''Deafening'' is a 2003 novel written by

Frances Itani Frances Susan Itani, née Hill (born August 25, 1942) is a Canadian fiction writer, poetry, poet and essayist. She is a Member of the Order of Canada. Biography Itani was born in Belleville, Ontario, Belleville, Ontario,

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in the small Ontario town of

Deseronto Deseronto is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, in Hastings County, located at the mouth of the Napanee River on the shore of the Bay of Quinte, on the northern side of Lake Ontario. The town was named for Captain John Deseronto, a nativ ...

, where the O'Neil family owns a hotel. The book follows the story of Grania O'Neil, a girl who lost her hearing when she was five years old as a result of contracting

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...

. The novel follows Grania and her family as they learn to accept and adapt to her as a non-hearing person. The first part of the novel establishes the central role Grania's grandmother, known as "Mamo," plays in helping Grania acquire and understand the language of the hearing world, and in convincing Grania's parent to send her to the School for the Deaf in a nearby city. Though the separation from her family is initially traumatic for Grania, the School for the Deaf opens a world of friendship, opportunity and love for Grania. The second half of the novel alternates between Grania's narrative and that of her young husband, Jim, who becomes a stretcher bearer in the First World War. The novel parallels her struggle with the hearing world with Jim's struggle to survive, in mind and body, the staggering, soul-killing horror of war.

Awards and recognition

* 2004

Commonwealth Writers' Prize Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...

for Best Book (Caribbean & Canada region). * Shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Literary Prize, 2005. * Shortlisted for

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

. * ''Deafening'' was chosen for inclusion in '' Canada Reads 2006'', where it was championed by lawyer and author

Maureen McTeer Maureen Anne McTeer (born February 27, 1952) is a Canadian author and lawyer, married to Joe Clark, the 16th Prime Minister of Canada. Family and education McTeer was born in Cumberland, Ontario, to John and Bea McTeer. Her father taught her an ...

. ''Une coquille de silence'', the French-language translation of ''Deafening'', was chosen for inclusion in '' Le combat des livres 2006'', where it was also championed by McTeer. 2003 Canadian novels Novels set in Ontario Novels set during World War I HarperCollins books Literature about deaf people {{Canada-novel-stub