Communication

Difficulties in communication are a major theme in the novel, and each of the characters has their own unique struggle with both conveying their inner thoughts and feelings, as well as understanding those of others. Without a doubt, Hanna’s difficulty with speech is the most overt example of this. The Jensens’ struggles to pry words out of their selectively mute daughter continue until the very end of the novel. Hanna’s unwillingness or, as her perspective hints, psychological inability to speak impairs her relationships with everyone around her, from her parents to her classmates. She is unable to express both happiness and frustration, and this brews frustration, particularly between her and her mother. By the novel’s start, Suzette has already adopted a defeatist mindset towards understanding her daughter. “After so many years, she’d lost track of the moments for which she was being...