The Weight of Silence

By: Heather Gudenkauf

Narrated by: Jim Colby, Eliza Foss, Cassandra Morris, Andy Paris, Therese Plummer, Tony Ward

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

It happens quietly one August morning. As dawn's shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night. Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler. Calli's mother, Antonia, tried to be the best mother she could within the confines of marriage to a mostly absent, often angry husband. Now, though she denies that her husband could be involved in the possible abductions, she fears her decision to stay in her marriage has cost her more than her daughter's voice.

Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered.

Desperate to find his child, Martin Gregory is forced to confront a side of himself he did not know existed beneath his intellectual, professorial demeanor.

Now these families are tied by the question of what happened to their children. And the answer is trapped in the silence of unspoken family secrets.

©2009 Heather Gudenkauf (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

• Edgar Award Finalist, Best First Novel, 2010

"Every so often you get really lucky, and a book comes along that just knocks your socks off: an absorbing, engrossing, suspenseful read that you just want to keep paging through, a novel that feels a lot like running downhill - fast and a little breathless - until it all winds down and wraps up. The Weight of Silence is exactly this kind of book.... Jodi Picoult has some serious competition in Heather Gudenkauf. [She is] an author to watch.” (Bookreporter.com)

"Deeply moving and exquisitely lyrical, this is a powerhouse of a debut novel. Heather Gudenkauf is one of those rare writers who can tell a tale with the skill of a poet while simultaneously cranking up the suspense until it's unbearable." (Tess Gerritsen)

"Gudenkauf moves the story forward at a fast clip and is adept at building tension. There's a particular darkness to her heartland, rife as it is with predators and the walking wounded, and her unsentimental take on the milieu manages to find some hope without being maudlin." ( Publishers Weekly)

Wow

Really good listening
It was interesting with all the different readers.
Loved the story and how the relationship s all connect

Nail biter

Where does The Weight of Silence rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my favorite audio books so far

What did you like best about this story?

The story line kept me glued. If this had been a paper book I would have stayed up all night to finish reading

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Calli had me fascinated. I enjoyed hearing her story and trying to figure out what had happened to her in her past to explain her current situation.

If you could rename The Weight of Silence, what would you call it?

I can not honestly think of a better name for the book. The Weight of Silence fits perfectly!

Excellent book. It kept interested to the end.

Very good. I like this author and the way she writes. I am ready for another one of her books.

h hard to put down

absolutely fascinating story. I really loved that each character had its own voice. all of the narrator's did a great job , mesmerizing. how do you recommend this recorded version of the story. the narrator's really bring each character to life. one of the best audible books I have read.

great book

awesome book. will look for more books from this author. great story line that was not prdictable.

great story

Good story of middle class America. Gripping. Wants you to complete the story.

only issue is the damp squib ending. could have been better

Slowwww...

The story was ok but the author seemed to be trying to build suspense by dragging it out slowly.

SILENT WEIGHT

I found this book to be very entertaining. I usually don't care for books where the story is told through more than one person, but I found that it worked well in this case. I especially liked the way the story unfolded. I would try another of Heather's books. Well done.

Such a good book !

The story was great and kept me guessing. I liked all the different narrators for each character in the book.

Best of her work.

This book was the best yet. The Weight of Silence was a well developed story and characters.