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    Breaking the Silence
    Breaking the Silence
    Breaking the Silence
    Audiobook10 hours

    Breaking the Silence

    Written by Diane Chamberlain

    Narrated by Justine Eyre

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Laura Brandon's promise to her dying father was simple: to visit an elderly woman she'd never heard 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-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-six years 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, of bravery and unspeakable evil. A tale that's shrouded in silence . . . and that unbelievably links them all.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateSep 8, 2014
    ISBN9781494574697
    Breaking the Silence
    Author

    Diane Chamberlain

    Diane Chamberlain is the bestselling author of twenty novels, including The Midwife's Confession and The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes. Diane lives in North Carolina and is currently at work on her next novel. Visit her Web site at www.dianechamberlain.com and her blog at www.dianechamberlain.com/blog and her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Diane.Chamberlain.Readers.Page.

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    Reviews for Breaking the Silence

    4.5/5

    172 ratings17 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Diana Chamberlain never seems to disappoint. This book was incredible!
    • 5/5
      This book is absolutely worth it! There were so many twists and turns and surprises. I couldn't put the book down. I was 110% absorbed into the story and the characters. I finished it in a day and a half. This is the first time I read one of Diane Chamberlain's books. I would definitely read more of her books.
    • 4/5
      Another great story by Diane Chamberlain. I believe most if not all of her books are based on some true event and that is what makes them so interesting. The main storyline revolves around experiments done against psychiatric patients in the 50's. Most of them were either without consent of the patient or without the patient being able to fully comprehend what the risks were. I love how this author is able to weave several storylines together and rarely does the reader get confused.
    • 5/5
      This was soooo good! The story was fantastic! I can't believe I has this one my shelf for so long, if only I'd known! Kept me guessing right up until the end. Absolutely recommend this book to anyone.
    • 4/5
      This was a strong, thoughtful novel about mental illness and family relationships. The lives of two women, Laura and Sarah, become indelibly entwined after Laura makes a promise to her dying father. While the story focuses mainly on Laura's life, it is Sarah's that is the most horrifying and powerful. Now an elderly lady suffering early Alzheimers, she gradually tells Laura stories revealing what her life was like during the 1950's as a psychiatric nurse.The book is a fast paced, easy read (although fairly predictable), drawing the reader in with the narrative involving torture and frightening experiments on unsuspecting psychiatric patients in institutions which were supposed to be taking care of these fragile people.
    • 4/5
      I found the book description of this one a little confusing, so here's my summary: Laura Brandon's father is on his deathbed. As he is dying, he makes her promise to visit & check up on an elderly woman in a nursing home -- a woman whose name (Sarah Tolley) & identity are totally unfamiliar to Laura. She does as he asks, but in doing so, she seems to anger her husband, Ray, and when she returns home from her visit with Sarah, she finds that Ray has committed suicide. Not only that, but her 4-year-old daughter Emma was at home with him at the time and now refuses to speak.The initial events of this book were a little overwhelming and it was difficult to sort out exactly what was going on. Who exactly is Sarah Tolley and what kind of relationship did she have with Laura's father? Why was Ray seemingly so upset about Laura going to visit this supposed unknown woman, upset enough that it seemed to trigger his suicide? And was the suicide itself enough to throw Emma into silence or was there something else going on as well?Though confusing at first, I did for the most part enjoy the way this story unfolded, and it was unique in certain aspects. However, there were also some melodramatic bits and some predictability to some degree, although there was a twist near the end that caught me off guard. My biggest complaint was that I read this on audio, and the reader's voice was very grating and annoying, so to anyone interested, I'd recommend not doing so on audio. This was my second read by Diane Chamberlain, and I do enjoy her storylines, so I'll likely keep reading her books. She's written quite a lot of them, so that should keep me busy.
    • 4/5
      While there were some elements of the book that were predictable, I found this to be a very good read and had a hard time putting it down. I love a story that is partly told in flashbacks and Chamberlain does that well. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
    • 4/5
      Chamberlain never disappoints.
    • 4/5
      I read this novel while on holiday. It was definitely suited to that type of reading; long, leisurely days when you can dip in and out of it. Each chapter was written as a self contained unit and while you were drawn to continue reading, nothing was lost by leaving it till the next day or so to restart at the next chapter.Perhaps I have not read enough of this genre, but I found that I could not guess the ending, not the big twist at least. We the reader unfolded the layers of narrative as Laura finds herself unfolding the separate stories she was living and learning about. Though not in first person, seeing things from her perspective gave the book a focused lens to see events through; as it was her who linked every tale together they was no other approach possible.I did enjoy this novel. It wasn't as silly as I was expecting from the genre. Though this may be because of my inexperience with 'chick-lit', it never felt formulaic but unfolded piece by piece as the chapters went on. I was struck by its dealings with mental heath; depression, suicide, PTSD, and dementia (if that can fall into the category of metal health). I was almost grateful that the characters were not made two-dimensional by their conditions. The ending was particularly satisfactory.I only give this novel 4/5 because I don't think I would read it again because the magic was based almost entirely on the journey of discovery that it took its characters, and the reader, on.
    • 4/5
      Another page turner by Diane Chamberlain! I stayed up until 3:30am so I could finish (the twist regarding Laura, Joe, and Ray/Gilbert, was brilliant). This book reminds me a little of Jodi Picoult’s subject matter as highlights (muteness, suicide, and Alzheimer’s, the mentally ill, and other controversial topics). If you begin reading and feel it starts a little slower than most Diane’s books, do Not give up, as trust me as you will find the same suspense and excitement as you move along and will not be able to put it down.

      I loved Brandon and Laura’s characters as you fall in love with them and you could really sympathize with Sarah and Emma. Ray sounded like a jerk from the beginning, so never understood how Laura could fall for him (will not spoil this to say more). The Alzheimer illness was very realistic as my sister cares for a woman who is similar in that they remember the past, but not present.

      A heartbreaking story about a dying father’s wish for his daughter Laura to locate a woman in a retirement home with Alzheimer’s with no clue of the relation or connection (which he has been funding for years) with warnings and threats from others to stay away. A husband with hidden secrets and mental problems commits suicide while his (adoptive daughter), Emma witnesses the tragedy and become mute.

      In the meantime, as Emma begins therapy, Laura seeks the biological father Brandon, from nine years earlier, who has no idea he is a father and a bachelor. The request from her dying father was to take care of Sarah in the rest home and Laura enjoys her visits weekly and hears stories and experiences from Sarah set in the 50’s, detailing a time when she was married and in the middle of a huge scandal while working as a nurse in a mental hospital (which they were doing some very unethical procedures and research nightmare). Combine this with whistleblowing, and undercover work, and threats to your family and you have a nightmare!

      It all comes together in the uncovering Emma’s silence, the memories of love, despair, and evil and the much awaited connection between Joe/Laura/Emma/Ray. A must read!
    • 3/5
      This is well written on the whole - which is typical of Diane Chamberlain, and I did enjoy the characters. However, I have to say the plot twists are simply ridiculously melodramatic and a couple of times I just had to laugh out loud and do a lot of groaning. This is the sort of thing a good editor should pick up on and tone down - so I do admit that I grew rather fond of the Evil Doctor (capitals deliberate) and thought he'd make a brilliant main character of his own novel. I think I was supposed to hate him, but I thought he was wonderful.Not the best Chamberlain novel around then. Oh well.
    • 5/5
      An Amazing book. I could not have predicted the outcome if I had tried. Such an insightful story into 1950s psychiatric care. One of the best books I have ever read.
    • 4/5
      This book was a real attention grabber with a typically clever Chamberlain plot that hooks you as a reader right from the start. This novel actually has two narratives that cleverly interlink by the end of the story though at first it seems implausible that they are connected at all- one set in the present day and one forty something years previously. The structure works though, with clever flashbacks that really take you into the characters minds. Overall this was emotional and a story of real depth, combining suspense, intrigue and mystery against a family drama. Chamberlain is a writer that really grips you.The premise of the story is a fairly simple one; a deathbed wish from successful astronomer Laura's father leads to deeply hidden secrets being uncovered that will have dramatic consequences for everyone involved. Though the premise is simple though, this is a novel with twists and turns, trauma and deceit. The plot is fluid and fast paced with lots of bolts out of the blue to keep you guessing. It is admittedly very bleak in parts but mostly emphatic and moving. You do have to wonder how you would handle the same situations if you were faced with them yourself which as an author is a really skilful question to pose your readers.There were many plot devices that worked: one in particular was acknowledgement after people's deaths and how we really see them in hindsight which was quite insightful and layered excellent retrospective dimensions to the plot. The author has also clearly researched into mental illnesses, mutism, post traumatic stress disorders and their effects as well as the impact a debilitating illness like Alzheimer's can have and also how such cases were treated in the past- some of the archaic methods to treat such conditions were really horrific and made me shudder, but again were woven into the text skilfully.Generally, all of the characters are excellently drawn with flaws and personality traits that make them believable, if not always likeable. I loved Dylan and Laura and Emma was such a beautiful child and I really felt for her predicament. Halfway through the novel there is the suggestion of what is eventually going to happen but that doesn't detract from the books enjoyment- if anything it makes you as a reader want to read faster to get to the end!I have deducted one star because one plot twist that I never saw coming, I just felt that it wasn't really needed and it felt a bit creepy (you may understand when you read it)! All in all though, this was an excellent piece of contemporary fiction- suspense, mystery and family drama with a nice dash of romance. I would recommend this if you have never read a Chamberlain book before, or if you are a fan of Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah or Anita Shreve. *This review also appears on Amazon.co.uk*
    • 4/5
      An entertaining, multi-layered story. Five year old Emma has gone mute after witnessing her adoptive father's suicide. Her mother, Laura, enlists the help of Emma's biological father to help Emma through the trauma. Laura is also looking into a mystery: why did her own father make a deathbed request that Laura help an unknown elderly woman in an Alzheimer's care facililty? There are lots of flashbacks as the older woman tells of her past, and it is slowly revealed how she knew Laura's father. This novel includes a fairly predictable romance, but it's a sweet story.
    • 5/5
      This book is absolutely worth it! There were so many twists and turns and surprises. I couldn't put the book down. I was 110% absorbed into the story and the characters. I finished it in a day and a half. This is the first time I read one of Diane Chamberlain's books. I would definitely read more of her books.
    • 4/5
      Diane Chamberlain's novels grab a hold of you and never let go! Truly suspenseful!
    • 5/5
      This is a lovely book, really great. It was similar to feel to those by Jodi Picoult although I don't think she's done a similar plot to this. I found reading it had a nice feeling for the most part and I really enjoyed it. It was difficult to put it down however and it left me wanting to know what happened to the characters afterwards, even though all the major plot points had been tied up. The characters were just so realistic and alive that it left me wondering what came next for them. However I do think a sequel would ruin it (but I'd love to read one). I especially loved the poignancy of the last line of the book. I won't share it as I don't want to ruin it for anyone.This is a tale with twists to it. I did guess one of them but there were at least three major twists I had no idea about. Several of them I didn't realise were twists coming up and one of them made me gasp in shock when it happened. That's not to say this is a shocking or scary book because it isn't. Part of the story does take place in a psychiatric hospital and some of those scenes could be distressing to some as it details treatments involved, some of which were done to patients against their will. From reading a note at the end of the book I believe that similar things did happen although the patients and setting in the book are fictitious.I can't recommend this book highly enough, it was fantastic.