Suspenseful Murder Mystery — Main Character Has Hyperacusis

Here is an idea for a Christmas gift! Or even just a present for yourself.

British author Linda Stratmann, who herself has suffered from hyperacusis and tinnitus for many years, writes Victorian murder mysteries. In "The Children of Silence" the main character has hyperacusis, and the condition plays directly into the plot.

A great read for anyone, with or without hyperacusis, but if your family members read it they will gain a better understanding of hyperacusis while they enjoy a suspenseful murder mystery.

https://www.amazon.com/Children-Silence-Frances-Doughty-Mysteries/dp/0750960108/

The summary from Amazon:

"London 1881: When a body is found in the Paddington canal basin, a woman with a hearing impairment claims that the remains are those of her missing husband, who disappeared three years ago. Unable to prove her case, she appeals to Frances Doughty, the lady detective, to investigate. In this, her fifth case, Frances soon learns that the missing man has secrets of his own, and, when another body is discovered and a witness is viciously attacked, it becomes clear that she must choose her allies wisely."

The dedication of the book reads:

"This book is dedicated to all who suffer from hyperacusis and those who are working to make their lives better."

 

I'm not sure if I would find it funny to receive this as a gift, or if I would cry and cut myself .

 

It actually is a terrific novel, I have read it - anyone who likes Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie probably would enjoy this quite a bit. Plus you can even pick up tips on how to manage hyperacusis from the main character!

 

Is T mentioned at all?

 

I don't recall about T, if it was mentioned, it was not a big part of the story.

The author has tinnitus in addition to hyperacusis.

The plot of the book revolves primarily around hyperacusis - the main character's doctors do not believe her, they do not think it is a real condition, they think she is crazy and want to put her in an institution. Even though the book is set in the year 1881, no a whole lot has changed since then...

 

Did the doctor provide TRT/CBT in 1881 ?

 

Yes, an in-ear delivery through a brass tube, via a cylinder gramophone worn on the head like a large mechanical hat. Very steampunk.

 

Thanks a lot for this suggestion !

 

Mr. T has a cameo only.

 

I envy the fool who never knows the pain of T and H.

 

Ah the good ol' days. The cool and debonair George Peppard died young at 65. Believe Mr. T is still kicking tho.

 

It's no mystery that tinnitus is a killer.

 

I really like the idea of including hearing issues in fictional stories. Why not ? If more writers / directors / singers did it, it would greatly benefit to awareness.

Most authors don't care about hearing issues awareness though, that's true. But you can develop great plots around this condition.

 

While we're on this topic, I think John Porcellino has written about his hyperacusis in his autobiographical comics. I know he has a book out called The Hospital Suite that is about all the healh problems he endured in the 90's to the early 00's. I haven't read it myself but I'm pretty sure it deals partly with his H. Now he says his hyperacusis is 90% improved (no idea what he did to improve though).

 

Here's an interview with John from 2007 where he talks a bit about his hyperacusis.
https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/press/2007/08/john-porcellino-interviewed-express
He states here that he is 80% improved but in a tumblr post from 2014 regarding the ABC 20/20 segment about H he is stating that he is 90% improved.

 

That's fascinating to find artists who tell about it and are not ashamed (not like some singers who always try to minimize their T). Thank you guys.

 

Stephin Merrit (lead singer and songwriter in The Magnetic Fields) is another artist who has hyperacusis and isn't ashamed of it. However, he only have it in one ear and it may be quite mild since he still can play music and sing, altough they only do acoustic gigs nowadays because of his H.

 

Great, writing an article with all these artists with H would be funny and useful.