The Quality of Silence

It had promise, but overall I found myself very disappointed by this novel. It started off slow and only mildly interesting; it took a solid 100 pages to really grab me. It held my attention until the last few chapters, when it ruined the promise that preceded it with a terrible ending that felt far more like anti-fracking propaganda than any kind of meaningful closure.

I really enjoyed the character of Ruby, and there were moments throughout the book that I liked. If It weren't for that terrible ending, it would be a decent 3 stars. It had promise and fairly good writing, but I came away from it feeling like I had wasted my time.

BLUF: Well written story that is more about the journey than the destination.

I was provided a copy of this book from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review

Plot: The Quality of Silence follows a woman and a daughter who travel to Alaska, with the hopes of persuading her husband to come home. These hopes are soon shattered when she is solemnly informed that the village her husband was staying in was burnt in an accident, with no survivors and all bodies (including her husband) accounted for. Undeterred and hopeful, the woman and he daughter embrace on a trip through Alaska, to the burnt village in search of her husband.

POV: I was terrified when I started this book because the first perspective we are introduced to is the daughter. I can't remember the last time I read a book from a child's point of view, especially one where the child actually speaks from their age, rather than from the POV of an adult. But it was good. Really good. Granted, I may be blinded from the fact that she is deaf – which is another POV I have never read from, but quite appreciated. There are other POVs, but I found the daughter to be the most enjoyable.

Attention to Detail:I'm not knowledgeable on Alaska, sign language, or any of the other concepts in the book, but reading this, it felt as if the author put in the extra effort to make this story as honest as possible. I'm sure I will find out if my feelings on this are true or not, but the effort showed and added to the story.

Plot: I wasn't thrilled for the plot. I was hoping for a murder mystery, but this book was more about the journey across Alaska above everything else. I should have expected this, but, for whatever reason, I didn't. I'm sure this isn't a problem for most of you because you likely read the book's plot synopsis thoroughly, unlike me...

The end is neat and tightly pulled together, but rather abrupt. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I wanted a little more.