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)

A jewel

I have a long commute, so I listen to MANY books. I often just glance through the descriptions and pick at random based on some little thing that caught my eye. This one was a jewel! I do not know how I discovered it, and can't remember why I picked it - but I am certainly glad that I did. It gives a new perspective on consequences of choices that we make in life - even the seemingly small and casual ones. The story of interwoven lives that unravel.....so much is sad but such a good listen.

Better than I expected.

I'm an audiobook purist. In terms of narration, my wants are simple. I simply want someone to read the book to me, straight out -- no requirement for acting out each character, although for those narrators with serious talent (Scott Brick comes to mind, as does Davina Porter among many others) narrators who have the ability to give individual voices to characters without being annoying are especially appreciated. I award bonus points if the narrator pronounces location names correctly and refrains from eating while narrating (as one especially irritating narrator does.) I don't need musical introductions or interludes, and in general I don't think having multiple narrators improves anything.

So I bought this book - it must have been a Daily Deal -- without paying too much attention. Then when I started to listen, and heard that it was being read by a professional "repertoire company" I almost clicked off, right at that point. Having a book "acted out" doesn't appear at all. To me, audio books are -- as one OTR program famously says -- "the theater of the mind". I'll create my own scenes, in my mind, as we go along. I don't want actors playing the parts, dramatizing the story. If I want actual theater, I'll go to Netflix.

But I persevered - and I was surprised. It wasn't bad at all -- each of the narrators did a very good job, didn't over-act, basically they just gave individual voices to the several characters. Overall, I don't know that this method improved the book any, but it didn't detract, either. It was fine.

And the story was good -- suspenseful, believable and kept me listening. I liked it enough that I just bought a second book by Heather Gudenkauf -- which has to be the ultimate compliment. This was a good book -- give it a try!

A shade better than mediocre

Tries to be a whodunnit, a love that never was story, and a lost-opportunities story. but fails to be interesting in any category. Not a good use of 10+ hours of listening.

Couldn’t stop listening

I’m so glad this was a daily deal and that I got it. I never would have listened if it was not a daily deal because it’s not my usual kind of read but I could not stop listening! It captivated me completely. The many voices were super.

Different type of story telling

This takes a bit of getting used to but I really liked it. Each character tells their part of the story. It is a who done it and the answer may surprise you. I also liked that there was an epilogue, with an ending that doesn’t leave you wondering.

Enjoyable story and performance

I was pleasently surprised with the twists and turns of the story, many surprises and a feel good story in the end. The way the story was told was interesting, from many different perspectives, back and forth. With very good narration and a wonderful cast of performers. I highly recommend the audible version to anyone looking for an entertaining listen and a good plot and story. Well done.

A book you won't want to stop

The story was well put together, with different narrators for each person, it keeps your attention.

Not enough silence

I found the narration lacking any emotion. The flat tones made it difficult to maintain interest in the storyline. The basic idea of the story was imaginative, but I would have preferred it presented differently. I actually fell asleep for about 30 minutes and didn’t feel that I had missed anything. I doubt that I would listen to this author again.

Mostly Great

I loved the story and how it slowly unfolds from different perspectives. Each character was written distinctly and I felt that I would have easily told them apart had I been reading the book instead of listening. Some of the performances were a bit lacking but overall I really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend to any mystery/thriller fan.

Great drama

Perfect for long drives, great plot. The kind of book that makes you want to stay in the parking lot after you've reached your destination just to finish the chapter.