The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton

Ruby and her mother have arrived in Alaska to visit her father only to find out there has been a disastrous fire killing everyone at the village where he was staying.  I had expected that the rest of the story would be sad and depressing. Instead, it was full of grit and determination. 

Yasmin is convinced that she would know if her husband.  Since she knows in heart and in her soul that he is alive, she is determined to find him even though she will have to cross hundreds of miles of country she knows nothing about. 

I was captivated by this story. I wanted to stay with Ruby and her mom, wrap my arms around them and keep them warm and safe.  Author Rosamund Lupton's descriptions of the remote locations of Alaska were mesmerizing.  She was able to convey the vastness of the region and how very isolated the two were out on the ice highway.  From my city surrounded location, it seems like and impossible and fragile world.  I did learn about the resiliance of the people of Alaska.  Ruby and her mom showed their strength and learned how to survive in a place and weather that was totally foreign to them.

I didn't know what to expect from Ruby.  She was far more than a shadow of her mother.  She was strong in ways I wouldn't expect for a ten year and she had strengths and skills not only related to her being deaf, but to being her father's daughter.  A worthy character that I'd like to see again in a few years in another story. 

I liked that Ms. Lupton incorporated some Inuit tales into the main story.  It helped to give a more complete image of the community of Anaktue. 

I have only seen the northern lights one time, though the description in this book brought them back to vivid colours.  I easily imagined them dancing through the sky.  All the beauty of the Arctic was balanced by the exploration and conquest of the elements by the various corporations present in the far north.

I really enjoyed this story and enjoyed learning more about life in Alaska.

Thanks to Penguin Random House and Net Galley for my review ebook.
Cover image courtesy Penguin Random House