Deafening is a 2003 novel written by Frances Itani. Author Frances Itani brings the reader to a small, pre-World War I Ontario town called Deseronto, where the O'Neil family owns a hotel. The book follows the story of Grania O Neil, a girl who lost her hearing when she was five years old as a result of contracting scarlet fever. The novel follows Grania and her family as they learn to accept and adapt to her as a non-hearing person. The first part of the novel establishes the central role Grani… (More on Deafening)