Deafening

Deafening
This article is about the fiction book. For the medical condition, see Deafness.
Deafening  
Author(s) Frances Itani
Country Canada
Language English
Genre(s) Novel
Publisher HarperCollins Canada & Kaiser (USA)
Publication date 1 August 2003
Media type Print (Hardback and Paperback) also Audio Book
Pages 378 pp
ISBN ISBN 0-00-200539-5 ISBN 0-87113-902-2
OCLC Number 52375316

Deafening is a 2003 novel written by Frances Itani.

Author Frances Itani brings the reader to a small, pre-World War I Ontario town called Deseronto, 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. 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.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • deafening — deaf en*ing, a. extremely loud; so loud as to cause deafness; as, a disco with rock music played at a deafening volume. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • deafening — very loud, 1590s, from prp. of DEAFEN (Cf. deafen) (q.v.). Deafening silence is attested by 1830 …   Etymology dictionary

  • deafening — deaf en*ing, n. The act or process of rendering impervious to sound, as a floor or wall; also, the material with which the spaces are filled in this process; pugging; sound insulation. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • deafening — index powerful Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • deafening — [adj] very loud at full volume, blaring, booming, ear piercing*, ear popping*, ear splitting*, noisy, ringing, roaring, rowdy, screaming, thunderous, turned up, vociferous; concepts 592,594 …   New thesaurus

  • deafening — [[t]de̱fənɪŋ[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED A deafening noise is a very loud noise. ...the deafening roar of fighter jets taking off. 2) ADJ (emphasis) If you say there was a deafening silence, you are emphasizing that there was no reaction or response to… …   English dictionary

  • deafening — adjective Date: 1597 1. that deafens 2. very loud ; earsplitting < fell with a deafening clap > 3. very noticeable < their silence on the issue was deafening > • deafeningly adverb …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • deafening — deaf|en|ing [ˈdefənıŋ] adj 1.) very loud ▪ a deafening roar 2.) deafening silence a complete silence, when it is uncomfortable or you are expecting someone to say something …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • deafening — Pugging Pug ging, n. [See {Pug}, v. t.] 1. The act or process of working and tempering clay to make it plastic and of uniform consistency, as for bricks, for pottery, etc. [1913 Webster] 2. (Arch.) Mortar or the like, laid between the joists… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Deafening — Deafen Deaf en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Deafened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Deafening}.] [From {Deaf}.] 1. To make deaf; to deprive of the power of hearing; to render incapable of perceiving sounds distinctly. [1913 Webster] Deafened and stunned with their… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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