The Silence Between Us

Maya is a Deaf teenager whose family relocates across the country. For the first time she has to attend a hearing school, and she finds the hearing culture around her frustrating.

Her eyes are on what comes after graduation, and she keeps them there. Her plans for the future matter to her, and not even an unexpected romance will derail them or shake her sense of her own worth.

This is contemporary young adult fiction with a clean romance at its centre. Maya is a Deaf protagonist, and the book offers an #OwnVoices view of Deaf and Hard of Hearing culture. It deals openly with real-life difficulties: communication problems, strained relationships and complicated families.

The book was named a Schneider Family Book Award Best Teen Honor Book in 2020. Alison Gervais started out on Wattpad. This edition also carries an interview with the author and her commentary on cochlear implants.