Barnes & NobleThe Sign for Home- A Novel by Blair Fell

A coming-of-independence story

With July being Disability Pride Month, it was the incentive I needed to finally read The Sign For Home. I finished it a few days ago and I’m still trying to figure out how to describe this wonderful book. It’s about a young man (Arlo, 23) who is DeafBlind (he’s still got a smidge of vision in one eye but not much). You could consider it a coming-of-age or a coming-of-independence story, as his horizons are broadened over the summer by taking a writing course at the local community college and having a new, second interpreter help him because of this (Cyril). There’s an underlying theme of a lost first love but this is most definitely not a romance novel. Arlo has been raised as part of the Jehovah’s Witness community and perhaps that’s why I put off reading it for so long - not sure. (I tend to get upset with stories of what most people consider extreme religious groups and this story reinforced my feelings.) The people caring for Arlo lied to him a lot and denied him access that other DeafBlind people have, because of their religious beliefs. Example: they limited his internet access because they worried for his soul. Cyril is also a very interesting character, with his own issues. He’s been interpreting for the Deaf for a long time, but he’s not that experienced with interpreting for the DeafBlind. (He gets really good at it!) He’s also gay and when Arlo’s guardian and regular interpreter discover this, they are none too happy. The writing professor is another great character, as is Cyril’s friend Hanne. The author used a different style of writing for Arlo and for Cyril. When it’s Arlo’s POV, the story is written in second person past. When it’s Cyril’s POV, it’s written in first person past. It took me a bit to get used to it, but the technique worked very well. Arlo has had a lot of trauma in his young life and this is a very emotional story. You also learn A LOT about the Deaf community and the smaller DeafBlind community. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was rather late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The audio was narrated by the author and he did a great job with the various voices and accents.