Throughout the book, Melinda is depicted as so traumatized that she can barely speak aloud. In contrast, she thinks constantly about the world around her and writes extensively. The return of her physical ability to speak is strongly connected with her developing self-esteem, including vehicles for finding her creativity. Thus, “voice” is both a literal and metaphoric representation of Melinda’s recovery and growth.

The author presents Melinda’s silence in part as the outgrowth of physical sensations. Melinda sometimes feels like someone is pressing on her larynx so that her “throat squeezes shut.” She identifies with others who also had silent periods, notably the writer Maya Angelou, of whom she hangs up a poster. Melinda also feels that others are silencing her, especially her parents, who are depicted as self-involved or even uncaring. As the rejection from other students increases her sense of isolation, she also increasingly feels like her opinions do not matter to anyone else.

By using different genres within the novel, Anderson shows both that Melinda is attentive to other’s voices, such as through recalling and recording dialogue, and that she can be extremely articulate. However, until the situation becomes critical—when she senses Rachel’s danger—she cannot reconcile the written and oral sides of her self-expression. Ultimately, when Andy invades her safe space, the closet, and attacks her again, she is able both to act and to shout.