Breaking the Silence

by Diane Chamberlain

[Leah]

Laura Brandon’s promise to her dying father was simple: to visit an elderly woman she’d never heard him speak of before. A woman who remembers nothing – except the distant past. Visiting Sarah Tolley seemed a small enough sacrifice to make. But Laura’s promise results in another death – her husband’s. And after their five-year-old daughter, Emma, witnesses her father’s suicide, Emma refuses to talk about it…or to talk at all. Frantic and guilt-ridden, Laura contacts the only person who may be able to help, a man she’s met only once before – a man who doesn’t know he’s Emma’s real father. Guided only by a child’s silence and an old woman’s fading memories, the two unravel a tale of love and despair, bravery and unspeakable evil. This is a tale that links them all. It is a tale shrouded in silence…

Plot: I thought the plot of Breaking The Silence was very intriguing. There’s quite a lot that’s happening during the book, multiple plots at work and some were more impressive than others. I thought Ray’s suicide added a lot to the book and I couldn’t help but wonder why he had done it. Emma’s muteness seemed a bit contrived, to be honest, but it was necessary to the book. My favourite plot strand though was Sarah’s story. Sarah’s back-story blew me away and I would have loved if the entire book was just about Sarah as her back-story really was that brilliant.

Characters: I must admit the only part of the book that I felt was lacking was the characterisation of Laura. I never really felt connected to her, I never felt as if I ‘knew’ her. Of all the characters she was the one I felt the least connection to. I would have also liked to delve into Ray’s life a bit more. Yes we learn things about him but it might have been nice if there was a diary or something that could have been put into the book to give his side of the story a bit more. Because frankly I just didn’t like him, no matter what his intentions, he just seemed like a horrible man. Dylan, Emma’s real father, was probably my favourite character, I liked him quite a lot and he really made the book sparkle. I did think the romance between himself and Laura was a bit… I expected it, but I also found it sweet. I also loved Sarah Tolley, she was such a vivid character and her memories from years gone by was impressive despite what was happening to her in the present as she’s ravaged by Alzheimers.

Writing: I thought the writing was really impressive. It told the story very well without being overly wordy and I managed to finish the book fairly quickly. It was well-paced and the book just seemed to fly by quite quickly. Diane Chamberlain definitely knows how to tell a story and her easy writing style is definitely one that appeals to me.

Overall: On the whole Breaking The Silence impressed me. I wasn’t sure whether I’d enjoy it or not but I did. The plot was very well done and the twists and turns were quite surprising. I didn’t guess the big twist at the end, which is always a good thing, as I love to be surprised. In fact there were a number of twists and turns I never saw coming, and I was very impressed with how it all suddenly became clear. The only thing I query is Emma’s muteness. The resolution of that was a bit too quick, which fanned my contrived flames (if that even makes sense). I’ll definitely be reading more from Diane Chamberlain though she’s definitely an author I enjoy.