The Silent Listener is a disturbing and uncomfortable read, that explores family violence and the psychological effects it has on a child well into adulthood. I enjoyed skipping back and forth between timelines, which slowly revealed the shaping of the Henderson family and how they came to be - how different would life have been, if different choices had been made from the beginning? Although there are some predictable elements to it, the narration flowed logically to ensure that the events taking place throughout the story made sense. However, I’m not sure how I felt about the ending - it was all a little too tragic, and for me a bit too far fetched - I didn’t quite get the closure or justice that I was hoping for which was disappointing. There was an unexpected twist though that I thought was very cleverly done - and I’m all for being taken by surprise.

I always love a book with multiple timelines and this book delivers! There are many perspectives and timelines alternating throughout the book. The twists at the end shocked me to my core! This book is very dark and depressing at times but continued to hold my interest through character building and the slow realization that something was off. A good read!

This is good book but there are triggers for family violence. This is a very good story, well developed characters and a brutal environment vividly brought to life, it almost feels like you can feel the heat of the sun and the cool of the rain through the seasons. The story is told through three timelines, Gwen and George during the 1940's, Ruth and Joy during the 1960's and Joy and various others during the 1980's. Gwen meets George who is a bit older than her and it literally swept off her feet, they quickly marry and move out to a remote area of Australia. Children quickly follow, Ruth, Joy and Mark, the story is told mostly from Joy's point of view, the discipline she, Mark and Gwen are subject to at the hands of her father is beyond brutal and leaves scars, physical and emotional. Life is not easy, they live on a dairy farm and most of their income is from the milk they sell. Gwen begins a home business creating flower arrangements for weddings and funerals which provides a small income that allows her to provide items to the kids that would otherwise be out of reach. We learn that a nine year old child has gone missing in the early 1960's, this missing child has haunted the local police chief his entire career. In the 1980's George is on his death bed and when he passes suddenly, that same police chief thinks Joy, who had come home to nurse her father, may have had something to do with it. The eventual reveal of the killer of the missing child was a shock, I had guessed wrong on that one. Overall a very good story and highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Silent Listener by Lyn Yeowart.

This book, this BOOOOOOK! Every page turn hurts, but you turn the pages compulsively because you have to. The story is so intense, so violent, so hard, and so readable. It's full of subtle turns, and it never ceases to shock.

Joy and her family live in rural Australia in the 60's. Her father, who seems charismatic and helpful to the community, is a religious tyrant at home, doling out severe physical punishments to all members of the house. Everyone at home is terrified of him, and no one is there to help them. Skip back to when Joy's mother and father started courting, to getting married, and then skip way ahead, to when Joy's father is on his death bed, relying on his daughters for care. When he finally does die though, the details of his death are suspicious, as well as some of the things he left behind...

Here's the thing, I haven't had this hard of a time putting down a book in a while. I had to know what was going to happen. But also, I don't know that I could recommend it. It's NOT an easy read, it's red with violence and injustice. But, holy cow, I'll never forget this one, that's for sure.

The main character, Joy, returns after "escaping" in 1983, to nurse her dying father, George, a highly respected and upstanding citizen of their community.

The story was then brought back in time to George’s marriage to Joy’s mother Gwen, their whirlwind courtship and the old dairy farm they live in. But Gwen’s dreams of a happy new life are quashed within days of her wedding as she learned what a monster her new husband is and that his charm is only reserved for the people outside of their home. He relies on isolation of his property, the silence of his family and the complicity of those who will not look any further or act on their very real suspicions. Their children cower under their father’s control, their innocence slowly stripped with every brutal strike of the belt that leaves their bodies, and minds, bleeding and scarred. I feel especially sad on how Mark's life turned out. I always think every person who experienced this kind of abuse will have a better life when they're older, it's painful to read the conclusion of these children's' life as adults.

According to the publisher, this book is “loosely based on events from her childhood growing up in rural Victoria”. Given the things that happen in this book, particularly to children, I fervently hope that they are not events that specifically happened to her.

I’m not sure how I feel about the ending still, while it absolutely fits with the story, it’s sad and dispiriting. I hope people will realize how abuse plays a huge role in children's lives and the long-standing effect of it as they mature.

I always wonder how fun and simple it is to live back when internet is not yet a thing, but also, it makes me think about some of the most ridiculous upbringing stories we hear back then that we can only imagine today.

There are so many elements to this story and to say too much would be to give away spoilers, however, please note that there is a strong theme of domestic violence and child abuse.

Overall, this is an engaging but pain filled read.

The story alternates between three time-lines - George's wooing of Gwen in the 1940s, their life in the outback with their young children in the 1960s and the present-day with daughter Joy returning to the family farm to look after dying father, all tied in with the disappearance of Joy's young friend in the 1960s. .Harrowing, child abuse, domestic violence all hidden from public view Views of life in rural Australia are believable for their times - remotes, close communities, resilient and self sufficient. Well-written and well-characterised. Good twist at the end. Just not totally my cup of tea. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The story is set in rural Australia. It is dark and absolutely gripping. It made for a super read! This is the first novel by this author and I cannot wait until she releases another.
There are 3 different timelines embedded within this book alongside different points of view.

This story is centred around family. A family with dark secrets - everyone seems to be hiding something!

We see George and Gwen’s life beginning in the 1940’s. In the 60’s the children arrive and we see George dying in the 80’s - this is the main bulk of the book.

I cannot believe how many excellent debuts I have read lately and this is another one.
Set in rural outback Australia over 3 different decades, it’s starts with Joy Henderson being informed of her fathers death and the need for her to return to the farm to finalise things. Her father, George was a pillar of the church and the community, loved by everyone. What they didnt know was that he was the worst father possible. His children, Mark and Joy and to an extent his wife, lived in fear of him. Any tiny indiscretion led to 15 lashes of his belt and buckle.
The children when not at church work hard on the farm and in the house, and are constantly verbally and physically abused.
So when Joy finds her father dead with the very belt he used on the her, around his neck, she rings the police. Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, isn’t convinced that Joy is innocent and suspects she is pulling him into her cleverly thought out lie.
I loved all three time frames that the book revolves around, the 1940s when Joys parents met, their whirlwind marriage and the subsequent realisation by Gwen that her husband isnt who she thought he was. The 1960s when Joy narrates her life as an 11 year old with her brother Mark and awful tyranny of her father, and the present being the 1980s when she plays the cat and mouse game with Alex Shepherd.
Scattered through Joys story is the disappearance of her friend Wendy Boscombe, in the 1960s although she is never found Joy is certain her father killed her.
Some twists In the book were predictable as was the main twist at the end but there were other discoveries I hadn’t thought of and the happy ending I expected didn’t happen. A great read that had me hooked from start to finish.

#netgalley #thenightlistener

This book goes back and forth from the 40's 60's and 80's.
And starts in the year 1983 Joy Henderson's father passes away it's a relief and a revenge the belt is still dangling from her hand. George Henderson has gone to his maker this is the happiest day of her life, she stays in control and arranges everything then get's on with her life.
The book then takes us back to 1942 the beginning of the Henderson family story.
This is such a one powerful read that is not for the faint hearted, it will chill your bones reading, a completely different read for me but had to carry on right to the end of the story.
an exceptional good read.

Unusual story recounting the sad life of the God fearing Henderson family. Set in Australia, told from daughter Joy's point of view, how her father George Henderson brought them up in a climate of fear and anger, whilst appearing to be a model citizen to the community.
Set against a backdrop of everyday life, something sinister is lurking and the suspense slowly builds to a crescendo which I could never have anticipated.
Well worth a read.

Thanks to Joffe Books and NetGalley for my digital copy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.
5 Stars!
Highly recommend.
It was hard to put this book down. Well written, well plotted, engaging characters.
The Silent Listener is a disquieting tale of a dysfunctional family, draped in tension and dread.

I found this just OK. The storyline was interesting but I found myself at times just wanting to get to the end. I do think the character development was good, and really felt how Joy was feeling throughout

THE SILENT LISTENER by Lyn Yeowart Portions of the book are hard to read due to the brutality towards the Joy and Mark and Gwen by the two faced monster, George. There a number of light hearted moments, Robert Larson's a fine lemming meringue pie and other mixed up descriptions, the Felicities and their welcoming of Joy's visits and Colin's love for his elderly kitty. The writing is impressive and the character and story development are masterful. Must say that I have never been too fond of eels and the author's descriptions of the eels were vivid enough to make me uncomfortable. The ending was a surprise and unexpected.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

If you are looking for a suspenseful, unputdownable page-turner, this book is for you.
Each turn of the page leaves you not wanting to put this book down as there are twists and turns that uncover more about this family's history.
The writing holy WoW y'all! Amazing! Truly a remarkable book! Looking forward to reading more by Lyn! She's a dynamite!

My God this book was good. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Very intense because of a domineering father/husband who beat his children mercilessly while on the outside behaving like a community minded God fearing Christian.

His daughter is mainly the one telling the story and there are a few surprises along the way.

This reminded me of Jane Harper's books and will be the book I most recommend this year. My review is not describing this book adequately but please read it. Incredibly good story telling.

This story will stick with you, long after you finish reading it. The Silent Listener is a dark and intense story set in three different time periods centering around the Henderson family and the disappearance of Wendy Boscombe. The switching from decade to decade adds to the suspense of the book; however, this book is a bit of a slow burn with the first half of the book dragging. The subject matter is dark and heartbreaking – this book will not be everyone’s cup of tea but if you stick around to the end, there are plenty of twists and turns as we learn what really happened in the Henderson household.

Thank you, NetGalley and Joffe Books for my copy.

Joy has had a tragic life which is detailed in this very gripping story. It begins with Gwen, Joy's mother, meeting and marrying George and then switches between the early years of their marriage, Joy's childhood and the present day. It is a story of traumatic abuse and how that impacts on the mind of a young child.

George is a domineering character who rules his house strictly using violence to maintain control. Gwen and the children fear him with good reason. But George is a religious man and an active member of the church so to all the other villagers he is a wonderful caring man which leaves his family alone to cope with the violence.

A very interesting story with characters that develop well. The story has many twists and turns that are totally unexpected and the suspense builds all the way to the end.

A very interesting and enjoyable read.

This one was a slow burner for me to start with and I felt the graphic child abuse scenes distressing at times however it kept me gripped and I had to know the ending... and the ending was well worth the wait! Wow!

Overall enjoyed reading but had to have a few breaks in between chapters.

This was a very graphic book and made uncomfortable reading at times. I’m not sure if that’s what the author set out to achieve but it definitely set a haunting scene of ingrained abuse. The author writes very well and realistically.

** spoiler alert ** 4.25 stars

I really enjoy this type of book,and I'm not sure what that says about me.
Dark,intense,tension filled.
This one felt incredibly raw too... the character of Joy,so at pain in every stage of her life... growing up with her abusive father,and later coming back to look after him as he was dying.
I think it says a lot for the author that I felt sympathy for Gwen ,the mother too... caught up in a situation she didn't understand,and powerless to protect her children.
There was an actual moment I uttered a sad "oh" at one reveal,making it very clear how much I was invested in Joy's story.

Tugged at a lot of emotions.
Always a sign of an excellent book.