The Weight of Silence
By: Heather Gudenkauf
Synopsis From Goodreads:
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.
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.
My Review:
Rating:
While perusing the shelves at Walmart one day, waiting on my mom and sister to finish looking at clothes, I found this gem hidden on the bottom shelf. A small pop of color caught my eye and I crouched down to see what it must be. The cover had me drawn in instantly, daring me to pick it up, so over course I did. I read the synopsis and just knew I had to buy this book.
When I was 3 years old my parents packed us up and moved us to my Dad's small hometown in Iowa, 30 minutes outside of Cedar Rapids. A town where everyone knew one another and there where fields of corn as far as the eye could see. Being as this book was set in a small Iowa town I just had to read it.
The Weight of Silence depicts the story of two small town families, both with dark secrets that they work hard to hide from the outside world.
The first family are the Clarks. Little Calli Clark is a seven year old girl with an already gloomy past. A once chatty toddler turns mute in the blink of an eye. Her mother, Toni struggles with this development for years, hating that she can't help her little girl. The Clarks have many secrets, some so dark that poor Calli goes quiet. Then one day she is missing all together.
Then we have the Gregory's. Fielda and Martin are quite the unlikely pair but their love is true, even though they have had many ups and downs. But Petra's disappearance is going to test their marriage like never before. There daughter saved them once, will they be able to do the same for her? Could their marriage survive the loss of their daughter?
Petra and Calli are the best of friends, knowing exactly what the other needs without a word. Literally. One day these two young girls find themselves lost in the woods behind their house and unable to find their way home. Danger lurks in ever corner and they are all alone in these eerie woods. Will they be able to save one another?
This book is so fast paced I was flipping through pages so quick, eager to see what was to happen next. The Weight of Silence is writing in several points-of-view, each chapter depicting a different characters events throughout this torturous moment in their lives. Having that experience made the book all the better in my opinion. Seeing these moments from multiple points-of-views made the experience more captivating, keeping you hooked onto every word.
The fact that this book was set in the state I spent most of my childhood wasn't bad either. Every word transported me back to those days growing up in a small town, where everyone knew your story no matter how hard you tried to keep it secret. And every one was ready to pitch in at any sign of trouble. Living in a town where nothing ever happens makes it hard to believe anything bad could happen in your neck of the woods. For the Clarks and Gregorys, there is a monster in their woods and they never would have known until the day their daughters go missing.
I loved every second of this book and highly recommend it. The Weight of Silence will keep you on the edge of your seat, constantly guessing and then second guessing what is around the corner for these characters.
Published by: K
