'Music is Simon's life—which is why he is devastated when a mini-stroke obliterates his hearing. He resists attempts to help him adjust to his new state, refusing to be counselled, refusing to learn sign language, refusing to have anything to do with deaf culture. Refusing, that is, until he meets G, a tough-as-nails girl dealing with her own hearing loss. In an emotionally compelling tale crackling with originality, Simon's quest to create an entirely new form of music forces him into a deeper understanding of his relationship to the hearing world, of himself, and of the girl he meets along the way.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Teachers' notes from publisher's website.
Writing Disability in Australia
| Type of disability | Deafness. |
| Type of character | Primary. |
| Point of view | Unconfirmed. |
'Most ear issues lean toward vertigo and hearing loss, and doctors will not diagnose a patient with Ménière’s disease unless they experience both. Before my diagnosis, I thought hearing loss meant gaining silence. Since my diagnosis, I’ve gained noise.' (Introduction)
'Sean Williams is a South Australian author who has published more than 50 books and well over 100 short stories for adults, young adults and children. Most of his work is science fiction or fantasy, and he has created several series, including Twinmaker (3 volumes) and The Books of the Change (10 volumes). He often co-authors with writers such as Garth Nix and Shane Dix. Sean is a multiple recipient of both the Ditmar and Aurealis Awards for science fiction and has appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list.
'I got to know Sean when he joined the staff of the English and Creative Writing department at Flinders University in 2019. I was intrigued to hear about Impossible Music (2019), a novel about a young musician who suddenly loses his hearing, and I read it with great enjoyment as soon as I could get my hands on it. When I heard him say in a public conversation that he read Jane Austen for inspiration when writing a realist novel (a new genre for him) I approached him and suggested we talk. I hurriedly read a very small fraction of his other output – the first novels in the Twinmaker and Change series, and Magic Dirt, a book of short stories – in preparation, and we met in his office in December 2019.' (Publication abstract)
'Sean Williams is a South Australian author who has published more than 50 books and well over 100 short stories for adults, young adults and children. Most of his work is science fiction or fantasy, and he has created several series, including Twinmaker (3 volumes) and The Books of the Change (10 volumes). He often co-authors with writers such as Garth Nix and Shane Dix. Sean is a multiple recipient of both the Ditmar and Aurealis Awards for science fiction and has appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list.
'I got to know Sean when he joined the staff of the English and Creative Writing department at Flinders University in 2019. I was intrigued to hear about Impossible Music (2019), a novel about a young musician who suddenly loses his hearing, and I read it with great enjoyment as soon as I could get my hands on it. When I heard him say in a public conversation that he read Jane Austen for inspiration when writing a realist novel (a new genre for him) I approached him and suggested we talk. I hurriedly read a very small fraction of his other output – the first novels in the Twinmaker and Change series, and Magic Dirt, a book of short stories – in preparation, and we met in his office in December 2019.' (Publication abstract)
'Most ear issues lean toward vertigo and hearing loss, and doctors will not diagnose a patient with Ménière’s disease unless they experience both. Before my diagnosis, I thought hearing loss meant gaining silence. Since my diagnosis, I’ve gained noise.' (Introduction)
