The Weight of Silence

The Weight of Silence, by Heather Gudenkauf.

When Antonia laughed, those around here did too, except for Calli. Calli hadn't laughed for a long time. She smiled her sweet, close-lipped grin, but an actual giggle, which once was emitted freely and sounded of chimes, never came, though she knew her mother waited expectantly.

This novel was excellent, and I hope that it's turned into a movie some day. Petra and Calli are best friends, but Calli hasn't talked since she was four years old. One day, both girls go missing, and the girls' families are stricken with grief; what they don't know, however, is that the two disappearances are not related. Griff, Calli's father, has dragged her into the forest in a drunken stupor and a jealous rage, whereas Petra is in real danger.

The novel was told in 3rd person throughout but each chapter was told from a different character's point of view. Petra only received one chapter, but Calli, Ben (Calli's brother), Antonia (Calli's mother), Griff, and Deputy Sheriff Louis, a former boyfriend of Antonia's, all have their own chapters, which helps to make the novel as strong as it is.

I am looking forward to Ms. Gudenkauf's next novel, which, according to her Twitter, will be entitled The Bitter Season.

4.5 stars out of 5.