After Zero

Elise has always been homeschooled by her distant mother until she finally convinces her mother to send her to middle school.  At first, Elise is thrilled.  She finally gets to be a normal girl. 

But things start going wrong.  She doesn't know to raise her hand in class.  She says the wrong things that alienate her from her classmates.  She soon convinces herself to talk less.  If she's not talking, she can't give the wrong answer to a teacher or say the wrong thing to a classmate. 

She begins keeping track of how many words she says each day in a notebook.  Can she get by with five words?  Fewer?  Soon, the silence begins to take over, and she finds it almost impossible to speak even when she wants to.  Plus, she's not sleeping at night making her irritable and tired during the day.

Then she makes a shocking discovery about her own family, that sends her spiraling out of control.  The silence started as a way to go unnoticed, but now everyone is making judgments about her, and Elise can't defend herself.

Christina Collins's new novel is a heartbreaking story about a young girl's struggle with anxiety and sleep-deprived hallucinations. Selective mutism is an interesting and often misunderstood issue inspired by the author's own childhood experiences.  I always enjoy a book with an unreliable narrator.  Savvy readers will quickly realize Elise's perceptions are off, but it may take younger readers a while to catch on adding a layer of mystery to the story.  Recommended.