A review by stacyroth
Love for a Deaf Rebel: Schizophrenia on Bowen Island by Derrick King

slow-paced

2.75

<i>Love for a Deaf Rebel</i> is the author’s true story of falling in love with a Deaf woman, whom he later discovered also suffered from schizophrenia.  King has changed people’s names to protect them but tells his experience of falling for Pearl, starting with writing notes to each other.  Derrick goes on to learn sign language to communicate more effectively with Pearl.  We see them fall more in love as the two take a motorcycle trip from Canada to Mexico and Guatemala.  They eventually settle down in a house they bought on Bowen Island, and once there, things start to change. 

It was hard listening to King’s efforts to help his wife when she so clearly was not willing to receive help.  I never quite felt invested in their relationship before things went south.  I think, even more than the relationship between Derrick and Pearl, I was really fascinated by the process of their trying to fix up the house they bought.  It was crazy, the things that happened.  Joe Vaz did a good job narrating the audiobook of the story.  

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.