Weight of Silence Book Review

When the opportunity to participate in the book blog tour for The Weight of Silence, by Heather Gudenkauf, presented itself through Mothertalk.com, I eagerly signed up. The excerpt I had read on Barnes & Noble, previous to the books release, had put the title on my “to be read someday” list. Mothertalk.com upped the timetable by sending a review copy pretty quick.

The first pages reach out with slithery fingers to snatch at your curiosity, rattle your instincts and pull you in pretty quick. Calli Clark is a seven-year-old girl who has chosen silence. She hasn’t uttered a word in three years and no one in her family really knows why. Calli’s silence is heartbreaking to her mother Toni, who longs to hear her daughters voice again. Toni wonders if her volatile marriage is responsible for Calli’s silence and questions her ability to be a good mother and if her children are damaged beyond repair.

The Weight of Silence revolves around Calli’s silence and the disappearance of Calli and her best friend, Petra Gregory. The girl’s families discover they are missing one morning and the hunt begins to find the two lost little girls in Willow Creek, Iowa.

Soon the possibilities of what happened to the girls begin to emerge. Calli’s father, a known angry drunk, with violent tendencies, can’t be found. Ben, Calli’s older brother, has recently been in trouble for threatening a schoolmate. And Calli’s school counselor is among the missing. Petra’s parents also face their own inner troubles, and their daughter’s disappearance tests the bonds of their marriage, while the search for their Petra is under way.

Heather Gudenkauf has crafted a deft mystery that forces her characters to look closely in the mirror. By telling the story through alternating character voices, a chapter for each person, the threads of the town and the families involved, weave the fabric of small town life, exposing its darkened undercurrents. Initially, after the beginning pages, I found this style a little disturbing, and almost put the book down, as the narrative breaks up a bit in the beginning, as flashes of the past are presented and a picture of the person speaking unfolds. Once I got through the second chapter, I felt more in tune with who was who, and the alternating viewpoints really brought the story to life. The terror and heartbreak the families endure, during this time, came through in each of their voices, loud and clear. Calli’s fear and bravery, as she struggles through the woods avoiding her tormentor, and finds comfort remembering her time in the woods with her brother Ben, was so real I wanted to go and check on my own daughter to make sure she was safe and sound.

There are some usual plot diversions thrown in, such as the previous kidnapping and death of a young girl in another town. The past romance between the Deputy Sheriff and Toni. The federal investigator, brought in to help the small town investigation, casts aspersions on each of the families, focusing for a time on Calli’s brother Ben.

As the story winds down, there were a few surprises I didn’t see coming, which made the story more explosive. All in all, the Weight of Silence is a good mystery that keeps you wondering, and hoping that Calli can find her voice in the midst of such turmoil, and for her family to remain strong.

*** This is cross posted over at the new review page, Catootes Reviews. (catchy name, I'm so creative like that.)

I'd love to hear back from anyone who's read the book and get your opinion.