Alexa

media type="youtube" key="U6tV11acSRk" width="425" height="350"media type="youtube" key="WIWnt1f-96g" width="425" height="350" The Weight of Silence By: Heather Gudenkau

" Deeply moving and exquisitely lyrical, this is a powerhouse of a debut novel." -Tess Gerritsen

// I can't keep up with them, they are too fast. I know he has seen me, because he turned his head toward me and smiled. Why don't they wait for me? I am calling to them, but they don't stop. I know they are somewhere ahead of me, but I am not sure where. I hear a voice in the distance. I am getting closer. //

" Gudenkauf masterfully explores the intricate dynamics of families, and the power that silence and secrets hold on them. " -Ann Hood.

"If you say one more word, I will shut your mouth for good. Now shut up."

"Heather Gudenkauf skillfully weaves an explosive tale of suspense and... the healing power of love." -Susan Wiggs Louis was there when a fifth-grade bully was terrorizing me when we were nine, he was there when I had a panic attack about presenting a speech for my tenth-grade literature class, and he was there when my mother died.

I choose the first passage because one of the two girls is saying this. The girl is Petra and she is the one who leaves her house to go follow the two people she sees from her bedroom window. This passage doesn't tell who Petra sees,but Petra knows both people. She doesn't understand why they don't answer her or wait while she catches up with them. Petra obviously knows they are ahead of her and is determined to find them. Petra hears a voice in the distance but is it the two people she saw earlier? Petra says she hears a voice in the distance, not voices. Another reason why I choose this passage is because it gives a start to Petra's adventure into the woods alone. It tells you that Petra is all alone by herself and is going to follow the two people into the woods.

I choose the second passage because that quote was said by Calli's father, Griff. Four years earlier, Griff pushed Calli's pregnat mother, Antonia down the stairs. Calli was asking her mother if she was okay and was crying and screaming non-stop because her mother was badly hurt. Griff took Calli by her arm and told her to shut up or he would shut her mouth for good. Calli hasn't spoken from that day on. Later on in the story, Griff and Antonia are in the woods together arguing and Griff tells Antonia to shut her mouth or he would shut it for good. Antonia's mind clicked that instant and knew that Griff was the reason Calli hasn't spoken since that night she was pushed down the stairs. This is the most important quote in the book because its the reason why Calli hasn't spoken not one word in four years.

I choose the third passage because it explains all the times that Louis was there for Antonia when she needed him. This passage explains how Antonia and Louis have been very good friends since they were nine till now. It shows how much Louis really cares about Antonia and how much he truely loves her. Louis was always there for Antonia through the rough times in her life. Louis was off duty when he heard Antonia's daughter was missing. But Louis still went to Antonia's house to help her find her daughter,Calli.This shows that even though they didn't stay together after high school, Louis will still help Antonia with anything she needs. I believe that Louis still loves Antonia and wishes he could be with her some how even though they both have their families.

I choose the youtube video to be a trailer of my book. This video isn't the real trailer because there isn't one. This trailer gives a great view or look on what the book is about. The video tells people whoever is watching it the basic/main things they need to know about the story. The main things to know is there are two girls from a small town that go missing and everyone can be a suspect. There is a part in the video where a dog is barking. The dog barking is the biggest clue in the video for finding the suspect. I loved how they showed some woods because the woods is a big part in the storyline. There's a part where it shows something about family secrets, and that plays a big role in the story. I also liked this video because theres a part where it says "How long can the silence be kept?" This question refers to mostly Calli and a little bit to her mother, Antonia.

I choose the song Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles because I thought it fit nicely with the ending of the chaos that was going. Some of the meaning to the song is that all the coldness, darkness(which is the winter) is over and things are going to be brighter now. Well in the book it refers to the saddness of their missing daughters, but then they get there daughters back and everything is better for them. In the song it was winter and icy out but then the sun came out and everything started to melt. When the snow or ice melts some people are happy because the weather is turning to be nice. When the weather is nice out, people feel better and have better attitude because they're not in the darkness anymore. Because the families got there daughters back it made everything so much better and they can look to the bright side now. Its like waiting for somthing to happen then it finally happens. Bad or good. So the winter represents the missing of the two girls, and the sun represents the rejoycing of the families.

I choose the picture of the woods because I liked how the woods wasn't just the woods. It had a misty look to it. The misty look gave the creepy impression to me. When I read the book, I always pictured the woods to be creepy and dark. I also choose the picture of the woods because it gave the impression of a beautiful, peaceful, privacy look to it. Yes the woods was creepy to the two missing girls, but that was because something happend to both of them in there. The woods could be a beautiful, peaceful place too because it was where Louis and Antonia grew up. The two use to play together in those woods all through their childhood, and they gave theirselves up to each other in those woods. Another reason why I choose this picture was because that is where the main events happend and because the woods is in the center of four houses. The woods pretty much connect all four houses together in a way.