Piper's mum wants her to be 'normal', to pass as hearing and get a good job. But when peak oil hits and Melbourne lurches towards environmental catastrophe, Piper has more important things to worry about, such as how to get food.
When she meets Marley, a CODA (child of Deaf adult), a door opens into a new world - where Deafness is something to celebrate rather than hide, and where resilience is created through growing your own food rather than it being delivered on a truck.
As she dives into learning Auslan, sign language that is exquisitely beautiful and expressive, Piper finds herself falling hard for Marley. But Marley, who has grown up in the Deaf community yet is not Deaf, is struggling to find his place in the hearing world. How can they be together?
Future Girl is the art journal of sixteen-year-old Piper, a visual extravaganza of text, paint, collage and drawings, woven into a deeply engaging coming-of-age story set in near-future Melbourne.
'A life-changing book for young Deaf and disabled people...demonstrating the importance of the #OwnVoices movement.' CARLY FINDLAY, OAM
'Asphyxia's work is brilliant: a deep, original insight, and a book that everyone should read.' JACKIE FRENCH, AM
'Asphyxia tilts the world sideways and invites you to see what was always there. Don't miss this book.' AMIE KAUFMAN
'Future Girl captures the...amazing feeling of belonging to a culture with its own language, community, history and traditions.' DRISANA LEVITZKE-GRAY, Young Australian of the Year 2015
'Beautiful, immersive...a sensory feast.' JACLYN MORIARTY
'I really enjoyed this gorgeous book and related to so many things. That is rare. I can't wait for the world to read Future Girl.' ANNA SEYMOUR
'Future Girl confronts the challenges ahead of us and will open minds and hearts to the possibility of other worlds.' SEAN WILLIAMS
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The art journal of a 16-year-old Deaf girl, this novel is set in near-future Melbourne. It's brilliantly told, and the art work on each page is worth pausing to appreciate.
Reading the novel, and experiencing (albeit 2ndhand) how a deaf person hears is frustrating for all the right reasons. That is, we read the jumble of words and silence that the narrator hears when someone tries to talk to her.
The novel raises questions about understanding, communication, and the contrast between hearing culture and deaf culture. Some of these questions seem to be answered by the novel's end, and others are left--it seems--deliberately open.
This is a wonderful piece of writing, art, and storytelling. I highly recommend it for teen readers and older. - Joshua (QBD)
Guest, 23/04/2021
