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Vendor
Fritz Agency
Christian Dittus
Original language
English

THE SHAPE OF SOUND

Fiona Murphy

Fiona Murphy's memoir about being deaf is a revelation.

Secrets are heavy, burdensome things. Imagine carrying a secret that if exposed could jeopardise your chances of securing a job and make you a social outcast. Fiona Murphy kept her deafness a secret for over twenty-five years.

But then, desperate to hold onto a career she'd worked hard to pursue, she tried hearing aids. Shocked by how the world sounded, she vowed never to wear them again. After an accident to her hand, she discovered that sign language could change her life, and that Deaf culture could be part of her identity.

Just as Fiona thought she was beginning to truly accept her body, she was diagnosed with a rare condition that causes the bones of the ears to harden. She was steadily losing her residual hearing. The news left her reeling.

Blending memoir with observations on the healthcare industry, The Shape of Sound is a story about the corrosive power of secrets, stigma and shame, and how deaf experiences and disability are shaped by economics, social policy, medicine and societal expectations.

This is the story of how Fiona learns to listen to her body.

Fiona Murphy is an award-winning writer, editor and podcaster. The Shape of Sound, is her first full-length
work.
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Published 2021-04-01 by Text Publishing

Comments

"Illuminating and an absolute breath of fresh air Murphy's attention to detail and her emphasis on language and language choices has really shone a light on how words and intentions matter .This book is such a gift." — 3RRR "The range of imagery, as well as the poetry and precision of Murphy's writing...sparkles like morning light on a diamond ring. The loveliness of her writing does not obscure the seriousness of her subject." — Sydney Review of Books "Murphy's work [asks] whether society can learn to mediate its needs and aversions, its desires and fears, according to the demands of those whose lives have often been ignored." — Sydney Morning Herald / Age "Murphy's writing is clear, spacious and unaffected, but also contains passages of heartbreaking lyricism...It's an invigorating and thought-provoking achievement, as testimony and as literature." — Saturday Paper "Murphy writes incisively about the built environment, exploring how our health and wellbeing are significantly impacted by the design of our cities, suburbs and streetscapes. In a repudiation of the shame Murphy felt about her deafness, The Shape of Sound is about gaining deafness through culture and community." — Melbourne Writers Festival "Tender, honest, poetic, and intellectually rigorous all at once. Murphy's ability to blend everyday observation with critical theory and research on disability is a feat. This book punches well above its weight as a memoir – at once personal and political, humorous and serious." — Better Read Than Dead "[Fiona Murphy] attends in fascinating detail to the body's autonomy, and the physical stages of sound...The Shape of Sound's compelling approach to sound, society, and disability contains the means to experience the world and the body in a deeper way." — ArtsHub "A powerful exploration of how social, political and economic factors shape the way we perceive and engage with disability Fiona's writing is beautiful and she skilfully breaks down preconceived ideas about sound Incredibly compelling." — Good Reading "Compelling and insightful A thoughtful, generous and deeply honest book about sound and silence, secrets and community." — Weekend West

Review Praise