Books by Month: December

“December paints an unforgettable picture of a family reckoning with a bewildering crisis, and of a critical month in the life of a bright, fascinating girl, locked into an isolation of her own making and from which only she can decide to break free.” –From publisher.

Eleven-year-old Isabelle hasn’t spoken a word in nearly a year. Four psychiatrists have given up on her, declaring her a lost cause, and her school is about to do the same. Her mother is at her wits end with worry and a heavy sense of guilt that this must be all her fault. Her father is ashamed of how uncomfortable and hesitant he is around his daughter because of her silence and how hopeless it makes him feel. Isabelle sees how much her silence is straining her parents’ emotions and patience. She wants to speak, to make the pain she is causing them end, but she has stayed silent too long; speaking now seems an impossibility. However, continuing to live this way cannot be a possibility either, can it?

We don’t really need to be reminded of the importance of words. They are how we communicate, how we relate, how we persuade, how we inspire, how we control, how we demand. We have countless books to learn from, to entertain and soothe ourselves with, but what this author has done is remind us of the importance of the hidden words, the ones not spoken. She reminds us of the importance of our inner worlds, the thoughts and feelings we keep to ourselves, even if they would perhaps be easier to handle if we did share them. Because those thoughts and feelings that we keep secret are the ones we fear set us apart from those around us, fear we will be judged and ostracized for having, but people often have more empathy than we give them credit for. We also assume our mistakes or embarrassment have more impact on others than they actually do. We will always judge ourselves more harshly than others will. And if we would only share those secret, quiet parts of ourselves, maybe we wouldn’t be such a harsh critic either.