Grace Williams Says It Loud, By Emma Henderson

New voice sounds full of promise

In her protagonist, Grace Williams, debut novelist Emma Henderson has created a complex and compelling character. Grace is born in 1947 "all wrong. Not just not perfect, but damaged, deficient, mangled in body and mind." When, aged 11, her severe disabilities are complicated by epilepsy, her parents admit her to the Briar, a state-funded psychiatric hospital that will be her home for 30 years.

Briar is a sprawling prison of a building where staff carry sticks and consider their patients "disgusting". But although Grace can only speak in two-syllable sentences, Henderson's use of first-person narrative reveals her vibrant inner life. The skilfully constructed word-play, repetition and rhythm of Grace's voice are perceptive, poetic and often funny, creating the pivotal irony between how the characters see Grace, and how we do.

Grace meets Daniel and their mutual attraction is instantaneous. Exotic and tragic, Daniel takes Grace on flights of fantasy around the French boulevards, then on a real adventure to Mrs Perkins's pub. The sexual awakening of adolescence allows the relationship to develop on a physical and emotional level, told without sentimentality.

Not even Daniel can protect Grace from the dehumanising attitudes and medical procedures that leave her vulnerable to institutionalised abuse. But Henderson avoids sweeping condemnation; there are forward-thinking members of staff, as well as those from the outside community who show tenderness and compassion towards her.

Henderson is at her most accomplished when writing about Grace's relationship with her family. This emerges through the flashback of Grace's sensory memory including the "vinegary closeness" of her mother's "hot lemony skin", as well as through their awkward and guilt-rushed visits. While Grace holds no resentment for Sarah the "perfect" new baby that replaces her, Sarah initially rejects Grace: "I have two sisters but one doesn't count." But the moment that Sarah realises her mistake is the most touching in the novel.

This dynamic first novel is reassuringly upbeat. Henderson succeeds in creating a rich narrative despite the obstacle of limited speech and challenges the reader to confront prejudices about those living with disability. Grace Williams is a character who makes herself heard.