Centered on a young girl who inexplicably stops speaking, December is a riveting and insightful portrait of a family in crisis.Nine months after eleven-year-old Isabelle suddenly fell silent, her parents, Wilson and Ruth, are at their wits' end. And what began as self-protection has spiraled beyond Isabelle's control; she has become trapped in her silence, horrified by the pain she is causing and terrified of losing her old self to this cold young girl she barely recognizes. Isabelle must confront her overwhelming anger and love for her family, a cast of charming yet dangerous characters, and her own fears, before finally finding her voice.
December
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Like her 2006 debut, Fireworks, Winthrop's second novel focuses on the turmoil wrought by the loss of a child. Although Wilson and Ruth Carter's 11-year-old daughter, Isabelle, is very much alive, she hasn't spoken in nine months, an elective muteness brought on by no known trauma. Her silence confounds her parents, a series of psychiatrists and her Manhattan private school, which, by December, is losing patience with her. Ruth, a successful lawyer, pores over Isabelle's past actions and sketchbooks for hidden meanings; Wilson, a well-meaning but often bumbling father who still views his preteen daughter as a little girl, is convinced that action, not analysis, will cure Isabelle. Isabelle herself, whom Winthrop introduces skillfully through a shifting third-person omniscient narrative, is most intriguing: keenly self-aware but unable to help herself, alternating between resentment and adoration for her parents, Isabelle is in many ways simply a preadolescent to the nth degree. Like budding artist Isabelle, Winthrop is a master of observation, and her ability to crystallize themes in particular vignettes (fixing a broken phonograph, buying Christmas presents) brings this affecting family drama vividly to life. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School—Isabelle, 11, has not spoken in 280 days and her doting parents are frantic with worry. The girl enjoys a comfortable life in a Manhattan apartment and a country-weekend cottage and is enrolled in private school. Her silence is not the result of trauma and has no physical cause. Several psychologists have given up on "fixing" her, and her school threatens to cut her loose if she does not return to normalcy. Ruth, a somewhat controlling mother, hangs on to the hope that a new psychologist will unravel the mystery through Isabelle's drawings. Wilson holds on to the hope that action will cure his daughter's silence—hang the swing, clean the garage, cut the Christmas tree, travel to Africa. The plot is at first revealed through the parents' point of view and could almost be considered a mystery, complete with red herrings. (Will the deaf neighbor boy trigger Isabelle to speak? Has she inherited crazy Uncle Jimmy's tendency to mental problems?) Only when the story switches to the protagonist's point of view do readers begin to understand what is going on. December is a hauntingly quiet domestic drama, full of evocative language and agonizing emotional scenes. The looming demise of an old apple tree and of a cancer-stricken dog hint at the loss of a childhood. Isabelle's quiet, stubborn rebellion should appeal to teens.—Paula Dacker, Charter Oak High School, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By Marjorie
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
What happens to a family when their only child decides to stop talking? As the fifth psychiatrist to which her parents bring 11-year old Isabelle says, there is nothing clinically wrong. Yet, he explains, her silence "is not because she does not want to speak." This second, and beautifully written, novel by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop sensitively examines how all of the family members struggle to cope with the silence that Isabelle has imposed upon herself as she, and they, struggle to bring her out of it. I found myself pulled into the family, rooting for each of the imperfect people in it to find a way to work through the situation.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
And My words Like Silent Raindrops Fell and Echoed in the Sounds of Silence
July 25, 2008
By Carol A. Sym
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This very realistic novel, December, by Winthrop is a mirror into the lives of a family facing a crisis of silence. The characters are very human and very true to life. The father tries to cope by losing himself to tasks,by keeping busy. The mother looks for ways to break through the walls of silence with psychiatrists and art. The child , so sensitive and intelligent, is coping with her stresses in a tomb of silence.
The book portrays the achingly real conflict of a child, who appears to be spoiled and willful, but who is actually a gentle soul caught up in a nature so fragile and sensitive that it requires the isolation of silence to cope. Any family going through parenting problems of any kind will relate to the love, sadness and frustration that December so realistically portrays.
The book portrays the achingly real conflict of a child, who appears to be spoiled and willful, but who is actually a gentle soul caught up in a nature so fragile and sensitive that it requires the isolation of silence to cope. Any family going through parenting problems of any kind will relate to the love, sadness and frustration that December so realistically portrays.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By N. Canavan
Format:Hardcover
I enjoyed this book for many reasons! It is well written and she takes you down many paths, that much like life, work or don't. I felt as if I were spying on these people!
However I was impressed with her story of the girls silence. My daughter has Selective Mutism and is frequently placed in situations where she wants to talk but can not. I felt like this author completely understood my daughter, in ways even I do not, and captured the paraylsis of it! The story is not about why is silent - the story is about that she IS silent - brilliant! And her ability to capture the parents frustration over this condition yet immense desire to solve it - it is literally like stepping into someone's shoes and experincing their life with this problem. I am flummoxed how she could understand this condition so well. Bravo! A beautiful story that captures a perplexing tussle with life!
However I was impressed with her story of the girls silence. My daughter has Selective Mutism and is frequently placed in situations where she wants to talk but can not. I felt like this author completely understood my daughter, in ways even I do not, and captured the paraylsis of it! The story is not about why is silent - the story is about that she IS silent - brilliant! And her ability to capture the parents frustration over this condition yet immense desire to solve it - it is literally like stepping into someone's shoes and experincing their life with this problem. I am flummoxed how she could understand this condition so well. Bravo! A beautiful story that captures a perplexing tussle with life!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
sounded better than it was
without spoiling the book for those who want to read it, i can only say that this book left a lot of things unexplained. it was a supreme let down. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ad-Roc
4.0 out of 5 stars
Closely written depiction of a troubled family
This is an intricately detailed novel covering only a few days in real time and,in a way, it's actually kind of too realistic. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Meaghan Good
5.0 out of 5 stars
summer reading
this book is on the summer reading list if you live in georgia and are entering tenth grade this year. i have not read this book
Published 9 months ago by SHAWNEE ROHDENBURG
2.0 out of 5 stars
what?
What a strange book, Isabelle wouldn't talk and then, finally, she would. Or maybe couldn't then could, or didn't then did. What am I missing? did I miss the reason? Read more
Published 19 months ago by linda
1.0 out of 5 stars
Shattered Silence
I agree with the other U.S. reviewers who felt this story lacked insight. Although well written, it lagged in places. Isabelle, 11 has stopped speaking in early 2006. Read more
Published on November 23, 2009 by BeatleBangs1964
2.0 out of 5 stars
No "there" there.
A well written novel without insight. Isabelle has stopped speaking. Her parents have sent her to five psychiatrists. They have no insight into themselves or into her. Read more
Published on September 27, 2009 by Paprikash
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disagree with other reviewers
I agree that this book is initially very engaging...BUT, I was terribly disappointed in the ending! What a letdown; it ruined the rest of the book for me! Read more
Published on April 1, 2009 by Robert C. Gray
5.0 out of 5 stars
donzi
The product that I purchased arrived exactly in the condition that it was represented as. I was very pleased with my purchase!
Published on April 1, 2009 by Donna N. Hassinger
3.0 out of 5 stars
Descriptively written but a disappointing storyline
If you love a story with lots of description, this book will not let you down. The author has a way of making the everyday events in the lives of her characters very interesting. Read more
Published on March 21, 2009 by Christie
2.0 out of 5 stars
What a waste of time!!!
It sounded interesting and then I kept waiting for something to happen to justify this young girls silence....I then started skipping pages... Read more
Published on March 3, 2009 by Josette Smith
