Speechless

Facilitated communication is a controversial practice that involves a facilitator supporting the hand of a person who’s disabled and can’t speak, so that they can type instead. Leah Andrews knows it has its detractors, but she believes in it fully and is ready with success stories, including tales of clients she’s helped. It’s no different when she takes on the case of Eliot Martine, a man who’s been uncommunicative since he fell down the stairs at home. His wife Stephanie is hoping to get her husband back in some form, not to mention to get the password to his crypto account. Eliot’s daughters are less excited; they seem to hate Stephanie and doubt that Leah can help at all. But soon Eliot begins to type messages to the family that seem real and include things that only he would know. When he’s alone with Leah, however, he tells her that he desperately needs protection from an abuser. These chapters alternate with the tale of a lonely, naive young woman who’s been swept off her feet by a new love whom readers will see from the outset is sketchy. While the controversy around facilitated communication is a major driver of this plot, the young women characters steal the show, with their inner lives, doubts, and hopes taking center stage. Twists and deception top off the suspense, and you’ll finish this in no time, the pages flying by as a psychological game plays out.—Henrietta Thornton