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)

Don’t Regret Listening

I enjoyed the performances and the story was good although predictable. It was better than a lot of free listens.

Great story!

Loved the story line. Narrator was good. I didn’t want to stop listening. Another favorite.

Awful narration

I could not finish this. I wanted to know the ending and had to find a summary. The narration is so monotone and horrible. Sorry might be good of you can get thru it. I couldn't.

WOW!

loved how this book was narrated. The story l\was developed so well in the voice of the characters! Could not put it aside.. I am no listening to second title These Things Hidden.

Good book, but

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

No, becasue I rarely listen to books twice

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was easy to guess when given the choice

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

It was pretty good

Any additional comments?

I thought this book touched upon subjects that were difficult for people to hear, like domeatic violence, poor parenting, hidden insecurities, murder of children. And for these reasons made it less enjoyable for me.

Okay

Too hard to suspend the belief that Callie doesn't gesture or nod her head at crucial points in the plot yet does in others! Major plot error!

So-so

The book was an easy read and listen, but the ending fell flat for me.

Great narration but the story was very predictable

What did you love best about The Weight of Silence?

The multiple narrators were great.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The clues to who committed the crime were too obvious.

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

The narrators brought great attitude to the characters.

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

I liked Ben's character the best and how he was smarter then the adults.

Could not stop listening - Lots of twists

If you could sum up The Weight of Silence in three words, what would they be?

captivating, dynamic, gripping

Who was your favorite character and why?

Favorite character was Ben - he was a great big brother, always stood up for his sister, even if it involved a beating from his father. I would love to have a brother like Ben.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Kept me at the edge of my seat. Although the pace was a bit slower than I usually like, this time I did not speed it up since too much would be lost expression wise.

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

I loved the way the school therapist treated Calli, not trying to get her to talk, but giving her the journals to draw and write in.

Any additional comments?

I recommend this listen 100%. Characters were all well developed - the story kept you wondering the entire time why Calli was not speaking. You were guessing until the very end who the villain was. I will look for more books from this author.

Good story but too many narrators

I liked this book but it was extremely difficult to get through the parts where Tony Ward narrated as the voice of Martin. I almost gave up listening all together everytime his voice was narrating luckily the story was good enough to keep me hooked in.