The Weight of Silence

Two families wake up early one morning to find their daughters have disappeared. The 7-year-old girls are best friends, one is a selective mute who hasn't spoken since her mother fell down the stairs and lost her baby. The story is told from multiple points of view, giving us information little by little of both past and present, until the mystery is finally solved. I found this book very well done, very suspenseful. I became so engrossed in the last half that I had to stay up to finish the book. One thing disappointed me, however--the epilogue at the end. I had enjoyed the book all the way to its conclusion but the epilogue went on to explain everything . . . it was unnecessary and makes readers feel stupid--like we couldn't figure show more that stuff out for ourselves. If there was information there the reader needed, it should have been woven into the story. I suggest reading this great book -- but skip the epilogue. show less

It's amazing how not really all that much happened in this book, but how completely engrossed I was. It is pretty much a 24 hour timeline story, which I usually am not gaga over, but this one is an exception. The writing style is gorgeous. The characters are likeable. And, that ending..... I can't even claim to be a cool kid who predicted it.... Seriously, I was suprised!

Spoilers lie ahead....................

Callie is a selective mute, i.e., there is nothing wrong with her she just chooses not to speak. She is a platform of what a bad enviroment can do to a person. The end, finding out what her Dad said to her makes me so sad. I am 100% okay with him being "out of the picture" in the end. Alcoholism is one of those diseases that just show more discust me, especially when it is someone who has children. This book was heart-wrenching for Callie, Ben and their Mother.

I have a complaint though.... It kinda bothered me how the Mother's child was missing and she was traispsing through her childhood and early adulthood thinking of her 1st love, the deputy sherriff. I have never been in her shoes, but it seems like if my child was missing some past lover would be the last thing in my mind. Granted, her circumstances are different with a drunk, abusive husband and all. I can see why she would long for a different life, but just not so much while her child was missing.
My other thing is, why had she not just left him a long time ago. Seriously, he was awful to her and to their kids. There has to come a point where enough is enough. If he hadn't been killed in the end, she probably still would have went back to him and that is just sickening. The reality of it is sickening....

I'd also like to know what Callie's Dad was thinking that morning he took her into the woods. What were his intentions?

I feel like I have complained too much... This book is soooo very good. I whole-heartedly suggest you read it. It will leave you speachless for a while show less

"Il peso del silenzio" è il romanzo d'esordio di Heather Gudenkauf, scrittrice americana che approda anche nelle nostre librerie con quest'opera veramente d'eccezione che si è guadagnata la permanenza nella classifica del New York Times per 20 settimane e la nomination per il premio letterario "Edgar Award".

E' un thriller d'eccezione "Il peso del silenzio", particolarmente introspettivo e commuovente, che parla di una bambina, Calli, che dall'età di quattro anni è affetta da mutismo selettivo. Per tre anni Calli, che ora ne ha sette, da chiacchierona e allegra si è trasformata in una taciturna e pacata ragazzina. La sua vita ruota intorno alla sua famiglia e alla sua migliore amica, Petra, l'unica che la comprende senza bisogno di show more parlare; sono anime gemelle.

Nessuno riesce a comprendere perché un giorno Calli decide di smettere di parlare ma tutti nel paese sanno che suo padre, Griff, dopo qualche birra, non è certo l'uomo più ragionevole del mondo. Eppure la bambina non è mai stata toccata da nessuno, lei stessa sa bene che il suo papà non le ha mai fatto del male... Ma allora per quale motivo non parla più?

Nonostante il mutismo la bambina è ormai prossima alla seconda elementare, l'estate sta finendo e quella mattina, svegliatasi in preda al bisogno di fare pipì, Calli sparisce. Di nuovo nessuno sembra sapere perché una bambina di sette anni si allontani nel bosco, da sola, scalza e in camicia da notte.

Nel frattempo, come se non bastasse, anche Petra sparisce da casa, questa volta però la bambina sembra essersi allontanata di sua spontanea volontà. Quale rapitore si fermerebbe a far indossare le scarpe ad una bambina prima di portarla via dal suo letto alle quattro di mattina?

Sarà proprio la scomparsa di Petra, subito denunciata dai genitori, a far scattare l'allarme quando si accorgeranno che anche l'amichetta del cuore è scomparsa. Ma Petra e Calli non erano insieme al momento della scomparsa, giusto? O forse sì? E perché ci sono delle impronte accanto a quelle dei piedini della bambina fuori dalla casa di Antonia? E che fine ha fatto Griff, perché Antonia non riesce a mettersi in contatto con lui?

Un romanzo veramente dolcissimo in tutta la sua tragicità. Lo stile di Heather Gudenkauf è delicato e molto profondo mentre si immedesima, di capitolo in capitolo, nella psiche di ogni componente della famiglia - ma non solo - delle due bambine. Ci ritroviamo nella mente di Antonia (la madre di Calli), di Ben (il fratello maggiore di Calli), di Louis (vice sceriffo addetto alla ricerca delle due bambine), di Martin (il padre di Petra) e, infine, in quella delle piccole Calli e Petra.

Una storia che parla d'amore, d'amicizia e di famiglia in modo molto profondo seppur semplice. Un romanzo da leggere tutto d'un fiato che spinge a leggere senza sosta pagina dopo pagina pur di scoprire la verità accompagnati da una mix di ansia e timore per la sorte delle due bambine. show less

Two little girls go missing in the night. One of them has selective mutism. The book is a suspense novel in that you think you know what happened to the girls, but you really don't. But it's also a tale of family dysfunction as one of the families must contend with alcoholism and its many ramifications for the family dynamic.

All in all, I did enjoy the book (probably 4 stars for enjoyment), but it's very Jodi Picoult-ish. The story is told from multiple perspectives, and there are some hard to fathom coincidences where you need to be willing to suspend disbelief. I really had to knock a star off for lack of believability even though the writing was good enough to compensate to a large degree.

In fact, I really did enjoy the author's show more writing style, and I'd probably read another book by her if it came along. I would recommend this book as more of a beach type, summer read . . .just not a whole lot of literary merit . . .but enjoyable. show less

I thought the beginning of this book was a little weak and at times slow. However, once the story takes hold, it is a nicely written touching book that evokes a lot of emotion. It’s told from the perspectives of each of the main characters, which allows insight into their thoughts; you end up loving some and hating others. A Few of the characters were one dimensional, but most were fully developed and complex. Although this is not your traditional who done it mystery, the author does a stellar job of creating tension, which makes the book hard to put down. The heart of the book is about family dynamics and unconditional love. It deals in a very real manner with marriage and abusive relationships. The story sparks empathy towards women show more who are paralyzed and unable to see their way out of bad situations and it stirs up strong emotions and conflict as it tests the boundaries of what makes a good mother, father, friend or sibling. These and other topics such as selective mutism, the emotional toll of family secrets and alcoholism would provide lively discussions for book clubs. In summary I enjoyed this book and found it to be an engrossing, unusual read.

Review previously posted at: www.princetonbookreview.com
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The Weight of Silence is a gripping read. Seven year old Calli (mute since a trauma several years ago) and her friend Petra are missing -- and possibly the victims of foul play.

This novel is told in multiple perspectives, and both present and past (memories). The switching between perspectives and time is done smoothly, so it doesn’t feel like jumping around. But it provides a wonderful mechanism for exploring different aspects of the situation. I particularly enjoyed the perspectives of Calli and of her older brother.

This was a fast read for me. It’s not great literature, but it’s very absorbing. Highly recommended.

The suspense of this novel is unrelenting. It grabbed me with the first page and didn't let go until the end. Chapter one begins with seven-year-old Callie awakening in the middle of the night with the urge to go to the bathroom. She's terrified. Terrified that if she leaves her room she will cross paths with her father. By the time chapter one ends, there's no doubt that the man who drags his daughter into the woods is evil. There's also no doubt that he must somehow be the cause of the child's silence. Once an outgoing, very verbal child, Callie hasn't spoken a word in four years.

When Callie's mother and brother awaken, it's to news that the neighbor's child, Petra, has disappeared from her bed during the night. Petra, also age seven show more and Callie's best friend, serves as Callie's voice. The parents and the deputy sheriff at the door think Petra may have left her home to visit Callie, but it's quickly discovered that Callie is also missing.

As the investigation unfolds, the major characters are revealed in their own words as they alternately narrate the frantic search. Ben is only twelve, but has already appointed himself as protector of Callie and their mother, Toni, and won't leave the house when his father is home from his job on the Alaska pipeline. He puts his own life at risk to search for his sister. Toni is a loving mother who has isolated herself from the community as she tries to keep her husband's abuse secret, adding to the heaviness of silence. Martin, Petra's father, is a mild mannered academic at the local college, whose darker side is revealed when his family is threatened, and he vows vengeance on anyone who would hurt his daughter. The deputy was Toni's childhood friend, since they were also age seven, and her high school sweetheart until he went to college and she broke up with him. Still in love with Toni, he is determined to find her child, even if it means defying his superiors and costs him everything.

The investigation seems to be straight from the headlines and agonizingly slow, leaving the reader with the same frustrations and questions usually felt as a television viewer when a missing child investigation is on the news. The characters are fully developed and never one-dimensional stereotypes. Toni even reveals her husband's human side as she narrates her reasons for loving him, even though this reader for one wasn't about to excuse his actions.

I highly recommend this. But if you start it late at night, be warned that you're going to lose sleep because you won't be able to put it down. You'll have to keep reading because you'll come to care about these characters, and you'll have to know that everyone who goes into the woods makes it back out okay. show less