The Silent Listener
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
'The Silent Listener is simply unforgettable.' Sydney Morning Herald
'A tale of suspense and revenge, beautifully written.' The Age
'A deftly wrought suspense novel from a remarkable new literary talent . . . A book that should be atop of everyone's reading list.' J. P. Pomare, author of Call Me Evie
Propelling the reader back and forth between the 1940s, 1960s and 1980s, The Silent Listener is an unforgettable literary suspense novel set in the dark, gothic heart of rural Australia.
In the cold, wet summer of 1960, 11-year-old Joy Henderson lives in constant fear of her father. She tries to make him happy but, as he keeps reminding her, she is nothing but a filthy sinner destined for Hell . . .
Yet, decades later, she returns to the family’s farm to nurse him on his death bed. To her surprise, her ‘perfect’ sister Ruth is also there, whispering dark words, urging revenge.
Then the day after their father finally confesses to a despicable crime, Joy finds him dead - with a belt pulled tight around his neck . . .
For Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, investigating George’s murder revives memories of an unsolved case still haunting him since that strange summer of 1960: the disappearance of nine-year-old Wendy Boscombe.
As seemingly impossible facts surface about the Hendersons – from the past and the present – Shepherd suspects that Joy is pulling him into an intricate web of lies and that Wendy’s disappearance is the key to the bizarre truth.
****
'A book that should be atop of everyone's reading list. The prose is spectacular, and the characters so richly imagined. This is a novel about inherited violence and redemption packaged as a cracking psychological thriller.' J. P. Pomare, author of Call Me Evie
'Intense, intricate, emotionally devastating. This is proper Australian gothica.' Liam Pieper, author of Sweetness and Light
'Totally addictive.' Books+Publishing
'A cracking thriller with heart. It intrigues, it twists and turns, it deftly combines the muddy domestic details of life on a Victorian farm with a black, Gothic sensibility of lies and violence and the heartbreaking fantasy world of a young child.' Jane Sullivan
'A heartbreaking, terrifying and stunningly accomplished novel that had me holding my breath. Yeowart instantly pulled me into the life of a rural family dominated by an angry, insecure despot from its unnerving beginnings to its shocking end.' Kirsten Alexander, author of Half Moon Lake
'Steeped in atmosphere and with taut, intricate plotting, The Silent Listener, contrary to its title, had me audibly gasping throughout.' Benjamin Stevenson, author of Either Side of Midnight
'An ingenious form of storytelling archaeology: down through layers of family trauma, the truths are finally brought to light.' Jock Serong, author of The Rules of Backyard Cricket
Customer Reviews
Mystery in rural Victoria that will be engrained and with you long after you read the last page.
Do not start reading this book unless you have time to finish it. At times, I struggled with the violence but the way it is articulated helps make it all the more powerful. It was a fantastic book that evoked so many emotions and reminded me of what it feels like to finish a great mystery.
When authors thank their editors but maybe shouldn’t.
This could have been a great story.
Sadly, despite some compelling features, it’s a 2 star not 4 or 5. There are some great ideas and plot lines. Then there are some absolutely ghastly, cringeworthy scenes that make you (made me) want to close the iPad and never look back.
I stuck with it and that’s a testament to the author, but I hated myself for burning my retinas with it and that’s in big part the fault of the editor and publisher. The truly awful dialogue and thinking-aloud in the scenes between Joy and Shepherd are definitely the low point. Like hearing a Year 9 remedial English class try to explain motivation: “and then he’ll say…” “yeah and then she’ll say…” “and he’ll make her talk…” “except she won’t talk…” “and he’ll swear never to give up…” “and then he’ll give up…” “but then he won’t…”
Excruciating.
Some cleverness, but not enough. And maybe I’m being too harsh on the editor - who knows how bad the draft was before?