I grew up loving historical fiction and it was one of my
go-to subgenres. I've strayed from it a bit in recent
years but am trying to add more of it to my TBR. I
especially like storylines or time periods I haven't
already read about seven thousand pages about, so when
this book, set in 1875 in suburban Chicago popped up as a
review option, I decided to take the plunge.
I am delighted that I did! HOUSE OF SILENCE examines gendered
expectations, mental health, and friendship, with a touch
of romance thrown in. I really liked how the character of
Mary Todd Lincoln was worked in and how she was written
as a woman of immense strength and fortitude. I feel we
hear a lot about President Lincoln but very little about
his wife in the cultural zeitgeist, so I was happy for
this corrective.
Overwhelmingly, what this book argues is that in this era
the lives of women were often so far out of their own
control, and their voices were so rarely trusted over
those of men, that women would go to extreme measures to
regain control. Of course, I say "in that era" as that is
when the story is set, but let's be honest: not much has
changed. Thankfully politically arranged marriages with
partners who churn stomachs are less common place, but
several other elements of this story felt upsettingly
contemporary.
Beyond the disturbing crime at the beginning and the
reality that Isabelle has to resort to such methods to
feel safe, this book has a gentle way about it. The story
is carefully revealed and the characters vibrant. HOUSE OF
SILENCE would be the perfect companion to an afternoon
curled under a fuzzy blanket with a warm beverage in
hand.
Oak Park, Illinois, 1875. Isabelle Larkin’s future—like that
of every young woman—hinges upon her choice of husband. She
delights her mother by becoming engaged to Gregory
Gallagher, who is charismatic, politically ambitious, and
publicly devoted. But Isabelle’s visions of a happy,
profitable match come to a halt when she witnesses her
fiancé commit a horrific crime—and no one believes her.
Gregory denies all, and Isabelle’s mother insists she marry
as planned rather than drag them into scandal. Fearing for
her life, Isabelle can think of only one escape: she feigns
a mental breakdown that renders her mute, and is brought to
Bellevue sanitarium. There she finds a friend in fellow
patient Mary Todd Lincoln, committed after her husband’s
assassination.
In this unlikely refuge, the women become allies, even as
Isabelle maintains a veneer of madness for her own
protection. But sooner or later, she must reclaim her voice.
And if she uses it to expose the truth, Isabelle risks far
more than she could ever imagine.
Weaving together a thread of finely tuned suspense with a
fascinating setting and real-life figures, Sarah Barthel's
debut is historical fiction at its most evocative and
compelling.
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