The Quality of Silence

A Novel

By: Rosamund Lupton

Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

The gripping, moving story of a mother and daughter's quest to uncover a dark secret in the Alaskan wilderness, from the New York Times bestselling author of Sister and Afterwards.

Thrillingly suspenseful and atmospheric, The Quality of Silence is the story of Yasmin, a beautiful astrophysicist, and her precocious deaf daughter, Ruby, who arrive in a remote part of Alaska to be told that Ruby's father, Matt, has been the victim of a catastrophic accident. Unable to accept his death as truth, Yasmin and Ruby set out into the hostile winter of the Alaskan tundra in search of answers. But as a storm closes in, Yasmin realizes that a very human danger may be keeping pace with them. And with no one else on the road to help, they must keep moving, alone and terrified, through an endless Alaskan night.

Written in breathtaking, pitch-perfect prose, The Quality of Silence explores the powerful love of a family and the very limits of human resilience.

©2015 Rosamund Lupton (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to Penguin Random House LLC for permission to reprint “No Possum, No Sop, No Taters” from The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens by Wallace Stevens, © 1954 by Wallace Stevens and copyright renewed 1982 by Holly Stevens. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

Decent thriller

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Better ending. No reason to end right there. Tell us what happens to the evil guy. Also, extreme cold doesn't work like described in the book - you don't get lethargic, you actually feel warm and disoriented. Author - do more research.

Would you recommend The Quality of Silence to your friends? Why or why not?

Sure.

Which character – as performed by Fiona Hardingham – was your favorite?

Ruby - the kid.

Do you think The Quality of Silence needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Ruby could go another adventure...no idea.

Any additional comments?

I don't like scientific inaccuracies. 10 degrees Fahrenheit is cold, but not devastatingly so. I've run in that weather a hundred times with a couple of layers. Plus, I'm not sure a diesel truck would so easily start and stop in -50F weather. Diesel's have difficulty in extreme cold.

Preposterous happenings

I liked the voice of Ruby, a deaf child, and I think Lupton writes beautifully. That said, some of the happenings are ridiculously far fetched. If you like a good narrator and an adorable child who speaks in prose you will like it...if you can't accept coincidences...you might not. Then the ending...?

intense and compelling

From the moment I started listening to this book, I couldn't put it down. The author's insight to Ruby was spot on. a must read!

Real to life

This is a book that really tells you how serious money is when it comes to the oil companies and plans it without the story of a family it's a very good book

Alaskan Meltdown

If you are seeking an Alaskan adventure read CALL OF THE WILD. Jack London is hair raising stimulation compared to this tepid narrative, grounded in evil fracking, and as cold and empty as the ice road it travels. Monotonous and mind numbing.