Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Not a Word

AUTHOR:  Dawn Sister

PUBLISHER:  Beaten Track Publishing

LENGTH:  133 pages

RELEASE DATE:  August 31, 2018

BLURB:

Niall doesn’t speak to his neighbours. He doesn’t speak to anyone. Avoiding conversation is easier than the pity and impatience he senses from everyone the moment he opens his mouth and nothing comes out. Since he split up with his partner years before, he hasn’t had much to do with anyone and that has suited him just fine. He has his dog, Zen, for company. Zen doesn’t care that Niall can’t get through an entire sentence without stuttering. Zen is all Niall needs. And that’s how it would have stayed until the day a new neighbour moves in next door.

Zak is Niall’s exact opposite—twenty-three years Niall’s junior, bubbly, gregarious and never shuts up. His arrival fills Niall’s quiet life with constant noise and constant company. Zen appears to have defected, and Zak doesn’t seem to even notice that Niall rarely speaks. Gradually, Zak’s endless patience brings Niall out of his shell. To Niall’s surprise, he suddenly has a friend, a confidante and perhaps something more.

And he didn’t even have to say a word.

REVIEW:

Not a Word is an utterly delightful, opposites-attract romance. The low-key humor generated lots of chuckles and kept me smiling from cover to cover. I shed a few sad tears here and there, too, but if ever there was a feel-good story, this is it. It’s one of three quirky books I recently discovered, and will be reviewing, by new-to-me author, Dawn Sister. Boy oh boy, do I adore her storytelling. All three are sweet and enchanting with unique plots and unforgettable characters.

Grouchy Niall doesn’t quite know what to make of his new neighbor, twenty-three-year-old Zak, who has recently moved with his mother to England from San Diego. Niall does his best to avoid conversation with anyone because of his frustrating and exhausting stutter. He’s content just conversing with his spirited Jack Russell, Zen, who doesn’t think Niall is broken like many people do. But when Zak shows up on his doorstep, his non-stop motor mouth makes it hardly noticeable that Niall isn’t speaking.

Loquacious Zak is an adorable, effervescent character. He begins to visit Niall multiple times a day to return Zen the Escape Dog who keeps digging under their shared fence and vanishing into Zak’s yard. Niall has gotten quite comfy with the routine and looks forward to Zak’s visits. Without an invite, Zak just plows on through the front door, past Niall, and into the kitchen without stopping to breathe among all the words coming out of his mouth.

Zen seems to like Zak better, or is at least relishes having two attentive care takers. Niall’s not jealous, though, it just means Zak has to bring him home more. Soon, Niall thinks maybe he’s made a new friend who doesn’t think he’s rude or has a mental problem. In fact, Zak doesn’t bat an eye or seem even slightly fazed by Niall’s grunts, stammers, and inability to string two words together. Instead of feeling like Zak has invaded his life, it’s like he’s filling an emptiness Niall didn’t even know existed.

“It’s a bit of a novelty having someone visit who actually wants to be here, and Zak’s constant, unconditional chatter is quite refreshing.”

Zak’s mother decided to leave San Diego and move back to England after his father died. But Zak’s life was completely uprooted, leaving behind college and friends, and most importantly, all the positive reminders and connections to his dad. Niall thinks all of Zak’s chatter is hiding his grief and a fragility that goes unnoticed by others.

They grow closer day after day, one visit and one dog walk at a time. Their relationship is a slow burn, creeping up on them at the speed of snail, despite the many hints Zak drops. Niall and Zak don’t manage to have a heart to heart and hash out their feelings for each other, though, because, well, “it would take me a year to ask all those questions and, because of his tendency to use a hundred words where one would suffice, another year for him to answer.”

In the most amusing sequence in the book, Zak implements a months-long campaign of “stealth relocation” to Niall’s home. A toothbrush appears, then shampoo, and his clothes show up in Niall’s laundry basket. He’s sleeping on the couch and gradually moves himself into a spare bedroom. Soon after, this slow-burn story comes to a head (so to speak) and the relationship is passionately consummated.

Niall and Zak’s love story is perfectly captured within the book’s 133 pages. It’s an ideal single sitting novella that never feels incomplete or underdeveloped. I highly recommend this sweet and comedic comfort read.

RATING: 

BUY LINK: 

Amazon