SuitabookOn the Bright Side
Anna Sortino
- Reading
- Read alongside time to pause after difficult school, family or health-related scenes. Discuss whose perspective is centred, what respectful support looks like, and whether the romance changes how each character understands independence and belonging.
- Themes
- Deafness, audism and belonging: Ellie leaves a Deaf school and enters a mainstream school and hearing home, where she encounters ableism and limited understanding of her Deafness. The described treatment clearly positions ableism and audism as harmful obstacles, while making room for Ellie’s anger and self-determination.
- Living with changing disability: Jackson experiences unexplained and worsening bodily symptoms before receiving an MS diagnosis, while people around him initially minimise what is happening. The minimising responses are presented as frustrating and harmful; Jackson’s fear and quiet grief receive serious emotional attention.
- Romance, compassion and self-determination: Ellie and Jackson form a romantic relationship while dealing with communication difficulties, disability-related pressures and different life experiences. Their relationship is described as kind, compassionate and mature, with both characters retaining distinct experiences rather than serving only as inspirational figures.
- Worth knowing
- Consider whether the reader would welcome a story involving repeated ableism, strained family and school relationships, unexplained worsening symptoms, diagnosis, fear, anger and quiet grief. The ending and overall emotional resolution are unclear.