Book review: Jellyfish Have No Ears

By Sylvia, Peer Support Volunteer

This book by Adèle Rosenfeld was shortlisted for the 2023 prestigious Goncourt Prize for a first novel and translated from French into English by the award-winning translator, Jeffrey Zuckerman.

The unusual title and the subject matter, a young woman, deaf from birth facing the decision of whether to have a cochlear implant or not, aroused my curiosity.  I therefore ordered a copy and delved into the world of Louise, through her relationships with friends, her mother and the workplace.

Thought-provoking

The chapters are short and engaging, providing relevant and thought-provoking details without excessive use of description. Her clever use of metaphor from the opening chapter has the effect of drawing the reader into her thought processes.

No one with hearing loss would fail to identify with Louise’s deteriorating hearing and the inability to turn sounds into meaning. Sentences become an incomprehensible language and give way to a rising sense of fear. She illustrates such situations so deftly and often with a dry sense of humour. The hospital appointments and the enormous challenge of her first job, give the reader a very clear idea of the demands that Louise is facing on a daily basis. She copes with the support of friends and a mysterious soldier about whom I will divulge no more.

Sympathy for hearing loss

It is impossible not to feel sympathy for Louise as she negotiates negativity and discrimination at work and questions where she stands in terms the hearing and deaf worlds.  After one particularly wearing day at work, she visits the visits the National Museum of Natural History. It is here that she learns that jellyfish have no ears leaving her to reflect on its implications with regard to herself.

It goes without saying, that to have a cochlear implant requires a conviction that it is the right choice for each and every eligible individual. Louise’s reasoning struck a chord with me, as I went through a similar process before opting out for the time being. I will not let slip what decision she made, only that she did so following much soul searching, without simply succumbing to the opinion of the medical profession.

It is a refreshingly different portrayal of living with hearing loss and its consequential impact on well being.