The Silent Strength of Stones

Chapel Hollow #2

by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

In summer, magic is warmly borne on the gentle, wafting breeze.

It is a season of many wonders, with many secrets ripe for discovering...and some best left in shadow, unexplored. Summer has come to Sauterelle Lake. And inquisitive young Nick is discovering many things he doesn't want to know:

About a pretty girl with hypnotic eyes who talks to his soul...

About a wild creature--a wolf--whose features shine with an intelligent, un-lupine knowing...

About a strange, inhospitable family occupying a cabin that is meant to be empty.

This summer, nature's magic is not the only sorcery traveling on the wind.

And the real trick will be surviving until the autumn.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Magical Realism

244 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s first solo novel, The Thread That Binds the Bones (1993), won the Bram Stoker Award for first novel; her second novel, The Silent Strength of Stones (1995) was a finalist for the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards. A Red Heart of Memories (1999, part of her “Matt Black” series), nominated for a World Fantasy Award, was followed by sequel Past the Size of Dreaming in 2001. Much of her work to date is short fiction, including “Matt Black” novella “Unmasking” (1992), nominated for a World Fantasy Award; and “Matt Black” novelette “Home for Christmas” (1995), nominated for the Nebula, World Fantasy, and Sturgeon awards. In addition to writing, Hoffman has taught, worked part-time at a B. Dalton bookstore, and done production work on The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. An accomplished fiddle player, she has played regularly at various granges near her home in Eugene, Oregon.

Reviews

[Gretchen Rubin]

I've read this book three times. I love it. Why does no one ever talk about Nina Kiriki Hoffman's work? I'm a huge raving super-fan of her books. GO READ NINA KIRIKI HOFFMAN.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a little puzzled by the rave reviews for the Chapel Hollow series. It had some potential, but the execution is rather disappointing. Readers are dumped into a world where a three families (all related, but different branches) apparently have magic. There is no rhyme or reason to why they have magic, how they can use it, nor are there a lot of limits. There do not appear to be many consequences to the misuse of power - in fact it is a regular and accepted occurrence.

**Spoilers**
Nick takes it more or less in stride when he discovers magic users among the people he spies upon. He is not at all upset by being essentially made a slave by one of them, because he loves the guy/wolf (In a platonic or fraternal way, I think - forget that he's just met him). Later there are a couple of girls that discover the magic as well, and they are also remarkably calm about it. Unlike the first book, this branch of the family is more ethical about using their powers. Unless you're in the way. Or they get annoyed with you. Or they know what's best for you. Then they totally rob you of your will, take away your eyesight, cause you to nearly drown...you know, nothing unethical here. It's mentioned several times that the family doesn't "smell right" to the wolf-guy, but that's just glossed over. And even after they take away his will (nearly killing him), and force his sister to participate in a ritual to take him over (by subverting her will also, mind you), his sister insists that "they meant well," "they're good people," etc, and it never goes past that level of thought. It's really rather staggering.

It is later revealed that Nick's mom also has this magic, though it never mentions which branch of the family she is from. Just that apparently she was raising Nick in a smothering way, so for his own good she leaves him, and starts to learn how to raise a child in a healthy way. With Nick's sister...who neither Nick nor his father know about. And she's not strong enough to come back, just to pop up, upset him, and explain a tiny bit. And then Nick turns into Dirt and gets the family to release wolf-guy and his sister from their unnatural control, and to leave him alone. He makes the switch from Air to Earth as his base power, which is apparently difficult.

As I said, there was a lot of potential in this world. It just seems to be falling completely flat in the execution, and it bugs me that some serious issues are being glossed over.

[Leelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Nina Kiriki Hoffman book I have read. Can't wait to get my hands on the next one! Where has she been hiding? I am sure I have never seen her books on the shelves before.

Susan! Thank you very much for recommending her!

[milo in the woods · Rating 1 out of 5]

i really didn’t enjoy this. i really dislike this take on magical users and i think this novel did not interrogate the issues of consent, familial abuse and power dynamics that are present here.

i kind of hate to say this, because none of the other reviews have even mentioned this idea, but it really smacked of an allegory for conversion therapy. the narrative of abusing a child “for their own good” and the multiple mentions of evan being forced into a marriage against his will, especially in light of the homoerotic friendship between evan and nick. also the way that willow defends her aunt and uncles even when they are forcing her and evan to do things against their will; her saying over and over that they’re actually kind and warm and just want to look after her and evan despite her being described as fearful in their presence. i thought it was poorly done, and i thought it wasn’t sensitive or considered.

there is a lot going on in this book. our main character is nick, a peeping tom, who is being abused by his father. he meets a family who are holidaying in his village and has his consciousness/will(?) immediately seized by evan, who’s parents have sent him to live with his aunt and two uncles.

there is a lot of mystical violence, child abuse and nonconsensual mind control in this. the adults in the story are imbued with power over the children because of their seniority and are very aggressive towards nick and evan (for no clear reason?). their violence is excused and forgiven, for the sake of family.

i don’t even really want to sit and write the rest of this review, because there is just so much going on in this novel that is totally unaddressed in regards to consent and domestic abuse. i don’t think the author is trying to write about these topics, which kind of makes it worse because the narrative doesn’t challenge the behaviour of any of the characters at any point.

i found reading this book to be stressful and unpleasant. i guess that nina kiriki hoffman has constructed a world for her fantasy where power dynamics are an intrinsic part of magic vs. non-magical people but i just couldn’t look past how disturbing it was. just in regards to how the aunt and uncles treat nick; they don’t know him and have never tried to speak to him civilly - they steal a family heirloom, threaten him, blind him, and try to drown him. that’s not even mentioning the abuse they enact towards evan, all of which is excused by other characters.

really really didn’t enjoy this.

[zjakkelien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved it. It's less hectic than the first book and more balanced in personalities. The story is told quietly, slowly revealing the events, forming the friendships. It was charming, even if those friendships had some abusive elements. It was clear that everyone was damaged in some way by previous events, but trying to do their best to improve. And most of them did evolve and become better people.
I do feel the information in the extra story should have been part of the main book. But still, I enjoyed this a great deal, even if the connection with book 1 didn't become fully clear without that extra story.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The front of this book is chock full of glowing blurbs from reliable sources, but I feel like I'm missing something.

The writing is decent, but the main character's reaction to the magic around him is implausible (oh, this is a family full of sorcerers? Ho hum), and all the magic users are pretty morally repulsive. (The main character's friends are into magically "owning" people -- essentially psychic rape -- while the relatives they've been sent to live with, ostensibly to straighten them out, injure, curse or nearly kill anyone who interferes with them, seemingly without remorse.

The magic-users flaunt their jargon and powers around normal people, and the normal people don't seem all that shocked.

It's not terrible; it's just terribly uneven.

[Katy Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oddest book I’ve read in memory. So very, very odd. Felt unfinished or incomplete, although the plot was resolved solidly in the end. Sort of. If a boy being adopted by a boulder (that might be God?) turning into a dirt monster and thus completely disarming the magical, super powerful villains through an extended verbal exchange (one side of which consisted of “then that guy said something in the other language” and the other side consisted of the dirt monster saying “yes” or “no”- literally) equals “resolved.” And all that happened in about 5 pages. I did really enjoy the way the main character reacted to all the magical revelations. His utter befuddlement was refreshingly authentic. It was also how I felt reading this book.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written "contemporary fantasy" novel. Not overly romantic, sometimes a little sappy, and not only for mature audiences---would be good for young teens. Series was written over ten years before Twilight and is as good.

[Arlene · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not really my cup of tea.

[John Loyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seventeen year old Nick Verrou works for his dad running the convenience store attached to a motel. Mom left four years ago, he's done most of the cooking, too. In tourist season he works six and a half days, but he's active, using his free time to walk his spy route, seeing what people at the Lacey's resort are doing and that type of thing. This year there are some strange people staying at Lacey number five. That includes three adults a younger girl, a wolf, and Willow, who is about his own age. She stops into the store and they end up making a date for the dance on Friday.

The Keyes, that family from number five, are in town looking for skilliau, sort of talismans that hold magical power or the ability to focus it. They aren't evil, but rather self-centered, family oriented, locked into their own viewpoint and heedless of others. Willow and Evan have been sent by their parents to stay and learn magic with their aunt and uncle. Evan being more rebellious doesn't want to be sucked into that family. The adults don't like being watched and take offense to Nick. When Evan and Nick become close they Keyes take even more offense to Nick.

Great read all the way through. Magic is part of the setting and contributes to all of the different relationships. Nick with his Dad, Mom, Willow and Evan. Evan and Willow with their family. Evan with Megan. All these relationships add fullness to the story. The plot is great, too. There are enough clues and set up information, that the resolution flows very naturally into the story. Hoffman's writing is magical.

[Kilian Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never seem to catch the first story in a series by Hoffman, but her writing is so engaging it doesn't seem to matter. Who cares about what these people are, why they are where they are, and what their relationships are. It's what happens next that is important.

Nick Verrou has to help his father run a small convenience store and a handful of tourist cabins near a lake. He enjoys watching the people in the cabins, not in a creepy way, but a curious boy way. His attention is caught by the people in the Lacey cabin. There's something strange about them.

While Nick and we find out about just how strange they are, we discover Nick's own strangeness. We see him develop from a boy to a man, and are intrigued enough to boy the previous book just to find out more about those Lacey people and what they are up to in that cabin.

[Ron Jarrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subtle magic

Actually a prequel, chronologically to The Thread that Binds the Bones, they can be read in either order as they are two completely separate tales that will have some "Aha!" moments when you see the subtle connections. I re-read this one every few years and am over joyed that's it's on kindle so I don't have to figure out what box it's still packed in. Bonus short story was a wonderful perk, giving backstory to the backstory so to speak and letting us see how one of the characters first heard a prophecy she knows.

[kvon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about magic and growing up and broken famiies and ethics and the universe. But mostly about adolescence. Nick helps his father run the store at the lake camp; one summer a secretive family is staying at one of the cabins, who have some odd abilities. Rather like Nick has...Hoffman has a wonderful voice, that really puts me in location. Characters get to surprise you, just like real people do.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For this edition Matthew Stawicki did an awesome job; I can't figure out why the publisher picked such a horrible cover for the re-release.

Nina's probably my all-time favorite author, and I love about everything she's written.

RE-read 9/11/1999
re-read 10/11/2005
Re-read 6-28-2008
re-read 12/20/2015 -- my birthday!

[Matamarrano · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had a strong start but lost strentgh in the end. The magic designed for this book had too many powers to be realistic.

[Jon]

Review written December 1999
This is the first novel I've ever read by Hoffman, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I picked it up around bedtime, and ended up staying up a bit late just to finish it. I supposed it qualifies as a juvenile fantasy novel, but it contains enough depth to be satisfying to adults, as well.

We pick up the story of Nick, a young man who lives with his father and grandfather at a lakeside resort, where he helps out running the family business of a general store. Nick's mother left them when he was quite young, and throughout the story we learn more about his ambivalent feelings towards his mother and how that abandonment has shaped his attitudes. At the beginning of the story, we are given to believe that his father is a control freak and somewhat abusive, while the grandfather is living a slow slide into senility. Through the course of the story, as Nick grows up a bit, we begin to see a little more depth and understand the character of his father more thoroughly.

Sometime during the tourist season, a strange family arrives to stay in a lakeside cabin nearby. One of Nick's favorite pastimes is spying on the amusements of the rich and idle visitors to the resort, so he begins to watch these new people, as well. He rapidly becomes acquainted with one of the girls, Willow, who is about his age, by inviting her to the upcoming Friday night dance.

Nick becomes aware rather quickly that there's something strange about this family. They seem to have the talent to make themselves invisible or pass unnoticed by most people. They also indulge in ritualistic behavior, chanting unintelligibly with their arms raised to the sky, or invoking the spirits of earth and water. He makes the acquaintance of a rather strange white wolf, who turns out to be one of the family as well - a shapeshifter named Evan.

As Nick develops relationships with several of the younger members of the family, he ends up in conflict with the adult members, putting him in danger from time to time. They are engaged in some sort of mission, and are extremely intolerant of what they perceive as his interference in both their quest and their authority over the children.

This story moves along really quickly - all of the action comes to a conclusion in a period of perhaps four or five days. Hoffman perhaps sacrifices some elements of style, characterization and description to achieve this pace, but somehow it works.

One of the things I really like about the novel is that Hoffman never takes the easy out of explaining away these people's strange actions and talents by calling them faerie or sorcerers or any of the worn-out magical terms prevalent in modern fantasy. She even manages to invent some new terms, within the basic concept of magic driven by earth, air, fire and water. Perhaps a scholar of archaic tongues might be familiar with the skilliau, which seem to be some sort of power stones, that the family are trying to acquire and bend to their uses, but it and the other items in their private tongue were all Greek to me.

This one is definitely worth reading, even if you have to pay full retail. And, as an added bonus, it's suitable for younger readers - G to PG rating.

[William Leight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much of this didn't really work for me. There's an obvious parallel between the way in which Willow and Evan, interesting and attractive outsiders, cast a figurative spell on Nick, and the literal spells that they cast on him: on the other hand, the literal spell carries a lot more intent than the figurative, and is a lot harder to break, so I tended to sympathize with Willow and Evan's dour uncle and his family. Of course they're upset with Willow and Evan for going around and casting extremely serious spells on random people: on the other hand, it's not clear at all why it's Nick, rather than Willow or Evan, who seems to take the brunt of their anger. The scene where they try to kill Nick, in particular, seemed ridiculously over-the-top (and part of a general tendency for Hoffman to be a bit overwrought): shouldn't they at least be a little concerned about the possibility that outsiders would notice them doing magic? Also, Hoffman seems to dance around what exactly Nick and Evan's relationship is for a while before settling on something strictly platonic but really deep: I suspect that if the book had been written in 2015 instead of 1995, it would've been treated somewhat differently. Maybe it would be better for readers who are closer to the age of the protagonists and so would identify better with them.

[Mayumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gostei bastante do primeiro terço do livro, de ver a construção de mundo, do sistema de magia, de entender o protagonista -- o que ele tinha, o que faltava pra ele -- mas quando as coisas de fato começam a acontecer, não gostei tanto. Um bando de gente chata que se acha melhor e mais importante do que todo mundo, Nick só sentia atraído por esse estranhamento que a magia causou e ele talvez pudesse aprender alguma coisa com eles, porque nenhuma dessas pessoas tinha nada a oferecer -- humanamente mesmo -- pra ele. A menina mais nova, que eu nem lembro o nome, só apareceu por duas cenas e nunca mais; Willow passa de interesse amoroso pra defensora dos tios, porque "eles só querem o melhor pra gente, eles sabem o que é melhor", na cena da piscina, que é a pior do livro pra mim, ela não contribui em nada pra nada; Evan não tem nenhum trato social, não entende coisas básicas de convívio com gente, e Nick é tão compreensivo com ele, e os adultos dessa história são planos demais, não explicam pros jovens o que eles querem com os jovens e também não é explicado pro leitor o que eles querem com os jovens. O conto bônus do final do livro explica uma característica de uma personagem que, a meu ver, não precisava de explicação. Esse foi um livro fácil de ler, eu queria saber o que ia acontecer depois, mas acho que construiu expectativas e não soube o que fazer com elas.

[M.K. Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technically the second of the Chapel Hollow stories, The Silent Strength of Stones, actually takes place before The Thread that Binds the Bones. The beauty of this series is that the stories needn't be read in a particular order. Each can stand alone, and each enriches the reader's understanding and appreciation of the other.

This coming-of-age story follows Nick as he discovers the magic within himself and confronts those who would use magic for darker, more selfish goals. Nick's journey takes him from an isolated boy who spends much of his time watching others from afar, to a member of a community, an adopted brother of a shapeshifter and the boyfriend of a witch.

Grounded in vivid descriptions, The Silent Strength of Stones is both a wistful glimpse into a magical world just beneath the skin of our normal lives and a taste of the lush Pacific Northwest.

[OnTheSamePaige · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Unlike YA written today, this felt like the books I read in middle school. I felt like I was too old and reading a book for a child. For comparison, I would not feel this way reading something like Harry Potter. It was published when I was in HS in the 90's, but it feels like it was written in the 80s. I get why teens might have liked it back in the day, but it has aged terribly. That puts it in a weird position, because I would not suggest this for an adult, but there are some problematic parts that would keep me from giving this to a kid. It would lead to conversations about what this book handles poorly, such as free will, consent, and privacy. For, example, my older copy of the book has a cover featuring the naked backside of a presumably teenaged girl, bathing in a lake while the main character watches like a creep from the bushes. Yipes. =/

[BRT · Rating 3 out of 5]

This second in the Chapel Hollow series has a totally different setting, a younger, teenaged, set of protagonists, and a different family of magical people. The sense of mystery and the tense line of magic is still there. The setting is a summer resort area on an Oregon lake. Nick works in his father's store and resents the restrictions placed on him, especially since his Mom took off. He has a connection to the land and the lake that he remembers his mother fostering but seems second nature to him now. Then he meets the group visiting from Chapel Hollow and his life changes. We begin to see more of this magic from Chapel Hollow and how it's power, as with any power, makes the user feel superior and tempts them to use it in evil ways because they believe it's what is best. There's also a strong feeling of belonging to and respect for the natural world we occupy.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the same world, and maybe half a generation earlier than The Thread That Binds The Bones.

It's the story of a lonely teenager Nick, living in mountain lakeside holiday town.
His demanding father owns the local hotel/ grocery store, and when he isn't working or caring for his grandfather, Nick spends his time watching his neighbours and the holiday guests.

Then one day, a new family arrives to stay at one of the remote cabins. They are strange and keep to themselves, and can make people do stuff without remembering why.
Nick is hooked... because he too is hiding an ability to make people do stuff.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, the joy of used bookstore finds. The Silent Strength of Stones is a wonderland of a book, one that manages to describe its rural setting, its mundane characters, and its magical inventions with the same delightful wit and curiosity. This is a grounded fantasy, not a story about escape to another world but about finding one's place in this one. And while it was a comforting, cozy read, Hoffman has the dramatic chops to unsettle with one unexpected sting after another in many tense and memorable scenes. How much damage can be done to one person purely with a magical power of suggestion? Quite a bit, as it turns out.
Easily one of my favorite reads of this year.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some interesting points in this sleepy tale of a boy working in a vacation town who discovers a clan of visiting magicians. But this is the scraps of worldbuilding from another book. (Maybe the first one in the series? I haven't read it, but few of the characters seem to overlap.) All the interesting things happened not in this book. Also, while I sense maybe the incredible boundary violations are addressed in the previous book, here they're mostly shrugged aside without being dealt with.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like "The Thread that Binds the Bones" and "A Fistful of Sky" better, but this one is still very enjoyable. I think that I didn't feel as much of a connection with Nick (the viewpoint character) in this one as I did with Tom and Laura or with Gypsum. But Nick is still an interesting character, and the other characters are also interesting, if not always likable.

I do go back and re-read the other two, not sure I'll do that with this one. But I'm still glad that I read it, and I will keep seeking out books by this author.

[Hung Wasson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another novel in the Chapel Hollow universe - but not a sequel

"The Silent Strength of Stones" is another novel in the Chapel Hollow universe - but it is not a sequel. Reading the story there's no hints of the timeline, as Chapel Hollow is infrequently mentioned. But the author states in an afterward that this novel is a prequel. As far as the story goes, it could be considered a standalone novel. The characters and locations are different. I enjoyed the novel, despite hoping that I'd be reading more about Tom's adventures.

[Brian Cooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Young adult is not a genre which I generally find myself too interested in, so consider this rating biased in spite of my lack of interest in the characters and investment in what happened to them. I'd also never read any of the other Chapel Hollow books which might have led to be a bit more understanding of what was happening perhaps I might have cared more about where they went.

[Oberst Ink · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books from my childhood. Growing up in Oregon, with a witch for a mom (the good kind, not the children-into-fireplaces kind) I connected with the experiences of being in a small town. Nina's writings hold on to that theme and I really appreciate a lot of her writings.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent summer story

There are themes in this book that are pretty dark and somewhat disturbing, but I loved the relationship between Nick and Evan. Honestly, I liked that even over Nick and Willow. I also liked Nick finding his way, it was a nice coming of age story.

[Kathryn Baron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonus story: Words of Farewell **