What the Boy Hears When the Girl Dreams, by Graeme Friedman, is an absorbing account of twelve-year-old Finn Townsend’s imagination and hyperacusis. Through Finn’s eyes, the reader visualizes a somewhat stream-of-consciousness picture of this boy’s life. Friedman creatively depicts a vivid picture of the world as a preteen boy views it, imaginative, sporadic, and vibrant. Finn’s inquisitive imagination gives him the courage to investigate subjects he knows little to nothing about.

While thrown off by the lack of quotation marks, the dialogue is rich and carries the story well. Friedman’s prose effortlessly draws readers into this captivating story. I became interested in Finn’s point of view symptoms of his “Super-Hearing” and “Dizziness” attacks, as he called them, from a previous head injury from playing football. Finn downplays the symptoms of his hyperacusis, which he uses to his advantage, as his mother frets over them and insists he sees a doctor. 

Also intriguing is the bond formed between the Australian Finn, and Buseje, the African homestay student residing at his home. As the story progresses, Finn admires how Buseje tends to his sprained ankle, then protects him from overhearing a violent fight between his parents. With his super-hearing ability, young Finn takes notes of Buseje’s sleep talk ramblings, helping her to recall what she has forgotten. Together they piece her memory back together.

What the Boy Hears When the Girl Dreams is a riveting young adult story that takes readers through a vivid world as it is seen through a young boy’s imaginative eyes. This is an evocative novel with a creative plot and engrossing characters. 

Pages: 372