Name: The Weight of Silence
ISBN: 9780778319375

Heather Gudenkauf

The runaway New York Times bestseller--over half a million copies in print It happens quietly one hot August morning in Iowa: two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night. Seven-year-old Calli Clark suffers from selective mutism brought on by a tragedy when she was a toddler. Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend--and her voice. But neither girl has been heard from since they vanished. Now, Calli and Petra's parents are tied by the question of what happened to their children. And the answer is trapped in the silence of unspoken family secrets.

The Weight of Silence

When two seven-year-old girls go missing, all are under suspicion. Calli Clark is a dreamer. A sweet, gentle girl, Callie suffers from selective mutism, brought on by a tragedy she experienced as a toddler. Her mother Antonia tries her best to help, but is confined by marriage to a violent husband. Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli have been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Now Calli and Petra's families are bound by the question of what has happened to their children. As support turns to suspicion, it seems the answers lie trapped in the silence of unspoken secrets.

The weight of silence

Amy Maddess

Amber Laha

A story of two girls disappearance and the secrets that people hold that could be damaging to the finding of them. 

For a debut novel, she did a wonderful job. I loved her beautiful descriptive and lyrical writing. The multi-person perspective was handled well, although she needs to make sure that they all have their own voice. Other than one was male and the other female, there were times you wouldn't know they were different people. But the way she handled the multiple perspectives was refreshing and handled well, which kept the tension on high and made me sit on edge until the end. Though I liked the way she wrote the descriptive, the dialogue was a bit rough at times.

I must say that the investigation part didn't come off right. They'd be searching along-side asking the questions, in my opinion, especially since they were already given an idea of where they might be. You don't wait almost all day, until it is practically dark to actually start the search. Also when it comes to Louis, who is the man that fell in love with Calli's mom, I felt that he should have been used to move the investigation forward yet he was totally focused on his love for Toni. 

Also, the way it all ended was pretty predictable. To be honest, the characters were flat and predictable/stereotypical. If things had ended differently, my rating would be a little higher than it is. It doesn't mean I don't like the story, just that everything needed to be developed more. I don't understand the hype it got when it came out first. 

This is a quick paced story, that keeps you entertained, yet has a lot of things that need to be fixed. I liked what I got overall and I will definitely be reading more from her!

First time Rating: 3
Second Time Rating: 3

Danica Holdaway

I was really worried about this being a little too dark for this postpartum mom heart of mine, but I actually really ended up liking it. The ending kept me guessing and interested, and the short chapters with changing perspectives made it a fast-moving pace. It still takes a lot out of you with plenty of dark and heavy topics, but the humanity and likability of most of the characters does a pretty good job of balancing it out.

Melanie Knight

Lyn Pritchard

Vicki Grever

Angel Marie Massee

Sarah S

Julie Gibson

Deborah Meades

Mary winkler

Shanna Simpkins

Mousumee

Lynse Butson

Venessa Johnstone

Gina Duffett

Cortnie

Katlyn Edwards

Heather Roden  

Dani C

Calli Clark is a dreamer. A sweet, gentle girl, Callie suffers from selective mutism, bought on by a tragedy she experienced as a toddler. Her mother Antonia tries her best to help, but is confined by marriage to a violent husband.

Catalina Petre

The Weight of Silence

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