Review: The Sign for Drowning by Rachel Stolzman

Anna has grown up haunted by her younger sister’s death. In the life she constructs as a barrier against the emotional wreckage of her family tragedy, Anna settles comfortably into a career as a teacher of deaf children. But a challenge arrives–in the form of a young girl. Adrea’s disarming vulnerability and obvious need for love offer Anna the possibility of reconnecting with the world around her–if she has the courage to open her heart.

In this debut novel, Rachel Stolzman has crafted a moving and poetic witness to love’s power to transcend grief, pain, and the constraints of human language. The Sign for Drowning is a poignant story of loss and the unexpected occasions of grace that enable us to heal from it and grow beyond it.

My Thoughts:

This is a wonderful story of loss and love centered around Anna and her adopted child, Adrea, who is deaf.  Anna witnessed the accidental drowning of her 5 year old sister, Megan, when she was just 8 years old.  Although her family remained intact, Anna and her parents have never fully recovered from the loss.  After the drowning, Anna and her parents begin to drift apart, each grieving, but splintered as a family.  In order to try to communicate with Megan, Anna begins studying American Sign Language.  She grows into an adult and becomes a teacher for hearing-impaired children.

The story is told from Anna’s POV as an adult and her path to healing through the adoption of Adrea, a child who is deaf.  The author intersperses snippets of the past to give us a better sense of Anna and who she is in the present and how she came to be where she is.  We also learn how Adrea came into her life.  There are many beautiful moments in the story between Adrea and Anna that will bring tears to your eyes.  The author is able to capture the raw emotions of Anna as she tries to understand and come to terms with the loss of her sister through the adoption and mothering of Adrea.

This is a beautifully written story and a quick read at only 193 pages, but it’s very raw and emotional.  I recommend it highly.

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