Published: 2015
Author: Rosamund Lupton
Beautifully written – but disappointing
It’s the middle of the British summer, some days have been lovely, others have been fairly dreadful. While the perfect books to read during the summer are typically regarded as light, frothy novels set on the beach I spent a few days in the chill of an Alaskan winter, courtesy of Rosamund Lupton’s TThe Quality of Silence
Yasmin, travels with her ten year-old deaf daughter Ruby, to Alaska in December to reunite with wildlife cameraman husband. When Yasmin arrives she is greeted with the news that a fire has engulfed the Inupiaq village where Matt was staying and he, along with all of the village’s residents, have perished. Unwilling to accept the truth Yasmin sets out on an increasingly hazardous journey with Ruby in order to find her missing husband.
This is Lupton’s third novel and the first that I’ve read, although her debut Sister is on my Kindle waiting to be chosen. This is quite a tough review to put together as my views on the book are mixed and the couple of days in between finishing the book and sitting down to write the review hasn’t really helped me to come up with a definitive judgment.
The writing is exceptionally good and the setting is spell-binding. Lupton brings the Alaskan chill to life brilliantly and I was literally shivering a couple of times. Some of the asides that are included such as the story of how ptarmigans disguise themselves in the snow are fascinating and add depth to the narrative. The character of Ruby is appealing and there is an intriguing conflict on the very nature of “voice” – does it have to be physical? Can someone make themselves heard without making a sound? The story also briefly touches on the conflict that parents face when deciding on schooling for disabled children – is integration in the mainstream education system really for the best?
The Quality of Silence is fantastically thought-provoking and my few days of space have only made me think about some of the issues raised even more. The big problem with this book, however, is Yasmin. She is the most annoying, frustrating and idiotic character I have come across in a long time. I would actually shout abuse out loud as I was so angry at her actions. What intelligent woman would take her vulnerable child into one of the most inhospitable places on Earth, against the advice of everyone with any knowledge of the terrain? Yasmin also spends much of her time ignoring her daughter’s wishes, believing that she knows best. Granted a large part of the story is Yasmin’s development but by the time much of this happened I had already taken against her and didn’t care. Ruby was a far more impressive character with the exception of her habit of using caps-lock phrases like SUPER-COOLIO on a regular basis. I think that’s an adult idea of what 10 year olds sound like rather an authentic characterisation.
If you can suspend disbelief and put aside negative feelings about a main character then the quality of the writing and the setting is magnificent, for me though my dislike of Yasmin made this a slightly disappointing read.