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)

You will feel each character.

Heather Gudenkauf is a new author for me. A week ago, I started This Is How I Lied. I've got Little Lies and Little Mercies ready to play. She's that good. There are trigger warnings for her books, so check them out if you know you need them.
The multiple voice actors in this book make the number of perspectives easy to follow. You'll be guessing until the end.

Engrossing debut novel

What did you love best about The Weight of Silence?

The story gripped you from the prologue and wouldn't let go. The characters, with the exception of Griff, were relatable and well-drawn. The narration was incredible; I wish all full-cast narrations were this well-done!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hard to decide. They all had qualities that I admired and related to, but the children are probably my favorites due to their innocence and desire to protect those they love.

Any additional comments?

This book is well worth the listening time. It does shift point of view from 1st to 3rd person, which is a little bit clunky and cumbersome, and Griff is too unlikeable to be taken seriously as a well-drawn character, but overall, this is a well-written suspenseful debut novel.

Good Listen, good story line, and good narrator...

What made the experience of listening to The Weight of Silence the most enjoyable?

The story line compelled me to keep listening.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Weight of Silence?

When everything finally came together.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It gave personality to the book that words on a page alone cannot give.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Twists and turns beneath the cold rapids of the reality of youth.

A good listen

The author certainly held my attention. The story moved forward well keeping me in suspence and anticipation. The narrators were excellant. I have to admit that I guessed who the culprit was well before the end but I enjoyed the story.

Suspenseful and Entertaining

A very well-written novel that held my interest. Not perfect with a hit-you-over-the-head theme of the title's namesake, but very entertaining nonetheless. Excellent writing with the various points-of-views and lots of twists and turns along the way.
Not too crazy about the brushed off, letdown of an ending, but getting there was the real strength.
Loved all the narrators---I thought they did a beautiful job of defining each character.

started well, then dragged a bit

The concept of a voluntary mute made this book interesting, but it was disjointed between Callie and Petra versus everyone else. It was also difficult to be positive toward any of the adult characters, as they all seemed quite shallow and not very aware of their surroundings. Almost every adult was also incredibly self ' absorbed and not very bright.

Wow!

I am surprised by how much I loved this book! I’m not sure I’ve ever actually cried from sadness, agony and joy from a read.

I couldn't stop listening!!!

Would you listen to The Weight of Silence again? Why?

No I wouldn't but that is not because I didn't like the book, I just don't listen to or read books more than once.

What did you like best about this story?

I like the dialogue. It was character and age appropriate.

Which scene was your favorite?

*****SPOILER ALERT - SPOILER ALERT*****
My favorite scene was when the Dad was shot. He was a selfish, mean, petty, angry man who beat and belittled and frightened his own children (and wife).

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The moment in the book when Ben was talking about the steps his mom would take to try and protect them from their dad. How he could determine what type of a drunk he was going to be by the number of beer cans littering the floor.

Any additional comments?

This book was good. It had a realistic plot. It wasn't filled with hokey scenes just to fill pages. Every word counted. If I 'did' read books twice, this would be one that I would listen to again.

Intense and emotional

The story is very emotional and unsettling but it’s not far from reality. It’s not a book for the faint heart, but it’s a good read. I was surprised, I was thought I had it figured out and was wrong! I think that’s what makes a good book!

Wow!

Loved this book - kept me intrigued and guessing til the very end. The multiple POV's of the characters was a feature of the book that I really enjoyed, and all the narrorators were great. I wish it would have gone a few more chapters!