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
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
'A great thriller, probably the kind of book a lot of people would chose to read on their sun loungers. It will appeal to fans of Jodi Picoult.' --Radio Times
'Deeply moving and exquisitely lyrical, this is a powerhouse of a debut novel.' --Tess Gerritsen
'Beautifully written, compassionately told, and relentlessly suspenseful.' --Diane Chamberlain
'Deeply moving and exquisitely lyrical, this is a powerhouse of a debut novel.' --Tess Gerritsen
'Beautifully written, compassionately told, and relentlessly suspenseful.' --Diane Chamberlain
About the Author
Born with a hearing impairment, Heather became a voracious reader as a child and the seed of becoming a writer was planted. She lives in Dubuque, Iowa, with her husband, three children and German Shorthaired pointer. She is currently working on her next novel.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This story is spread over a sixteen hour period when two 7 year old girls both vanish from their houses on the same night, without a trace. Calli suffers from selective mutism and hasn't spoken since she was 4 years old, despite councelling and psychological help. Her best friend, Petra, understands Calli and acts as her mouthpiece to other friends and adults alike.
The book is written a chapter at a time by a different narrator: as well as the two girls, there is also Antonia and Ben (Calli's Mum and brother), Martin (Petra's Dad) and Sherrif Louis (who was an childhood sweetheart of Antonia's and is still in love with her). From the first realisation of a disappearance (at 4.30am) until the conclusion the reader is taken on a journey through the adults attempt to bring the girls home safely.
This may sound like the book is a thriller / mystery type and at times I did wonder if that was what it was trying to be: however if that was its intention then I'm not sure it works. There is a crime committed but it's pretty obvious "whodunnit" in both the girls cases fairly early on and the great revelation at the end falls a bit flat. The book really centres around Calli's muteness more than anything and her reasons for being that way. I also suspect that this was meant to be some great revelation too but again, it's not hard to work out why pretty early on.
I don't mean to sell the book short as, admitidly, it is a real page-turner. The short chapters that are alternately narrated by a different character means that the book has great forward momentum and I do like that in a book; one where you say "just one more chapter" and then again and again until you've read the whole thing before you know it. To summarise, I really liked this book and although I didn't think there was anything particularly clever or original in it sometimes I don't need that in a book. As far as debuts go, this is a pretty good attempt. I do think that the book could have done with a tad more spit and polish but it's more than likely that I will pick up her next book when it's out too - I think this author may be one to watch in the future.
I would recommend for a holiday read or a quick page-turner between more heavyweight tomes.
The book is written a chapter at a time by a different narrator: as well as the two girls, there is also Antonia and Ben (Calli's Mum and brother), Martin (Petra's Dad) and Sherrif Louis (who was an childhood sweetheart of Antonia's and is still in love with her). From the first realisation of a disappearance (at 4.30am) until the conclusion the reader is taken on a journey through the adults attempt to bring the girls home safely.
This may sound like the book is a thriller / mystery type and at times I did wonder if that was what it was trying to be: however if that was its intention then I'm not sure it works. There is a crime committed but it's pretty obvious "whodunnit" in both the girls cases fairly early on and the great revelation at the end falls a bit flat. The book really centres around Calli's muteness more than anything and her reasons for being that way. I also suspect that this was meant to be some great revelation too but again, it's not hard to work out why pretty early on.
I don't mean to sell the book short as, admitidly, it is a real page-turner. The short chapters that are alternately narrated by a different character means that the book has great forward momentum and I do like that in a book; one where you say "just one more chapter" and then again and again until you've read the whole thing before you know it. To summarise, I really liked this book and although I didn't think there was anything particularly clever or original in it sometimes I don't need that in a book. As far as debuts go, this is a pretty good attempt. I do think that the book could have done with a tad more spit and polish but it's more than likely that I will pick up her next book when it's out too - I think this author may be one to watch in the future.
I would recommend for a holiday read or a quick page-turner between more heavyweight tomes.
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
By Jackie
Format:Paperback
The Weight of Silence is the final book in the TV Book Club's Summer Reads selection and as I'm drawn to books about families in crisis I decided to give it a try.
The book follows two families who wake one morning to discover that their 7-year-old daughters have disappeared. A frantic hunt for them begins with suspicion for their disappearance thrown on numerous people throughout the story.
The book was fast paced and made up almost entirely of dialogue - this combined with the fact that the book was narrated by six different people meant that I felt I was just skimming the surface, never really getting to know any of the individual characters or the motivations for their actions. I was dragged along by the action, forced to turn the page by the continual end-of-chapter cliff hangers, but never felt any emotional connection to the characters.
There were some tender moments and I especially liked this paragraph about marriage:
"People say that being a mother is the most important job you will ever have. And it is very important. But it is even more important, I believe, to be a wife, a good wife.... I don't mean you have to be a floor mat. That not what I mean at all. I mean, who you choose to walk with through life will be the most important decision that you will ever, ever make. You will have your children and you will love them because they are yours and because they will be wonderful....But who you marry is a choice. The man you choose should make you happy, encourage you in following your dreams, big ones and little ones."
But these moments of genius were rare and I ended the book feeling a bit disappointed. The resolution to the mystery of the girls' disappearance wasn't particularly original or surprising and I felt that certain plot points were a bit dubious.
Overall this was a light, entertaining read, but I don't expect to remember much about it next year.
The book follows two families who wake one morning to discover that their 7-year-old daughters have disappeared. A frantic hunt for them begins with suspicion for their disappearance thrown on numerous people throughout the story.
The book was fast paced and made up almost entirely of dialogue - this combined with the fact that the book was narrated by six different people meant that I felt I was just skimming the surface, never really getting to know any of the individual characters or the motivations for their actions. I was dragged along by the action, forced to turn the page by the continual end-of-chapter cliff hangers, but never felt any emotional connection to the characters.
There were some tender moments and I especially liked this paragraph about marriage:
"People say that being a mother is the most important job you will ever have. And it is very important. But it is even more important, I believe, to be a wife, a good wife.... I don't mean you have to be a floor mat. That not what I mean at all. I mean, who you choose to walk with through life will be the most important decision that you will ever, ever make. You will have your children and you will love them because they are yours and because they will be wonderful....But who you marry is a choice. The man you choose should make you happy, encourage you in following your dreams, big ones and little ones."
But these moments of genius were rare and I ended the book feeling a bit disappointed. The resolution to the mystery of the girls' disappearance wasn't particularly original or surprising and I felt that certain plot points were a bit dubious.
Overall this was a light, entertaining read, but I don't expect to remember much about it next year.
35 of 39 people found the following review helpful
By J. Johns
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I pre-ordered this book based on a 20 word review in a book industry magazine. When I started it, I was enthralled from the first moment, enjoying the way the story unravels, loving the mystery and desperately wanting further clues to be revealed. This is a wonderful novel told through the eyes of several characters, allowing you to get to know and understand them and share their fears and desires. If you enjoyed Alice Seybold's "The Lovely Bones", you will love this book!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 259 reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The weight of silence
A fantastic gripping read from beginning to end . Would recommend this book to all I know, once you start you can not put it down .
Published 16 days ago by sunnysue
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping
Kept me on edge guessing to the send I didn't want to put the book down. Looming forward to my next book by Heather
Published 1 month ago by Lulu
5.0 out of 5 stars
so amazing
This was such a page turner.I can not see any reader not liking this book, It is one of my favourite books. I always manage to get in to Heather Gudenkauf's books. Read more
Published 1 month ago by bookmoviefanatic
4.0 out of 5 stars
enjoyed this book
Enjoyed this book very much have since ordered another one by this author,
think she has only written three books look forward to the next one.
think she has only written three books look forward to the next one.
Published 2 months ago by JanetW
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
A gripping read. Keeps you interested from page 1. Never having read this author previously, can't wait to read more.
Published 2 months ago by Pauline Lee
3.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping
Has you engrossed beginning to end the story ending is a surprise when you finish reading to the end enjoy
Published 3 months ago by sarah wright
5.0 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book
I realty enjoyed this book about two little girls who are lost and one of them is a selective mute. It had a really great storyline and was a real page-turner, I just couldn't wait... Read more
Published 3 months ago by KirstyJ
5.0 out of 5 stars
The weight of silence
A very moving and dramatic read full of suspense. A real pleasure to read. Will be enjoyed by Diane Chamberlain and Jodi Picoult fans.
Published 3 months ago by Emma
3.0 out of 5 stars
Shut up
Perfectly paced and planned, five personal perspectives portioned out into brief chapters to run through one dramatic day in the lives of two missing seven-year old girls Calli... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mrs. Katharine Kirby
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thought provoking
I was desperate to know what happened. It was a real page turner!
Wanting to read more of her work now.
Wanting to read more of her work now.
Published 4 months ago by Danielle
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
