December

by: Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop

Published by: Vintage Contemporaries (Paper)

Reviewed by Beth Cummings

How does a family cope when their eleven-year-old daughter suddenly ceases to speak? This is the dilemma facing Wilson and Ruth Carter in Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop’s new novel, December. Their daughter, Isabelle, stopped talking at home one day. It didn’t seem like a big deal until it had continued for over a month. Then her school called them in to say that she was no longer speaking at school either.

For almost nine months her private school had allowed Isabelle to do schoolwork at home, but at the start of December, Ruth was given the ultimatum – either Isabelle begins speaking again and attends class as a regular student at the start of January or she will be cut from the class roster. They have taken her to several psychiatrists, yet have no firm diagnosis and no course of action. What can they do?

Isabelle Carter’s inability or unwillingness to speak is an interesting problem. Author Winthrop approaches it from three angles – Wilson’s actions and thoughts, Ruth’s actions and thoughts, and those of Isabelle, herself. These characters are well developed and very believable. Ruth had given up her job as a lawyer to cope with Isabelle, and it takes a major toll on her own self-esteem.

Isabelle starts to think that she no longer has control over the urge to speak. And Wilson struggles to believe that it really is only a temporary condition. The struggle to deal with a peculiar adolescent disorder nearly tears apart the fabric of their family, but they are resilient. While each of the parents becomes more and more despondent, they remain a loving if troubled group. They need the month of December to retrieve their former lives.

I found the book to be very engaging. This would be an excellent book for a group discussion since the problem is somewhat unusual and the characters are so well drawn. I would heartily recommend it to all readers of women’s fiction.

Armchair Interviews says: A wonderful, thought-provoking 5-star read.