Romance might be a popular genre, but a lack of originality, unlikeable characters, and superficiality are all common criticisms of the genre. Readers looking for a novel that breaks away from these, and fans of a romance that creeps up on them, may find their next read in Anna Sortino’s Give Me a Sign.
The story is centered on hard-of-hearing teenager, Lilah, who becomes a junior counselor at the Deaf and Blind summer camp she went to as a camper, Camp Grey Wolf. Surrounded by a community of hearing people with her school and even in her family, Lilah struggles with her ASL, being a leader for the campers, and her identity as a part of the deaf community.
Lilah and the love interest, Isaac, were able to overcome their initial language barriers and readers were with them every step of the way, strengthening the believability of their relationship. Often, it read as if Lilah was confiding in the reader, sharing much of her thoughts and experiences which help enhance the reading experience.
To help readers understand when signing is happening, italics are used creating a sense of pride when readers realize how much Lilah has been able to learn and can now communicate. Despite the creativity behind the story, common romance tropes emerged such as friends-to-lovers, the setting itself (summer camp), and love triangles, though those quickly took a backseat in the story.
On the other hand, despite the characters all being mostly a part of one community, the characters were diverse, each in a different part of their journey of identity. But whether they were a hearing YouTuber and student hoping to become an interpreter, a young isolated camper with little to no knowledge of ASL (similar to Lilah and her brother) or a trilingual, fully deaf counselor like Isaac who rejected cochlear implants and hearing aids, each played a part in the story and all belonged.
Give Me a Sign was unique, with a main character that wasn’t as perfect as some romance critics object to. With her main struggle being within herself, in the way others perceived her, Lilah was flawed, but in a realistic way allowing Sortino to successfully write a contemporary romance with lovable characters and just the right mix of informative and fun.
