A review by leigh_ann_15_deaf
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende

3.0

Deaf reader reviewing books with deaf characters. 

Surprise deaf character: Lillian, Alma’s aunt, is hard of hearing and takes opium in order to sleep, so could not hear Alma’s nocturnal sobbing. Her deafness doesn’t seem to otherwise impact her. 

Lillian becomes more deaf with age, shouting when she speaks. When she can’t hear voices anymore, she practically becomes psychic—able to guess what people are about to say and responding before they speak. She becomes suddenly blind after her husband’s death and remains independent. 

Also, since Lark House is an old folks’ home, several residents are hard of hearing and use aids, and occasionally become confused by words they don’t hear properly. In another time, an old man who didn’t hear a soldier’s order was murdered near the fence in a Japanese concentration camp (Topaz, UT). These are brief mentions, glimpses of facts, and do not have much bearing on the central characters. It’s nice to have visibility. 

 This book is listed on my ranked list of books with deaf characters:  https://slacowan.com/2023/01/14/ranked-deaf-characters-in-fiction/.