Love for a Deaf Rebel: Schizophrenia on Bowen Island

Love for a Deaf Rebel introduces readers to Pearl, a vivacious Canadian born into a silent world. With pathos and nostalgia, the hearing author recounts his roller-coaster ride with a deaf maverick, who, unknown to him, had paranoid schizophrenia. We follow their encounters through actual conversations written before the author learned sign language; we go on their motorcycle ride to Guatemala; we watch as the happy couple moves to Bowen Island, a community with just three paved roads, where Pearl and the author marry and build their dream home and hobby farm. They encounter one obstacle after another while building their life together as Pearl’s perception of reality—and, crucially, their perception of each other—begins to change. There are other books about schizophrenia in the family, such as Hidden Valley Road, and deaf–hearing relationships, such as Children of a Lesser God, but none that tells the true story of a woman who struggled with both disabilities, and her final tumultuous romance.

“The turn in events blind-sided me, and the tragedy of the situation made me realise what a privilege and a responsibility I had to convey your thoughts and words as well as possible. I found the book deeply personal and raw, a wonderful window into the world of the deaf. I found my hands moving involuntarily whenever I was voicing deaf characters. As things started to fall apart, I was deeply moved by how personal your account of that time was. By the end of the book, I was choking back my tears and having to re-record lines as I found my voice cracking on the recording. Thank you for trusting me to bring your book, and your journey, to audio.”—Joe Vaz, Narrator