A Sign of Her Own

Longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction
An empowering story of a young woman's journey to accepting her deaf identity, exploring the hidden history of the deaf community in the invention of the telephone

'Vivid. Eloquent. Offers insight as well as delight' Guardian

'An exquisite portrayal of the lonely dislocation of being deaf in a hearing world' The Times

'Absolutely brilliant. Ellen Lark is unforgettable' Emilia Hart, author of Weyward

'Illuminating. beautifully written' Priscilla Morris, Women's Prize Shortlisted author of Black Butterflies

'Fantastic. Shines a light into a hidden corner of history' Louise Hare author of This Lovely City and Miss Aldridge Regrets

Ellen Lark is on the verge of marriage when she and her fiancé receive an unexpected visit from Alexander Graham Bell.

Ellen knows immediately what Bell really wants from her. Ellen is deaf, and for a time was Bell's student in a technique called Visible Speech. As he instructed her in speaking, Bell also confided in her about his dream of producing a device which would transmit the human voice along a wire: the telephone. Now, on the cusp of wealth and renown, Bell wants Ellen to speak up in support of his claim to the patent to the telephone, which is being challenged by rivals.

But Ellen has a different story to tell: that of how Bell betrayed her, and other deaf pupils, in pursuit of ambition and personal gain, and cut Ellen off from a community in which she had come to feel truly at home. It is a story no one around Ellen seems to want to hear - but there may never be a more important time for her to tell it.

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