The Quality of Silence Book Cover The Quality of Silence
Rosamund Lupton
Fiction
Hachette UK
July 2, 2015
EBook ARC
352
Blogging for Books (Via edelweiss)

Sunday Times Top-Ten Bestseller and Richard and Judy Book Club Choice. I'll risk my life for you. On 24 November Yasmin and her ten-year-old daughter Ruby set off on a journey across Northern Alaska. They're searching for Ruby's father, missing in the arctic wilderness. More isolated with each frozen mile they cover, they travel deeper into an endless night. And Ruby, deaf since birth, must brave the darkness where sight cannot guide her. She won't abandon her father. But winter has tightened its grip, and there is somebody out there who wants to stop them. Somebody tracking them through the dark. Praise for The Quality of Silence: 'There are many things to love about Lupton's third novel, not least its stunning evocation of the stark, beautiful Alaskan wilds. An elegant and icily unique thriller: you won't read anything like it this year' Observer 'Scary, suspenseful and so exquisitely, evocatively written. I found myself shivering as if I were there in Alaska with Ruby and her mother. Everything you want in a wonderful novel' Liane Moriarty, author of The Husband's Secret 'Ambitious and imaginative. Narrated in part by Ruby (her deafness is treated with great sensitivity), the landscape, wildlife and bitter climate of Alaska are powerfully drawn. Chilling in every sense, you won't want to step away from this story' Sunday Mirror 'A sophisticated thriller which brilliantly evokes the sublime and terrifying landscape of Alaska, the culture of the Inupiat people and the fragility of our planet' Sunday Telegraph 'Like a breath of icy air, this relentlessly tense thriller is also a child's-eye family drama like none other. Not since Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow have I shivered like this' Emma Donoghue, author of Room 'Will have you gripped form start to finish' Cosmopolitan 'A taut psychological thriller, The Quality of Silence will have your heart thumping. Masterful pacing, riveting plotting. Absolutely gripping' Louise Penny 'A literary slow burn, whose focus is as much on human endurance and a mother's relationship with her deaf daughter as the mystery of her husband's disappearance. This is Lupton at the height of her storytelling powers' Daily Mail 'A beautifully written thriller, and the way in which Lupton used the tundra as a metaphor for grief and faith in stunning. The voice of Ruby and her compassionate exploration of a life without sound only adds to the richness of the book' Press and Journal 'A wonderful writer . . . absolutely gripping' Jane Garvey, BBC Radio 2 Women's Hour 'The pressure is on to keep creating equally brilliant stores [and] Lupton has done that with The Quality of Silence' Red Magazine 'An elegant, chilling read from a writer who continues to stretch the bounds of suspense' William Landay, author of Defending Jacob

Generally when I finish reading  a book I wait a few days before I write a review but having just finished reading this amazing book; about family, love, respect, strength and dishonesty all set against the backdrop of the Wilderness of Alaska, I knew I had to write one immediately.

The book tells the story of Yasmin and Ruby’s trip across Alaska on a quest to find Matthew the man in their life (husband and father) and wildlife photographer after being told on their arrival in Alaska that he was missing presumed dead. The spit narrative between Yasmin and Ruby really made you aware of how differently different people view situations. You got the pov of an anxious mother and wife scared for her self and her daughter while knowing without question that her husband is not dead, and that of a inmmatture, determined 10 year old deaf girl who was equally sure her father wasn’t dead. Although these split narratives were a little stilted to begin with they became the most important part of the story.

Rosamund’s writing style was so enrapturing that you couldn’t help but love the main characters (Matthew, Yasmin and their deaf daughter Ruby) and get enthralled by the awe inspiring Alaskan landscape. It was lovely how Rosamund made the weather during the storm in to a living breathing character as it really made you realise exactly how bad the weather was as well as how scary it was.

I found it interesting how Yasmin was determined to make Ruby speak rather than use sign language, because she felt that it was important but by doing so she effectively muted her so she didn’t know how knowledgeable she was about what her father does. While Matthew, her Dad spent lots of time with her talking in sign language about his work and nature. Because it made you aware of how different people even parents cope with disabilities their child may have.

This is a book that I will read again If anyone out there has read this book What did you think about it? and I would love to read her other books can anyone recommend which of her books I should read next?.  It is a book that I will recommend to others as well as buy as a gift for anyone I know who will enjoy it.