The Silence in the Sound

My first book to read by this author but definitely not my last! Such a gripping novel that made it hard for me to put his book down once I started it. Highly recommend!!

This book is based on Martha's Vineyard, so always a must read for me. Georgette goes to Martha's Vineyard to live out a dream from her childhood, after she went on a trip there with her father. Her childhood was difficult, and that trip feels like one of the only bright spots. She is a nurse, and works for a famous author who is failing, then falls in love with a mysterious man. I loved the Vineyard references! The story has love, loss, addiction, found family. Enjoyed reading this. #netgalley #thesilenceinthesound @diannecbraley #bookstagram #booklover #bookreview #bookrecommendation #tbr #bookblog #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #marthasvineyardbooks #lovetoread #foundfamily #addiction

Beautifully written! I feel the realistic traits in the characters surrounding Georgette really made this story. For a while the back forth in timeline felt annoying because every time something happened, I was left needing and craving what would follow but then it was like a flashback was placed there. However, continuing forward I was grateful as it provided information that helped flush out our main character and made me enjoy the book that much more. Perhaps too much as I ended up crying so hard upon finishing because of how deep I went into this book.

Beautifully written and emotional read. cried my way through a part of it. I’ve never read a book like this and I’m glad I got to experience it. I feel like it truly encapsulates addiction and how to effects those involved as well as their loved ones. I like how the author went back and forth between the past and present to fully explain Gorgette’s story and build the plot. The imagery of Martha’s Vineyard was breath taking. I hope this book comes to the big screen one day, as I was reading I could already picture some of the scenes playing out. Also after reading the “about the author” page, I noticed that she is a nurse and also cared for a celebrity novelist at Martha’s Vineyard. The line, “write what you know,” comes to mind, and Dianne did an amazing job at that!

Thank you to net galley for giving me this eARC.

Silence in the Sound is the work of Dianne C. Braley. As the author describes addiction affecting entire families in this novel, I found it emotionally engaging and truthful. The storyline is intense and moving.

The main character is Georgette. She loved Martha's Vineyard, an island in New England. They visited the island for the first time in 1992, when she was seventeen, with her father for only a weekend. Her only emotions at the time were anger, bitterness, and resentment toward her father. As she listened to what he had to say at the AA meeting he had to attend while they were on the island, her feelings for him began to change slightly.

Georgette returned to Martha's Vineyard in 2003. An opportunity to look after a famous author, Mr. S., became available while she worked as a nurse at the island's hospital. She loved her work and became very fond of Mr.S. He let her stay in a cottage on the property with her dog, Hobo. Georgette's life changed when she fell in love with Dock. However, she had to leave the island again due to unforeseen circumstances.

Georgette promised never to return to Martha's Vineyard, but in 2007, she did for a short visit, mainly to say goodbye.

Silence in the Sound is a novel I found difficult to put down. I recommend this book to an audience who understands the devastation of addiction. Dianne C. Braley did a great job writing this novel. I rate it five out of five stars without hesitation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Koehler Books for allowing me to submit an honest review. Congratulations.

So I zoomed through this one in a few hours and I have to say that I really did enjoy it. I do wish that it would have been all in one timeline. Although the past did add an element to the story. I was more focused on the here and now. I enjoyed the characters and what Georgette went through as a teen and her trip to Marth's Vineyard. The story overall is very powerful tale about addition and how to find your own strength inside of yourself. I totally loved Hobo (gotta have a sweet spot for the pups). I will say that this does feel like a debut author. It had its issues but I think that Braley is an author to watch out for. I can see myself reading more from this author in the future. This one is just over 300 pages and I devoured it in like 5 hours. So that goes a lot to say it was really good.

I always feel emotionally drained after a book like this - think Kristin Hannah, where her books are SO good yet so heart wrenching. This story tells the tale of addiction and it's consequences from the addict themselves to all of the people around them. George is a nurse who grew up with an alcoholic for a father. The story goes back and forth re-telling stories of George's childhood that have a clear impact on who she becomes as an adult. George takes on the role of in-home nurse/caregiver for Mr. S. award winning author facing end of life challenges. While taking care of Mr. S. George meets Dock and Will and falls in love with Dock. This story split me in two over and over again wanting to see George succeed and to be able to lead the life she wished for for so long. While the ending certainly broke me, it also brought me hope for what could become of George in the future.

I was gifted an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Silence in the Sound is a dual timeline novel that vividly portrays the effects of addiction on families. George (short for Georgette) has an alcoholic father and a mother who enables his behavior. George’s fondest memory is of a weekend trip she and her father took to Martha’s Vineyard. When her father gives an impromptu speech at an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting there, she begins to understand his character better.

She returns to Martha’s Vineyard after completing nursing school and eventually begins working for a Pulitzer Prize winning author, Mr. S. She also falls in love with an enigmatic man, Dock. She has conflicting emotions about him, particularly because she senses an inherent danger about him and because of his erratic behavior. Deciding love will conquer all, though, she marries him.

The dual timelines twist to form the DNA of George's behavior. Later, a third component arises as George reads Mr. S’s novel about a woman in the Holocaust. I found the book difficult to put down and found myself dreading George’s inevitable return to behaviors she’s worked hard to overcome. The scenes showing Dock detoxing were particularly devastating. Dianne C. Braley has taken knowledge she derived from her own profession as a nurse and braided it with her own love of writing.

Our narrator is George, a young woman from a hard scrabble town just north of Boston. She grew up with an alcoholic father and most of her memories are shadowed by this. At age 17, she spent one weekend with her then sober father on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. This memorable weekend draws her back to the island 11 years later as working nurse. George quickly transitions from the hospital to a private nurse position for an ailing novelist, Mr. S. George meets, Dock, a mysterious local and quickly falls into a new and uncertain relationship with him. Dock frequently disappears or disappoints, and George finds herself struggling to understand Dock as she falls in love with him. George grapples with her relationship problems but leaning into her relationship with curmudgeon Mr. S. and ultimately escapes into Mr. S’s novels for comfort.

As someone who grew up in the suburbs of Boston and visited Martha’s Vineyard many times, the setting of the story is both familiar and compelling. The Island is a character as the storyline shifts between the past and the present. The dual timelines allow the reader to understand the consequences of addiction and the devastation it leaves in its wake. This is an emotional read and is beautifully written. The addiction scenes are powerful and haunting and leave the reader rooting for George to overcome her past. It was heartbreaking to read the author’s note and understand this is loosely based on her own life.

One small technical point, George as a nurse was an occasional smoker and her boyfriend, Dock was a constant smoker. I personally found it implausible George would spend her days taking care of a dying man with a nagging cough and would spend her evenings smoking and hanging out with other smokers.

Warning: This book includes alcohol and substance addiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Koehler Books for allowing me to review this eARC. This book will be published on 8/23/22.