Cirrus@Austlit

'For most of her life Jessica Kirkness has traversed the boundary between deaf and hearing cultures, sometimes sitting on the periphery, and other times acting as a bridge between worlds. 

'The House with All of the Lights On tells the story of her grandparents' experience of growing up in a hearing world—one where sign language was banned for much of the 20th Century—and, weaving in her own experience as a hearing child being raised in a family that often struggled to navigate their elders' disability, Jessica provides an insightful account of her family's history and the broader history of deafness in Australia and the UK.

'This journey takes her to sign language classes, to the workplaces of research audiologists, and even back to England where she visits her grandparents' old schools and other family landmarks—all while also navigating the throes of grief, both for the loss of her grandfather during the pandemic and for all the ways her grandparents and their deafness have been so terribly misunderstood.

'The House with All The Lights On captures the universal experience of navigating complex family relationships and beautifully explores the nuances of identity in what is both a memoir and a love letter to those she loves most.' (Publication summary)

'If I were to tell you our story in sign language—the story of my grandparents and me—I’d begin with a single finger touching my chest. My hands would form the signs for ‘grew up’ and then ‘next door’: a flattened palm rising from my torso to eye level; followed by my index finger hooked over my thumb and turned over at the wrist like a key in an ignition. I’d use the signs for ‘my grandparents’: a clenched fist over my heart, and the letter signs ‘G, M, F’ to represent ‘grand-mother-father’. Then, placing two fingers over my right ear, I’d use the sign for ‘deaf’ to refer to them, and to describe myself, I’d use ‘hearing’: a single digit moved from beside the ear to rest below the mouth. I’d stress the closeness of our relationship by interlocking my index fingers in the sign that doubles for ‘link’ or ‘connection’ depending on context. By puffing air from my lips, squinting my eyes slightly, and rocking my looped fingers back and forth, I’d place emphasis on the sign—the duration, direction and intensity of its delivery giving tone and shape to the meaning made.'  (Introduction)