The Weight of Silence

June 22, 2009
Gudenkauf’s tightly plotted debut packs a lot of unsavory doings into a few unfortunate summer days in Willow Creek, Iowa. Seven-year-old Calli Clark hasn’t spoken a word in the three years since a particularly nasty run-in with her violent, wife-beating father, Griff. During a bender, Griff suddenly decides to haul his mute daughter into the nearby forest, where they get lost. At the same time, Calli’s best friend Petra goes missing, and a manhunt is launched, led by deputy sheriff Loras Louis, who still carries a torch for Calli’s mother. Gudenkauf moves the story forward at a fast clip and is adept at building tension. There’s a particular darkness to her heartland, rife as it is with predators and the walking wounded, and her unsentimental take on the milieu manages to find some hope without being maudlin.

Starred review from February 22, 2010
This is the kind of compelling, can't-put-it-down audiobook that will have listeners driving around the block a few extra times just to find out what happens next. Taking turns to read (the narrative rotates between various points of view), the cast renders each character believable and expertly ratchets up the suspense. The pacing is exactly right, and the different narrations flow into each other seamlessly and naturally. All the actors are excellent, but the standout is Tony Ward as middle-aged Martin, whose guilt, frustration and helplessness at his daughter's disappearance are palpable in his anguished voice. This is a must-listen audiobook. A Mira paperback (Reviews, June 22).