Since I *sorta* promised....

Here is my review of "The Weight of Silence" by Heather Gudenkauf.

Let me tell you right now - GO GET THIS BOOK!!

Apparently, this is a debut novel.  In some ways, you will notice this, but in most?  You won't.

This woman knows how to grab you from the beginning.  I read this 373 page book in a day.  One day; practically without stopping (well, I did have to take a couple hours to go shopping - it was the tax-free weekend after all.....a girl must take advantage of the sales where she can!).

Heather Gudenkauf knows how to flesh out her characters and knows how to tell a compelling story.  Period.

Here's the basic premise of the story:

Two families wake to find that their little girls have gone missing overnight from what was thought to be their secure homes; there are no signs of a struggle (how horrifying is that thought for any parent out there?).


One little girl is a selective mute - brought on by a tragedy in her early years.  The other little girl is her best friend.  The kind of friend that can "read" her enough to be her "voice" (and really? Don't we all need friends like that?).


One parent worries that her decision to remain in her marriage has caused this tragedy to happen.  Another parent is confronted with a side of himself that he didn't know was there.  A sibling is drawn into the mix and discovers that he is braver than he ever thought possible.


This debut novel is a knock-it-out-of-the-park success in my book.  Go find it.  Read it.  It's fabulous.  I promise.