Official Review: It Happened in Silence by Karla M. Jay

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Shrabastee Chakraborty
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Official Review: It Happened in Silence by Karla M. Jay

Post by Shrabastee Chakraborty »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "It Happened in Silence" by Karla M. Jay.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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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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Post by Eddy E »

I admire authors who able to merge historical events into fiction. It makes the book more real and appealing. I found this review to be very interesting. I'm not a fan of history but I do like depictions of them in prose.
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Post by Sakura5 »

I love historical fiction, especially when the author manages to depict a faithful portrait of the social background like in this case. This will definitely end up on my to-read list! nice review!
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Kavita Shah
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Post by Kavita Shah »

It is a whole new way to read a story of a mute girl witnessing crime. The book will be a great read. Thank you for a great review!
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Post by markodim721 »

I like the realism in the book. You can almost feel the emotions through the pages of the book.
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Post by Suzer6440 xyz »

Normally I would not read a book on the Storico fiction. But this review made this novel seem like something I’d give it a try. I think it will be a great book thanks for the detail and a fabulous review
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Becca Olsson
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Post by Becca Olsson »

Wow this sounds like a definite must-read. I’m glad the author could be so authentic in it and it makes me want to know what acts Willow witnessed. Thanks for the very insightful review!
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