The Sign for Home

A Novel

By: Blair Fell

Narrated by: Blair Fell

Longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

When a young DeafBlind man learns the girl he thought was lost forever might still be out there, he embarks on a life-changing journey to find her—and his freedom.

Arlo Dilly is young, handsome, and eager to meet the right girl. He also happens to be DeafBlind, a Jehovah’s Witness, and under the strict guardianship of his controlling uncle. His chances of finding someone to love seem slim to none.

And yet, it happened once before: Many years ago, at a boarding school for the Deaf, Arlo met the love of his life—a mysterious girl with onyx eyes and beautifully expressive hands which told him the most amazing stories. But tragedy struck, and their love was lost forever.

Or so Arlo thought.

After years trying to heal his broken heart, Arlo is assigned a college writing assignment which unlocks buried memories of his past. Soon he wonders if the hearing people he was supposed to trust have been lying to him all along, and if his lost love might be found again.

No longer willing to accept what others tell him, Arlo convinces a small band of misfit friends to set off on a journey to learn the truth. After all, who better to bring on this quest than his gay interpreter and wildly inappropriate Belgian best friend? Despite the many forces working against him, Arlo will stop at nothing to find the girl who got away and experience all of life’s joyful possibilities.

©2022 Blair Fell. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Heartfelt and Uplifting

Such a satisfying read! I learned so much about the world of living as a deaf blind person and the interpreters who help them. At times heartbreaking, funny and thrilling, this is a feel-good story all will enjoy.

Beautifully written, beautiful story

By chance I read "True Biz" about six months ago so I had been introduced to the
deaf community. When this book came my way, I was more than ready to jump
in to another story about what it's like to be blind and blind deaf and yet with so
much seemingly working against them they flourish and share their intelligence
with the world. This book is the best book I have read in a long time. Loved it!

Unique and Touching

Read this beautiful love story. The characters are diverse and engaging. It’s a intriguing introduction to the deaf/blind hero’s.

Loved this story!

Great read! One of those books that is so good you don’t want it to end or you want to read a sequel so you know what happens to Arlo, Molly, Hanna and Cyril.

Wow

This book is amazing. I never would have found it if it wasn’t a daily deal. The story is so compelling. It deals with love, friendship, family, control, adversity, happiness, disappointment, ethics and more. It made me think about the ways we communicate and it gave me a better understanding of the accessibility challenges faced by the deaf and deaf blind. The story is expertly told from two viewpoints: that of a young deaf blind man and that of his new interpreter. I became completely immersed in this fascinating story.

Wow! Champ!

This book is SO good. In fact my only complaint is the cover art. Not because it isn’t good art but because it makes the book look like a lighthearted meet-cute RomCom but this book is so much more than that. I feel that the author did a good job researching the lives of DeafBlind men and women and the deaf community at large and represented, in emotional detail, how this community can be stifled by the sighted hearing people around them. In no way am I assuming I know the difficulties of this community, but I feel that this author did a good job even showing a small amount of that struggle for independence. Also, I suspect that the author was the only one who could have narrated this book and gotten the language correct. He did an excellent job. Read this, it is worth it.

I loved this book!

I am usually reluctant to read a book narrated by the author but decided to take a chance and boy am I glad I did! What a great job he did narrating this amazing and uplifting story. I could hardly stop listening I was so captivated.

Informative and emotional listen

I almost did not stay with this listen as it was so sad and kind of made me angry. But it was so well written and narrated that I wanted to find out the story. I liked learning about the deaf blind community and how they navigate the world. Although there was a HEA I did find it to be sad. I recommend this listen!

Amazing

This book was like nothing else I've ever read or listened to. I absolutely loved it!
The story perfectly paced & the character development was wonderful.

Love This Book

So glad I found this book. A great insight into the life of an ASL interpreter and his client. It brings to light the struggle for their independence and the horrible way they are often treated. Job well done! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!