A Sudden Silence: A YA Thriller About Teen Survivor Guilt and the Hunt for Truth

by Eve Bunting

Jesse Harmon is tortured by guilt because he survived the hit-and-run accident that killed his brother, Bry. His guilt is compounded when he finds he is attracted to Bry's girlfriend, Chloe. Together Jesse and Chloe try to track down the drunk driver who killed Bry--but discovering the driver's identity leads to other disturbing truths. 

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Teen

135 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Also known as Evelyn Bolton and A.E. Bunting.

Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.

Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.

In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Zoé · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this book for English class, and I must say, I stopped reading at page 24. When I read the back of the book, I already knew it wasn't my genre. When I started chapter one, I was thinking 'Oh my god, can't my teacher come up with something better than this?', and at the end of chapter two I already knew what would happen the rest of the story.

Every English teacher who reads this, please let your students choose their own books to read, because this way you don't let them see how much fun reading is. And when you don't, please give them a good book what's popular in their age category. It doesn't have to be a big book with 600 pages, but something with a good storyline could help a lot.

But after all, I had to read that book for a booktest, so I picked a summary from the internet (wich I never ever do). When I read it, I thought the book was maybe better than the part I read. But from what I read in the summary is worth 2 stars, I think.
I heard from my friend (who had to read the book too, but she doesn't read a lot) that she found the end a bit shocking, but I don't think so. When I read that Chloe's mother had killed Bry, it felt like I knew it the whole time.
So, I don't think it was an exciting book. But for not-readers it can be fun, also because it hasn't lots of pages (my other friend finished it in an hour).

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesse and bry were on there way home walking along the side on the highway and right next to the beach on their right bry was hit by a car. He was deaf Jesse was trying to get his attention but he was to far up.Will they find out who this driver was?
I liked how it started off with something bad happing already making it interesting. I don't like how this man bry was deaf but I guest the adds a little more unique story.
I recommend people who like mysteries or suspenseful books because it's starts off fast and good and ends good but we will leave that for u to read

[Thijs VdB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it a good book, it a catchy storyline. Also a top is that it really reads well. I found the language a bit old-fashioned and it became clear to me that this type of book isn't really my genre. But overall I would recommend this book to people who like a Thriller/Detective with a grabbing story.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesse and Brian Harmon are not only brothers, but best friends. Brian is deaf, and he has learned to read lips easily and has learned signing well, from his tutor, and girlfriend, Chloe.
When walking home from a party, Jesse and Brian are crossing the street. As Brian crosses the street, he gets hit by a speeding car and goes flying. Jesse feels as if it's his fault. Then, the silence begins.
Chloe is helping Jesse out finding the mystery killer of their best friend. But do they fall for each other on their journey? The silence fades away.

I would recommend this book to anybody who loves books on romance, tragedy, drama or realistic-fiction. I liked the book because of the drama, of course! This book is definitely a must-read.

[AWALL · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book lacked in flow. The premise is very intriguing at the beginning. < Boy goes to a party with his brother where he realizes he is attracted to his brother's crush. Boy and brother leave party together. Boy's brother dies because of a hit-and-run driver. Boy sets out to discover who the killer could be. >

The problem erupts when there is a constant reiteration of our main character's feelings towards his brother's crush versus the feelings of grief. Also, the mystery of it all takes a severe back seat to his constant need to admire this girl from a distance because he deems it much too soon to be open about his feelings for her. By far, the greatest grievance, however, is that there is no hints nor relevant background about the killer until the killer is revealed. There is no AHA moment nor any why-didn't-I-put-that-together moment.

Overall, the plot was SEVERELY rushed and the mystery that seemed to be the leading through of the story took backseat to very sporadic and underdeveloped romance.

[bailey &#x1f49b;✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't have much to say about this book. My students and I have been reading this book chapter by chapter in class and I finally reached the point where the pace was too slow and I wanted to finish so here I am. The writing was nothing special, the characters didn't really have any personalities besides enjoying surfing every now and then and the "twist" as to who killed Jesse's brother wasn't really that exciting. And the author really didn't spend much time on that "twist" either so it kind of fell flat. I wasn't shocked, nor did I really care about how things had gone. I think ultimately it's a good choice for kids who are not good readers and also don't enjoy reading because the mystery is what will keep them reading to the end. But for a 23 (going on 24) year old adult who is very well read, this is subpar. I'm sure I'll forgot I even read it in months time.

[Victoria Marie Lees · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Sudden Silence by Eve Bunting is a sad story, but very suspenseful. Bunting tells the story through the first-person perspective of Jesse Harmon, the older brother of Bry, who is deaf. The novel opens with Bry being run down by a drunk driver. And the story moves crisply from there.

Bunting creates fully realized characters the reader truly cares for. Jesse not only needs to deal with grief and guilt—why couldn’t I save Bry—but also his growing feelings for the girl Bry liked, Chloe. Together, Jesse and Chloe try to find the hit-and-run driver. Clues, the power of memory, and surprise fill the novel. But like any good story, the answer creates more problems. A truly great read!

[Kayleigh Bigwarfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesse and his brother Bry are walking home from a party when out of nowhere a car swerves towards them and hits Bry. Now that Bry is gone Jesse must cope witht he lost of his younger brother and find the person responsible. When he finds the killer nothing makes sense anymore. Read the book to discover more...

[Lane Mercer]

I got two chapters in and after reading the death of Bry and how torn up Jesse was over it, and reading the words "she was the girl Bry liked. That was enough right there to stop my giving her a second thought." I am supposed to sit here and read over the next 100 or so pages that he and Chloe get closer? No, thank you. I'm sorry, but I just don't like that plotline in books.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jesse and his brother are walking home one night, and they are hit by a drunk driver. Jesse can't let it go and keeps asking questions about why his brother had to die that night. When he finds out who hit them, he finds out about how families hid alcoholism and how it effects more than just the person drinking. A good story about drink, driving, family, and friendship.

[KYLIE SABOL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book! This author did an AMAZING job of keeping me intrigued. I loved how Bry was super important to Jesse. No matter what Jesse did, Bry was in his heart, and he did everything for him! I would give this story a 5/5. It was incredible!

[Johnny Ravioli · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY GOOD THE BROTHER DIES, THE MAIN CHARACTER'S GIRLFRIEND IS CHLOE

[Marjie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story on a bad subject

Tale told very well. A hit and run death by drunk driver. A lot of what if’s covered, emotions, etc.

[Amit Weiss]

It was good

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspenseful; kept my interest, although there is a cringeworthy beach incident midway through the story.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like quick reads, but this could have used more development.

[Tatjana N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book in one take.
It’s a good story, nothing much happens in general but it never got boring.

Good book in all its simplicity.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

**2.5

[Renske · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, I had to read this for school in 3 days for a test so yeah

[Dione Mimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring

[Christi O'Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was good, but it seems like the end just ends. There's not as much closure between characters as I would like.

[Cpachilis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be a little boring. It was very predictable and the plot took long to progress. However, I did find this book to be somewhat interesting despite its flaws. Descriptions of characters were spot on and made the book come alive. I think the author could have made the book more interesting if they added some sort of challenge for Jesse besides finding his brother's murderer. It was obvious from the start he wasn't going to end up with Chloe and I feel their whole relationship was only created for the purpose of making some sort of unexpected twist for who the murderer was. The clock was a great way to start and end the book and it really brought a close to Jesse's adventure. It was disappointing that the murderer didn't go to jail in the end but it added some suspense for what would happen in the next book. Overall, I think this book lacked energy and a good plot but still had some well thought out characters and added a lot of good suspense.

[Branden Pittman]

A Sudden Silence by Eve Bunting was overall a decent story because of the characters and how close Jesse and Bry were as brothers. Bry was deaf and Jesse was close with him and was his best friend. When you have a def brother you should not just let him walk by himself when he can't here anything coming. It then turns into a mystery that urges you as a reader to find out what actions take place after the first chapter.
Overall the book was decent, I really liked the mystery part and how Jesse and Chloe worked together as a team to get down to business and find clues and evidence. I liked the theme of the story and what the emotion of the story was because it did have some really sad moments. I didn't like a few things such as I felt there were a few plot twists but then again that could have been just me. It went from a fast to slow pace which wasn't good.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has a strong like for a sad mystery book. Maybe for some teens this would be a good book.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

"What If" Bry and Jesse had taken the proper way home after the party? "What If" they'd only have stayed on the correct side of the road until they reached the underpass? Instead, Bry sees a clearing in the traffic near their development and runs across the road. Shortly after that, a speeding car comes from behind, catching them unawares. Jesse yells out to Bry to get out the way. But Bry is deaf and never heard the warning, nor probably ever knew the car hit him. Until it was too late.

Jesse is full of regrets from the moment he darted out of the way without grabbing his brother and pulling him to safety. But no one has blamed Jesse that it was his fault. Instead, Jesse is determined to do everything he can to find the driver who so carelessly hit Bry and then drove off into the night without helping.

A SUDDEN SILENCE has been reissued after twenty years. The story is still as relevant today as it was in 1988 when it was first published. Ms. Bunting writes a sad story of one brother's quest to find justice for his younger brother who was killed too soon. Jesse is a normal teenager who has to deal with survivor's guilt, as well as the not-knowing of who killed his brother. With the help of Bry's friend, Chloe, Jesse puts the pieces together to help the police solve the crime. In the end, though, Ms. Bunting makes the reader realize that the conclusions we come to may not make it any easier for everyone involved.

This story is a must-read for teens thinking about drinking and driving. Many fail to realize that the dangers may not always be to the drunk driver, but instead to the innocent people who had nothing to do with the alcohol.

[Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A Sudden Silence” by Eve Bunting is a well written story describing the murder of Bry Harmon. Told through the perspective of his older brother Jesse Harmon, we read the story of a young 16 year old boy getting hit by a drunk driver while walking home from a party. His older brother is now on the lookout for any clues or signs of who the killer might be as he teams up with Bry’s crush, Chloe to put up posters asking for anyone with details to call and report them. Even though it was only an accident, Jesse traps himself with guilt and feels he is to blame because he lived and Bry didn’t. He feels it’s his fault because he yelled ‘jump’ but because Bry is deaf, he couldn’t hear him. Jesse still jumped but Bry was hit which later made Jesse wonder if he could’ve been faster, and saved Bry with him.
I really enjoy reading this book because it keeps me questioning and turning page after page. However, one thing I dislike about this book is that it keeps me hanging over the edge for repeated large amounts of time and makes me frustrated and impatient. Even with these flaws, I would highly recommend this book to youthful readers. This is because the two main characters are teenagers and teens may be able to connect to these characters. Also, the book has events similar to dating relationships and shows an inspirational bond between two brothers. Lastly, I would suggest these readers to give this book a chance because it hooks you from the beginning and satisfies curiosity followed by good details. This is a very good book and has many dramatic events that keep me wondering and grips my mind to where I want to finish as soon as possible. “A Sudden Silence” by Eve Bunting is a book that keeps me constantly hooked, engaged, and diving into my book as often as possible.

[Peony Minassian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book "A Sudden Silence" by Eve Bunting is a thrilling book about a boy named Jesse who is trying to find out who ran over his deaf brother one night while walking back home from a party. Jesse feels this awful guilt inside him of why he let that happen to his own brother. As he never gives up trying to find out who caused all of this, the clues he finds uncover a shocking idea of who might have killed Bry. What i really thought was fascinating about this book was that the author made it very easy to read and it was straight to the point. Through out the book, Jesse becomes a better human being and learns many valuable lessons along the way. One possible theme for this story would be that people may never truly know a person by just there looks and overall appearance. For example, towards the end, the person who had killed Bry was so unexpected that no one would have ever guessed it. I think anyone would be interested in reading this suspense, dramatic, jaw opening story!

[Tanya Diehl]

Sudden Silence by Eve Bunting is a good mystery. It is the story of two brothers leaving a party. One boy, Bry, is killed and the brother must try to remember details of the car that killed him. The living brother, Jesse, is determined to catch his brother's killer and is helped by Chloe, the girl his Bry liked. While dealing with the guilt of his brother's death and his attraction to his brother's girlfriend, he manages to find clues to the identity of the hit and run driver. This is a nicely written mystery. It offers enough clues and a slight twist ending to keep the reader interested and satisfied. It's a good starter mystery for up to age 15 or so. Beyond that, it may be a little too simplistic for a reader truly intersted in the mystery genre.

[TheSaint · Rating 3 out of 5]

The original pub date of A Sudden Silence is 1988; just 25 years ago, but the characters seem much more innocent, less jaded than characters in contemporary realistic fiction.

Yes, a teenager has to come to grips with the violent death of his brother. And does seem to be falling for his brother's crush, but he feels appropriately ambivalent about it. But even solving the mystery of which drunk driver killed his brother doesn't seem to change Jesse's world-view that much. His parents, though, are full of guilt, even though they had nothing to do with the incident.

In terms of the mystery: there aren't too many characters who could have done it, so the suspense is never huge.

A good choice for reluctant readers.

[Allison Shepard]

I like this book, because it started out with a suspence part. Bryan was killed by a car while walking back to there trailer park. Bryan was deaf so he could not hear Jesse,his brother, saying "stop." Bryan's family are investigating the crime scene. Then the word came out it was a drunk driver that killed Bryan. Jesse is always looking at licence plates to see if any of them are familiar. Then Chloe, Bryan's girl, was riding with Jesse and then they got in a crash. Chloe went in the hospital with a bloody shirt in a plastic bag. She got some stiches on her foot. The ending was very good, because it ended out with " there's this really good place where the parents talk about there child's death." And they think it would be good for the mom. But Jesse said no she's not ready yet.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesse and his deaf brother Bryan are walking home from a party one night, when a driver swerves onto the shoulder of the road striking and killing Bryan. Jesse is consumed with finding the driver that killed his brother and then just drove away. Chloe, Bryan's girl, helps Jesse as he suffers with a double edged guilt. Why didn't he try harder to save Bryan? and Why is he so attracted tot he girl Bryan liked? I don't know if this book would be good to teach to a whole class, but it's a great one to recommend to students for outside reading. The complexity of personal relationships, use of foreshadowing, issues of addiction, grief and loss are all prominent.