Official Review: It Happened in Silence by Karla M. Jay
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Official Review: It Happened in Silence by Karla M. Jay
It Happened in Silence, by Karla M. Jay, is a historical fiction that features post-WWI Georgia. Willow Stewart, a mute girl of fifteen, leaves home to inform her estranged brother of their mother’s impending death. Veered off course by a series of unfortunate circumstances, she ends up serving sentences in a tailoring shop. Briar, her brother, is currently toiling in the Georgia chain gang as a part of his unfairly imposed sentence. When the seamstress offers Willow to curb the carnal desires of the gang leader, Briar implores his boss to spare her. The respectable Dobbs family then takes her in as a nanny. However, she becomes an unsuspecting witness of a sinister act, which threatens her life. Will the Stewart siblings be able to escape their imprisonment and reunite with their family?
Jay’s thorough research was quite impressive. She portrayed an accurate picture of the social and economic background of that particular period. The book described social injustices and malpractices such as eugenics and baby farming. Jay provided an authentic account of the Women of the Ku Klux Klan (WKKK), who worked as spies, enabling their spouses to inflict horrific torture on the so-called rulebreakers. Although this book was a work of fiction, Jay incorporated actual historical events, including WKKK activities, hobo movements, and the Missouri Pacific Train crash. She masterfully linked these occurrences with her narrative to create a seamless storyline.
The best asset of this novel was the characterization. Apart from the three protagonists, Willow, Briar, and Ardith Dobbs, many major and minor characters made their appearances. Jay made them realistic by using unique traits, distinct dialects, and accents for each. Willow and Briar exhibited empathy and compassion, despite lacking conventional education or proper exposure to society. They upheld the Christian values and always chose the right way over the easy way. I quickly became invested in their lives and rooted for them. Ardith, with her shady past and questionable morale, presented the exact antithesis. Her selfishness and narcissism made her character despicable. I wanted to see her punished for her evil deeds.
I loved how the poignant title foreshadowed the central theme of the novel. The well-educated people coming from the upper echelons of the society turned a blind eye to the plights of the less fortunate people. Their silence and indifference helped the cruel practices escalate. In contrast, as a mute girl, Willow’s silence was literal. However, that did not stop her from protesting against the wrongdoings. Similarly, Briar tried his utmost to help the unfamiliar Russian orphans, risking his life in the process. The siblings thus showed remarkable strength of character.
I found nothing negative to say about the book. From a technical standpoint, this novel contained no errors, indicating thorough editing. Accordingly, I rate it a well-deserved 4 out of 4 stars. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to any reader who appreciates character-driven historical fiction. However, there were a few violent scenes and tragic incidents that might prove upsetting for sensitive readers.
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It Happened in Silence
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