The Weight of Silence- debut novel from Heather Gudenkauf- is thrilling. I loved this novel from the moment I took it in my hands. The first thing I noticed was how stunning the cover is... it draws so many questions and images into your mind. The dusty colors, the little girl and the way she holds that broken necklace in her hands, it all makes you wonder what the silence is. Is it the girl? The family? An unspoken crime of abuse? The cover pulled me in. Then it was the writing, and the way the novel was set up and the way it began to unfold. I was hooked.
The Weight of Silence is about two little girls who go missing. We learn that Callie is a selective mute and her best friend, Petra, is her voice. The two girls go missing in the early- their family wakes to find them gone from their beds. The mysteries keep unfolding as the novel progresses... theres lying, abuse, and untold memories. What was it that made Callie stop talking? Where is Callie's father? Who slept with whom, and who is really in love? Where did Callie's brother, Ben, go and what is he capable of? Did someone they know take the girls, or was it a stranger? The girls live nearby, with woods that extend from their backyards. Could the girls be lost in the woods? The questions just keep coming until the end. There are twists and turns to this psychological thriller. I devoured this book.
write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow
