Are You Listening is beautifully illustrated and lovingly written. It was not at all what I expected when I picked it up. Sometimes not reading the summary on the back of the book leads to the best surprises. The characters feel real because they're experiencing real emotions and traumatic experiences and they're reacting like real people would. Bea is lashing out to keep people away because she believes what happened to her is her fault. Lou is overworking and overwhelming herself to avoid sitting with her grief. Diamond is the glue that binds them together in the way only pets can. This was a great read.