Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Abby North's first hint that something is really wrong with her dad is how long it's taking him to recover from what she thought was routine surgery. Soon, the thing she calls "It" has a real name: cancer. Before, her biggest concerns were her annoying brother, the crush unaware of her existence, and her changing feelings for her best friend, Spence, the boy across the street. Now, her mother cries in the shower, her father is exhausted, and nothing is normal anymore.(Goodreads.com)
This book is an odd little book, for me anyway. The writing seems very simple. I don't mean this as a criticism, just an observation. In the beginning of the book, when Abby is only twelve, I thought that worked well for her character. But by the end of the book, she is fifteen going on sixteen and I think I expected the writing to reflect this more complex time period in a teen's life. But yet the writing remained very straightforward and to some points, short and to the point, almost terse. This worked well for the mother but it didn't quite convince me of Abby's age. In fact, there were definite points in the story where I didn't feel like I was reading about a teenager at all.
The issue of God and religion was also rather touch and go in this book. Abby's father is agnostic but as his time draws to a close, he renews his faith in religion. This I can buy but it was Abby's spirituality that was more questionable. She talked to God through her magic 8 ball (hence the cover I guess) but at one point in the story, she chucks the magic 8 ball out, not believing in its powers anymore. Religion was used so sparingly with her character that I did not understand the connection or find it believable. God could have easily been her diary she was talking to, this nameless force that barely had any presence in her life other than when it seemed like the author thought it was necessary to invoke a little religion.
Despite these things however, I did enjoy Sign Language because I got to see Abby on her journey, from a twelve-year-old to a sophomore in high school. She went through some very tough things (losing her dad, losing her mom, losing the house she grew up in) but she survived, even if she wasn't always wiser for it. I liked her evolving relationships with her family members, and her best friend, Spence. Even her relationship with her older brother Josh changes in a realistic fashion. Death does draw them together but sibling teasing is still present and accounted for. There was something very real about Abby's grief and even her brief forays into God kind of made sense when put against the backdrop of how grief-stricken she was. This was a coming-of-age story to a certain degree because Abby's life changes and she has to adjust or give up and fortunately, she finds ways to adjust and move forward. Her dad's presence is felt throughout the novel and is a powerful testament to Abby's love for him.
Sign Language didn't leave me breathless but it was an extremely readable novel that will appeal to fans of Lurlene McDaniel, Janet Gurtler, and even Sarah Dessen (who is in fact quoted on the back).
Other reviews:
Fictional Distraction reviews Sign Language
Reviewed from my local library copy.
