The Weight of Silence

This debut novel is book group gold. Told from various points of view, the story is a perfect vehicle for a full-cast audio production. Two girls disappear one steamy Iowa morning before anyone is even awake. Slowly, family secrets are unearthed, revealing lives in disarray. As the story is told from the viewpoints of a mother, a father, a teenage son, a deputy sheriff, and one of the 7-year-old girls, each character is clearly apparent, as portrayed by an individual cast member. Over the course of the long day, the protagonist begins to unravel, and more of the true story is revealed. Terrific performances by this talented cast will keep listeners riveted. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

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.