story. A novel that will surely stir up several emotions and leave you feeling slightly lost in a world full of sound.
As I read Fiona Murphy’s debut novel, The Shape of Sound, I could feel the weight of the anxiety and pressure Murphy carried with her as she accepts her deafness. In her memoir novel, Murphy details her upbringing, struggles with education, continuous loss of sound (or perhaps, as Murphy noted towards the end, gaining of silence), difficulties with relationships, career moves, and stigma surrounding the deaf community while battling to keep her condition a secret. This novel is shaped around Murphy’s condition, but it does not mean the novel is without its moments of lightness.
Secrets drag you down; this is a profound point in The Shape of Sound. Secret keeping is a way to bar others from accessing your world and assists in maintaining an illusion of yourself you cannot stand others shattering. As Murphy attempts to follow conversations by reading lips, staring, facing people straight on, and mimicking other peoples’ reactions, I could not help but feel exhausted; Murphy’s unfailing determination to blend in made me feel sick with worry over the risk that her secret could be exposed. I almost felt complicit in my desperation for Murphy to keep her condition secret, and this is an important point Murphy confronts in regard to stigma and conformation.
Nestled within Murphy’s memoir are quotes, summaries, and extracts on statistics, articles, novels, and other academic and non-academic information on deafness. A consistent theme in these sources (which are kindly listed at the end of the novel based on book section and chapter), are how people with a hearing disability have a higher chance of facing economic and social difficulties. Murphy notes that people with hearing difficulties are perceived as burdensome and rarely receive the chance to enter a profession where they can progress. Murphy’s own fears on how to maintain a job and difficulties in the workforce are detailed within the novel so vividly I had to put the book down due to frustration several times. While some colleges are/were unaware of Murphy’s condition, Murphy notes that leniency and help in the workplace—despite laws on disability in the workplace—are not extended or understood by others. What shocked me the most was that Murphy works in healthcare! A profession that should have staff properly trained in how to handle and address medical issues in the workplace.
While I am examining the heavier parts of the novel, The Shape of Sound is not without its humour and lightness; however, when I turned the last page, it was not the humour that sat with me, or the heaviness of the novel, but the hopeful ending. Murphy’s experience of continuous sound loss is not over because the book has ended and she recognises this, but she also recognises her advantages as an educated white woman in Australia. While she still has choices to make that could delay—if not halt—her progression to becoming completely deaf, Murphy recognises that she still has her hands to communicate with people. Murphy’s attention to detail about her experience learning Auslan (Australian Sign Language)—in particular the way her hands move, the slight differences between words, the different lexicon between spoken and signed English, how the body needs to move with signing—was beautifully examined as she educated herself.
Though this story does, in some ways, follow the ‘overcoming your disability’ narrative that prevails in so much of disability literature, it just reinforces how deeply inaccessible the world is to people with disabilities. Murphy’s need to keep her deafness secret and to work around others to avoid discrimination highlights how our society is still geared towards making people with disabilities change their behaviours rather than building systems that include them.
The Shape of Sound is a stunning, thought-provoking, and at times rage-inducing debut by Fiona Murphy. Murphy’s beautiful, captivating prose is weaved throughout her story. A novel that will surely stir up several emotions and leave you feeling slightly lost in a world full of sound.
October 17, 2021
Fiona Murphy's memoir of being born with hearing loss in her left ear, being "half-deaf", and struggling through passing in a hearing world, through her schooling, social life, higher education, work, hobbies, and working towards a deaf and disabled identity is detailed, well researched, and an incredible insight into the deaf experience.
Trained as a physiotherapist to view the body via deficit, "normal" function, and the medical model of disability adds pervasive perspectives that Fiona has reflected upon, and turned over and around in her self concept through the book.
I think the Social Worker in me found this a challenging read, as Fiona works through stages of acceptance of her deafness, what she'd been told about her hearing loss, the efforts she has gone through to hide her disability, the ableism, the audism, and her internal ableism about disability and the experience of her hearing loss, was so hard. Such pain and turmoil and exhaustion. The insights into the efforts and their impacts. The research, experimentation and emerging development of her identity and comfort in her self and the way she interacts with the world is an ongoing journey.
There was so much I didn't know about the deaf experience found in these pages, such as the different dialects of Auslan within Australian regions, and also the shocking unemployment and underemployment statistics. This read highlighted for me the lack of adjustments the hearing world makes for the d/Deaf community, and I am left with a missive to do more.
I was surprised to read of this hard personal struggle for Fiona, the layers to it, since I have seen her speak many times this year with such confidence and poise at book events. But that only shows me the ongoing work to be done by the hearing world to be better, to be accessible and supportive of each person's truths.
This has left me with a renewed want to learn Auslan! We all need to! As much as we have incorporated so many other languages in our work and social life!
Trained as a physiotherapist to view the body via deficit, "normal" function, and the medical model of disability adds pervasive perspectives that Fiona has reflected upon, and turned over and around in her self concept through the book.
I think the Social Worker in me found this a challenging read, as Fiona works through stages of acceptance of her deafness, what she'd been told about her hearing loss, the efforts she has gone through to hide her disability, the ableism, the audism, and her internal ableism about disability and the experience of her hearing loss, was so hard. Such pain and turmoil and exhaustion. The insights into the efforts and their impacts. The research, experimentation and emerging development of her identity and comfort in her self and the way she interacts with the world is an ongoing journey.
There was so much I didn't know about the deaf experience found in these pages, such as the different dialects of Auslan within Australian regions, and also the shocking unemployment and underemployment statistics. This read highlighted for me the lack of adjustments the hearing world makes for the d/Deaf community, and I am left with a missive to do more.
I was surprised to read of this hard personal struggle for Fiona, the layers to it, since I have seen her speak many times this year with such confidence and poise at book events. But that only shows me the ongoing work to be done by the hearing world to be better, to be accessible and supportive of each person's truths.
This has left me with a renewed want to learn Auslan! We all need to! As much as we have incorporated so many other languages in our work and social life!
May 1, 2021
I stopped thinking in halves.
My body has always been deaf.
'The Shape of Sound' by Fiona Murphy is one of the most profound and profoundly moving memoirs I have ever read. “Blending memoir with observations on the healthcare industry; The Shape of Sound is a story about the corrosive power of secrets, stigma and shame, and how deaf experiences and disability are shaped by economics, social policy, medicine and societal expectations.”
Fiona is a Deaf poet and essayist - and both of these professions beautifully blend in her memoir, where she digs deep on the page and compels readers to do the same. It’s impossible not to read this and start seeing the world differently - on a personal, political and societal level.
But what I also loved about this was the joy Fiona shines on her own life and community, once she starts interweaving and embracing her identities (that quote; “I stopped thinking in halves,” is such a revelation). I also appreciated the love of language inherent in this book - language and learning that go hand in hand with respect and understanding.
‘The Shape of Sound’ is a full and bright sharing of deafness and community, art and self that reads and weaves Fiona’s life story with history, historic figures, and healthcare analysis to become an enjoyable and educational masterful memoir.
My body has always been deaf.
'The Shape of Sound' by Fiona Murphy is one of the most profound and profoundly moving memoirs I have ever read. “Blending memoir with observations on the healthcare industry; The Shape of Sound is a story about the corrosive power of secrets, stigma and shame, and how deaf experiences and disability are shaped by economics, social policy, medicine and societal expectations.”
Fiona is a Deaf poet and essayist - and both of these professions beautifully blend in her memoir, where she digs deep on the page and compels readers to do the same. It’s impossible not to read this and start seeing the world differently - on a personal, political and societal level.
But what I also loved about this was the joy Fiona shines on her own life and community, once she starts interweaving and embracing her identities (that quote; “I stopped thinking in halves,” is such a revelation). I also appreciated the love of language inherent in this book - language and learning that go hand in hand with respect and understanding.
‘The Shape of Sound’ is a full and bright sharing of deafness and community, art and self that reads and weaves Fiona’s life story with history, historic figures, and healthcare analysis to become an enjoyable and educational masterful memoir.
May 1, 2021
An insight into the life of a deaf person, who is able to hear in one ear, but is completely deaf in the other. The author is extremely candid in how she has lived a life shielding the truth from those close to her, and within her professional life.
August 19, 2021
Well researched memoir about what it means to be partially deaf in a world where "hidden" disabilities carry a social stigma.
January 11, 2022
Incredible. So well written, so descriptive and insightful to experiences some people could never imagine or think of.
August 10, 2022
I WANT TO HUG AND KISS THIS BOOK
Where do I start? I freaking adore this book. I feel lighter and kinder to myself after reading.
Unlike Fiona I am not completely deaf in one ear but have lost a substantial amount of hearing in one ear and oh my god there were so many relatable moments in here. I too struggle to perceive where sounds are coming from and learning about the shadow that your head casts and more of the biomechanics of ears plus lived experience had me saying THAT'S HOW I FEEL. Having lost hearing recently I have been struggling with asking for accommodations (like this restaurant is too noisy and now I feel so overwhelmed and miserable). Reading this book made me realise how much extra energy I am putting into listening to people, and how disorientating and distressing it feels to think I'm mishearing all the time, Is someone at work from down the hall calling my name?
Fiona highlights the built environment and how ableist it is towards hearing disabilities. Such as lack of carpeted floors, even the curvature of walls to help with people not bumping into others. I found the privatisation of hearing aids and being marketed as a cure to be grossly irresponsible by these health care companies. Fiona explains why most people don't end up enjoying their experience with hearing aids and how it can cause tension in families "ugh Gran isnt wearing her aids again, so I have to shout". She then suggests different ways we can communicate better, helping to alleviate frustration for all parties.
This book hits the sweet spot with a little bit of science, gripping personal stories, intersectionality (although could have been more) and the right amount of light and dark. I really enjoyed reading about her experience learning AUSLAN. It has made me want to try and find some classes. I think it would be meaningful to me, I'd love to think about language and a communication in a whole different way.
Watch me try not to shove this book in everyone's face now. Because I'm obsessed.
Takeaways:
- " I can't avoid the noise of the day. When I enter a room, I do a quick, almost unconscious audit of space. The walls, the ceiling, the position of the chairs and tables, the lighting and the ambient soundscape" I look for exits, or bathrooms I can head to if I need respite".
- on how buildings are designed " the decisions happen behind closed doors; they are conversations of power, the outcomes of which literally shape what happens to society and our bodies".
- "I am weighed down by secrets and shame and I have passing privilege", I instinctively hide my deafness, assimilating into the narrow definition of normal. I greedily cling to this power, this control.
- " I hadn't realised how much I used my eyes in order to hear"
- Hearing with one ear is like hearing flat, hearing is no longer 3 dimensional (me!)
- She talks about no longer trusting her body after being assaulted and I felt that deeply too.
- The way shes talks about doubting her disability hits hard "was I deaf enough to be considered disabled or would I be discredited from job applications for being too deaf"?
- When capitalised Deaf refers to individuals who use sign language or culturally identify as deaf. Lowercase deaf is used for anyone with hearing loss who considers it in the medical sense - a loss
- "unless plotted on an audiogram my deafness was invisible"
- When looking at a scar on her hand "deeply reassuring to see the scar and think yes that did happen to me" that's how I feel about my ear and ankle surgery scars
- "there is nothing more exhausting than a vulnerability hangover"
- Sign language is different all over the world, just like spoken language, culture plays a big influence
- "Why weren't people with hearing loss encouraged to sign"
- There hasnt been a government - led national awareness campaign on hearing health since the early 1990's. Health Promotion is left to organisations with commercial interests.
- Australia is ranked 29th in OECD countries for disability employment
- 90% of disabilities are invisible, most people don't disclose in work environments
- 45% of Australians with a disability are living on or below the poverty line.
- No Audiologist ever asked her how she dealt with fatigue (this makes me think about how important holistic health care is)
- Deaf Gain - suggests that there are benefits to being deaf for individuals and society like art,culture, language, shared experiences of not having to justify ones body
"All the doctors told me I was losing my hearing, not a single one said I was gaining my deafness"
"A body defined by loss is shrouded in grief, the language of loss is quietly smothering.
Where do I start? I freaking adore this book. I feel lighter and kinder to myself after reading.
Unlike Fiona I am not completely deaf in one ear but have lost a substantial amount of hearing in one ear and oh my god there were so many relatable moments in here. I too struggle to perceive where sounds are coming from and learning about the shadow that your head casts and more of the biomechanics of ears plus lived experience had me saying THAT'S HOW I FEEL. Having lost hearing recently I have been struggling with asking for accommodations (like this restaurant is too noisy and now I feel so overwhelmed and miserable). Reading this book made me realise how much extra energy I am putting into listening to people, and how disorientating and distressing it feels to think I'm mishearing all the time, Is someone at work from down the hall calling my name?
Fiona highlights the built environment and how ableist it is towards hearing disabilities. Such as lack of carpeted floors, even the curvature of walls to help with people not bumping into others. I found the privatisation of hearing aids and being marketed as a cure to be grossly irresponsible by these health care companies. Fiona explains why most people don't end up enjoying their experience with hearing aids and how it can cause tension in families "ugh Gran isnt wearing her aids again, so I have to shout". She then suggests different ways we can communicate better, helping to alleviate frustration for all parties.
This book hits the sweet spot with a little bit of science, gripping personal stories, intersectionality (although could have been more) and the right amount of light and dark. I really enjoyed reading about her experience learning AUSLAN. It has made me want to try and find some classes. I think it would be meaningful to me, I'd love to think about language and a communication in a whole different way.
Watch me try not to shove this book in everyone's face now. Because I'm obsessed.
Takeaways:
- " I can't avoid the noise of the day. When I enter a room, I do a quick, almost unconscious audit of space. The walls, the ceiling, the position of the chairs and tables, the lighting and the ambient soundscape" I look for exits, or bathrooms I can head to if I need respite".
- on how buildings are designed " the decisions happen behind closed doors; they are conversations of power, the outcomes of which literally shape what happens to society and our bodies".
- "I am weighed down by secrets and shame and I have passing privilege", I instinctively hide my deafness, assimilating into the narrow definition of normal. I greedily cling to this power, this control.
- " I hadn't realised how much I used my eyes in order to hear"
- Hearing with one ear is like hearing flat, hearing is no longer 3 dimensional (me!)
- She talks about no longer trusting her body after being assaulted and I felt that deeply too.
- The way shes talks about doubting her disability hits hard "was I deaf enough to be considered disabled or would I be discredited from job applications for being too deaf"?
- When capitalised Deaf refers to individuals who use sign language or culturally identify as deaf. Lowercase deaf is used for anyone with hearing loss who considers it in the medical sense - a loss
- "unless plotted on an audiogram my deafness was invisible"
- When looking at a scar on her hand "deeply reassuring to see the scar and think yes that did happen to me" that's how I feel about my ear and ankle surgery scars
- "there is nothing more exhausting than a vulnerability hangover"
- Sign language is different all over the world, just like spoken language, culture plays a big influence
- "Why weren't people with hearing loss encouraged to sign"
- There hasnt been a government - led national awareness campaign on hearing health since the early 1990's. Health Promotion is left to organisations with commercial interests.
- Australia is ranked 29th in OECD countries for disability employment
- 90% of disabilities are invisible, most people don't disclose in work environments
- 45% of Australians with a disability are living on or below the poverty line.
- No Audiologist ever asked her how she dealt with fatigue (this makes me think about how important holistic health care is)
- Deaf Gain - suggests that there are benefits to being deaf for individuals and society like art,culture, language, shared experiences of not having to justify ones body
"All the doctors told me I was losing my hearing, not a single one said I was gaining my deafness"
"A body defined by loss is shrouded in grief, the language of loss is quietly smothering.
April 23, 2022
This was a really interesting read, although it took a while for it to get good. This book informally has two parts - the first part follows the authors life as a deaf individual from childhood into adulthood and the second part is more research based, describing and discussing the science behind and sociocultural attitudes around deafness.
For me the first half of the book was disappointing. It often felt like the author was finally going to follow through with something, was on the verge of accepting her deafness and maybe shedding some of the shame she felt about it but it just never came - it lacked passion. It was also confusing at times - how was “I think therefore I am” used to suppress deaf lives? The author talks about concealing her deafness but her class mates already know she’s deaf and have teased her about it? She is only deaf in one ear but she’s never heard her own voice? I found the most interesting bit of the first part of the book was the authors experience trying a hearing aid for the first time. As someone with no experience with deafness it was fascinating to read about the initial elation at being able to hear her doctor and then the eventual frustration and overwhelming feeling of hearing all the background noise once she was outside. The author finds safety and comfort in silence and there is something beautiful about that.
The book comes alive in the second part. The passion that was lacking in the first part shines through when the author discusses the misperceptions hearing people have about deafness and how society has failed deaf people. My mom has recently started to lose her hearing and this part of the book made me think about how I can better support her and hopefully help her avoid the feelings of loneliness and isolation that often accompany hearing loss.
If you’re into memoirs you may enjoy the first part. However the second part is where it’s at. For anyone who knows as little about deafness as I do, and I’m guessing that’s a lot of people, this book is a great place to start.
For me the first half of the book was disappointing. It often felt like the author was finally going to follow through with something, was on the verge of accepting her deafness and maybe shedding some of the shame she felt about it but it just never came - it lacked passion. It was also confusing at times - how was “I think therefore I am” used to suppress deaf lives? The author talks about concealing her deafness but her class mates already know she’s deaf and have teased her about it? She is only deaf in one ear but she’s never heard her own voice? I found the most interesting bit of the first part of the book was the authors experience trying a hearing aid for the first time. As someone with no experience with deafness it was fascinating to read about the initial elation at being able to hear her doctor and then the eventual frustration and overwhelming feeling of hearing all the background noise once she was outside. The author finds safety and comfort in silence and there is something beautiful about that.
The book comes alive in the second part. The passion that was lacking in the first part shines through when the author discusses the misperceptions hearing people have about deafness and how society has failed deaf people. My mom has recently started to lose her hearing and this part of the book made me think about how I can better support her and hopefully help her avoid the feelings of loneliness and isolation that often accompany hearing loss.
If you’re into memoirs you may enjoy the first part. However the second part is where it’s at. For anyone who knows as little about deafness as I do, and I’m guessing that’s a lot of people, this book is a great place to start.
December 17, 2022
This beautiful memoir by Fiona Murphy is a must read for anyone interested in disability rights. I loved The Shape of Sound and the important discussions about perceptions of disabilities and deafness, as well as the very personal and vulnerable insights Murphy shared.
Fiona's memoir covers her lifespan, first, describing the challenges she faced in primary school learning to read and struggling to hear her teachers or friends. Next, covering her decision to hide her deafness in job interviews, higher education, and even with her roommates for fear of discrimination. Finally, she shared her feelings and experiences around learning sign language (Auslan) and her acceptance of the increasing hearing loss and painful descriptions of the tinnitus she felt as she became more and more Deaf.
As a teacher who values the universal design framework and as someone who sees herself as an ally of people with disabilities, it was hard to read about the challenges the author faced, even recently, at work, school and even in close personal relationships. I want to believe that we have made progress, and I'm sure in some ways we have, but there is definitely room for more disability awareness and disability advocacy and more learning and teaching to be done. And if you're looking for a way to start, go read this book!
While primarily a memoir, The Shape of Sound also stands as an educational text with information about disability rights, Deaf culture, medical and educational challenges related to hearing loss, discrimination and a variety of other statistical and factual information. It is extremely well written with detailed and personal information while also being a text which can be used to teach about many elements of disability advocacy. I would highly recommend this book for anyone working with people who have disabilities, especially those who are deaf. I would also recommend it to anyone who enjoys learning about different people and their experiences through memoir. It is definitely one of my new favourite memoirs and I'm really glad I got the change to read it! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance (and having the patience to wait for me) to read this beautiful book. It has been published so go grab your copy today!
Fiona's memoir covers her lifespan, first, describing the challenges she faced in primary school learning to read and struggling to hear her teachers or friends. Next, covering her decision to hide her deafness in job interviews, higher education, and even with her roommates for fear of discrimination. Finally, she shared her feelings and experiences around learning sign language (Auslan) and her acceptance of the increasing hearing loss and painful descriptions of the tinnitus she felt as she became more and more Deaf.
As a teacher who values the universal design framework and as someone who sees herself as an ally of people with disabilities, it was hard to read about the challenges the author faced, even recently, at work, school and even in close personal relationships. I want to believe that we have made progress, and I'm sure in some ways we have, but there is definitely room for more disability awareness and disability advocacy and more learning and teaching to be done. And if you're looking for a way to start, go read this book!
While primarily a memoir, The Shape of Sound also stands as an educational text with information about disability rights, Deaf culture, medical and educational challenges related to hearing loss, discrimination and a variety of other statistical and factual information. It is extremely well written with detailed and personal information while also being a text which can be used to teach about many elements of disability advocacy. I would highly recommend this book for anyone working with people who have disabilities, especially those who are deaf. I would also recommend it to anyone who enjoys learning about different people and their experiences through memoir. It is definitely one of my new favourite memoirs and I'm really glad I got the change to read it! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance (and having the patience to wait for me) to read this beautiful book. It has been published so go grab your copy today!
July 8, 2023
“Even when I am not actively feeling lonely, I know that loneliness is still in my blood. This is what frightens me most of all.”
The Shape of Sound is a beautiful piece of literature about deafness and the ways in which the world is different based on your hearing ability. Told through vignettes of varying length, Murphy recounts her childhood struggling to focus and learn in class and how privileged she was to have a mother who sat with her often to make sure she had the best possible learning experience. However, with most hearing parents, her mother was unaware of Deaf culture, and as such, wanted Murphy to blend in so that she could have as normal a life as possible.
But as Murphy grew older, she found herself becoming fatigued and irritable. It wasn't until she began researching and learning Auslan, Australian Sign Language, that she discovered her deafness wasn't the weakness or disability she thought it was. She might have been losing her hearing--but she was gaining her deafness. She was gaining insight into a world with less sound and discusses all the ways in which she navigated her world.
When trying on hearing aids, sound suddenly became three-dimensional. She even discovered that those who had natural hearing progression as they aged didn't wear their hearing aids in droves. Moreso, as she worked largely in health care and attended patients, she discovered that many patients were thought to have Dementia rather than deafness--and were unfortunately locked in the Dementia ward, further isolated.
The amount of effort it took for Murphy to follow conversations, ensuring that the lighting was good, there was little background noise, and that she could face all participants so she could lipread all amounted to intense concentration that led to headaches and fatigue. But when she began learning Auslan, she discovered that there was an easier way to interact with others, a more expressive way. But even then, she struggled, as Auslan, just like ASL, is largely expressive. How can one be expressive when they have spent their whole lives making themselves smaller?
Still, each and every part of Murphy's journey was incredibly eye-opening. I consider myself knowing a little more than the average person on deafness on account of the literature I read and the classes I've taken, but even still, there was a LOT I didn't know. Which, of course, could be said about many things I take an interest in! The wealth of information (and there's a resources section in the back!) was staggering, at times depressing, but mostly awesome. It's inspired me to take another ASL 101 class and get back on track!
The Shape of Sound is a beautiful piece of literature about deafness and the ways in which the world is different based on your hearing ability. Told through vignettes of varying length, Murphy recounts her childhood struggling to focus and learn in class and how privileged she was to have a mother who sat with her often to make sure she had the best possible learning experience. However, with most hearing parents, her mother was unaware of Deaf culture, and as such, wanted Murphy to blend in so that she could have as normal a life as possible.
But as Murphy grew older, she found herself becoming fatigued and irritable. It wasn't until she began researching and learning Auslan, Australian Sign Language, that she discovered her deafness wasn't the weakness or disability she thought it was. She might have been losing her hearing--but she was gaining her deafness. She was gaining insight into a world with less sound and discusses all the ways in which she navigated her world.
When trying on hearing aids, sound suddenly became three-dimensional. She even discovered that those who had natural hearing progression as they aged didn't wear their hearing aids in droves. Moreso, as she worked largely in health care and attended patients, she discovered that many patients were thought to have Dementia rather than deafness--and were unfortunately locked in the Dementia ward, further isolated.
The amount of effort it took for Murphy to follow conversations, ensuring that the lighting was good, there was little background noise, and that she could face all participants so she could lipread all amounted to intense concentration that led to headaches and fatigue. But when she began learning Auslan, she discovered that there was an easier way to interact with others, a more expressive way. But even then, she struggled, as Auslan, just like ASL, is largely expressive. How can one be expressive when they have spent their whole lives making themselves smaller?
Still, each and every part of Murphy's journey was incredibly eye-opening. I consider myself knowing a little more than the average person on deafness on account of the literature I read and the classes I've taken, but even still, there was a LOT I didn't know. Which, of course, could be said about many things I take an interest in! The wealth of information (and there's a resources section in the back!) was staggering, at times depressing, but mostly awesome. It's inspired me to take another ASL 101 class and get back on track!
January 11, 2024
This review needs some context first. I harbour a deep love and appreciation for independent bookstores. I have shaped myself as a reader and I love that about myself. Those little independent bookstores, that hold the books you won’t find anywhere else, are proof that reading is more than just ‘Booktok’ or something everyone adds on their new year’s resolution list (if I have to hear one more person say they wish they were a reader, or tell me that they read Billy B Brown as a kid). These bookstores carve a place for me. So naturally, I spend hours and methodically go through every shelf and aisle before I land on something that I’m not going to find anywhere else.
So it comes with a very big surprise that I took about one step into one of my favourite independent bookstores of all time (Ironbird Bookstore in Port Fairy), saw this on display and bought it without even reading the blurb. It took less than 2 minutes and everyone was so shocked.
The Shape of Sound met every expectation of mine. It deepened my understanding of deafness and provided an experience that I hadn’t really considered of being ‘half deaf’ and ‘half hearing’.
I don’t read a lot of non-fiction so the early childhood anecdotes at the start of the book frustrated me a little. It was only untll later that I realised the connection.
Overall, this book was very good and well-researched. We need to create space for Deaf authors and Deaf content. I hope in my lifetime I contribute meaningfully and respectfully to the community.
So it comes with a very big surprise that I took about one step into one of my favourite independent bookstores of all time (Ironbird Bookstore in Port Fairy), saw this on display and bought it without even reading the blurb. It took less than 2 minutes and everyone was so shocked.
The Shape of Sound met every expectation of mine. It deepened my understanding of deafness and provided an experience that I hadn’t really considered of being ‘half deaf’ and ‘half hearing’.
I don’t read a lot of non-fiction so the early childhood anecdotes at the start of the book frustrated me a little. It was only untll later that I realised the connection.
Overall, this book was very good and well-researched. We need to create space for Deaf authors and Deaf content. I hope in my lifetime I contribute meaningfully and respectfully to the community.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2024
There's a review on the cover saying "I devoured this in a day" - that's respectable to me, as someone who will blaze through a good book in a day. But I found myself having the opposite experience with this book; frequently I would slow down my mental pace or set the book down for a minute to let it soak in. If I were to pick out a list of quotes from this book that deeply impacted or resonated with me, I would reprint the book in its entirety. Growing up just deaf enough for it to be isolating, but not enough for it to be "deserving" of accommodations like school modifications or disability benefits, Fiona puts words to feelings that have embedded themselves in my soul since I was a child, that have introduced themselves to me during my recent exploration of my own identity as a Deaf person, and holds my hand into some new perspectives I had never thought about before, all with a writing style that feels at once deeply candid and carefully worded. Even living across the world, some of her anecdotes could have been translated over to the US just by changing around business and government names. If you're hard of hearing or have a loved one who is, I'm certain you'll see yourself reflected in this book, in ways you may not even realize.
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