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The Silent Listener
Propelling the reader back and forth between the 1940s, 1960s and 1980s, The Silent Listener is an unforgettable literary suspense novel set in the dark, gothic heart of rural Australia.
Deep red scars. Cold dark secrets . . .
In the cold, wet summer of 1960, 11-year-old Joy Henderson lives in constant fear of her father. She tries to make him happy but, as he keeps reminding her, she is nothing but a filthy sinner destined for Hell . . .Yet, decades later, she returns to the family’s farm to nurse him on his death bed. To her surprise, her ‘perfect’ sister Ruth is also there, whispering dark words, urging revenge.
Then the day after their father finally confesses to a despicable crime, Joy finds him dead - with a belt pulled tight around his neck . . .
For Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, investigating George’s murder revives memories of an unsolved case still haunting him since that strange summer of 1960: the disappearance of nine-year-old Wendy Boscombe.
As seemingly impossible facts surface about the Hendersons – from the past and the present – Shepherd suspects that Joy is pulling him into an intricate web of lies and that Wendy’s disappearance is the key to the bizarre truth.
Deep red scars. Cold dark secrets . . .
In the cold, wet summer of 1960, 11-year-old Joy Henderson lives in constant fear of her father. She tries to make him happy but, as he keeps reminding her, she is nothing but a filthy sinner destined for Hell . . .Yet, decades later, she returns to the family’s farm to nurse him on his death bed. To her surprise, her ‘perfect’ sister Ruth is also there, whispering dark words, urging revenge.
Then the day after their father finally confesses to a despicable crime, Joy finds him dead - with a belt pulled tight around his neck . . .
For Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, investigating George’s murder revives memories of an unsolved case still haunting him since that strange summer of 1960: the disappearance of nine-year-old Wendy Boscombe.
As seemingly impossible facts surface about the Hendersons – from the past and the present – Shepherd suspects that Joy is pulling him into an intricate web of lies and that Wendy’s disappearance is the key to the bizarre truth.
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First published February 2, 2021
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About the author
Lyn Yeowart
2 books72 followersLyn Yeowart is a professional writer and editor with more than 25 years of experience in writing and editing everything from captions for artworks to speeches for executives. Her debut novel, The Silent Listener, is loosely based on events from her childhood growing up in rural Victoria. She is now happily ensconced in Melbourne, where there is very little mud, but lots of books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 402 reviews
June 6, 2021
I know I’ve done it again, two 5⭐️ ratings in a row. This is so unlike me but I just couldn’t not give this book top marks!
This book was amazing, even more so as it was a debut! A dark, claustrophobic and harrowing journey that tells the story of the Henderson family in a small, Australian rural community where the father, George, is outwardly a pillar of the community and the church but his family know differently. It is told in three timelines - the early 1940s while WWII is still raging and many goods are rationed, the early 1960s when daughter Joy is 11 and 12, and 1983 when Joy comes home to care for her dying father. This is a story of a toxic family, of lies and secrets, of damaged children and religion wielded as a whip. It is also about resilience and the extraordinary lengths people can go to when desperate.
In 1942 George Henderson meets Gwen at a dance and sweeps her off her feet. They are married 2 months later after a whirlwind romance. When Gwen is whisked off to the marital home, a rather marginal dairy farm miles from anywhere, her world changes completely. George has rules, lots of rules. By and by the children are born. First Mark who learns from an early age that crying is against the rules and later Joy. There is also Ruth but Ruth had an unfortunate ‘accident’ so we don’t really talk about her much. We join the family again in 1960 when Joy is 11. In this time period she makes a friend and loses another as 9 year old Wendy Boscombe disappears, never to be seen again. Mark is beaten down and desperate to leave home and Ruth is the only one keeping Joy sane as they plot against their father.
In 1983 Joy returns home to care for her dying father (or not)! In this time period all the toxic pus leaches out and a lot of things become clear. Senior Constable Shepherd who was part of the search for young Wendy all those years ago, a case that still haunts him today, is called when George finally fizzles out. He is now the only police officer in the little town and the circumstances of George Henderson’s death are ambiguous to say the least. Shepherd is determined to pin it on Joy but as he investigates and learns more about the family he finds that nothing is as it seems and nothing is clear.
This book was chilling, spellbinding and compelling. It is not a thriller but a dark domestic drama that leaves you intensely unsettled most of the time. When you learn how George managed to evade the draft for the war you just want to slap his horrid fictional face! There were some mixed reactions to this. It is rather long and rather bleak but I read it in record time as I couldn’t put it down. I had to know how it ended. This will be one of my favourite books of the year and I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next. Just one comment on the blurb - it mentions gothic, there is nothing gothic about a small, struggling, Australian dairy farm so if that’s your schtick you may be disappointed. Other than that I highly recommend this book. I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book was amazing, even more so as it was a debut! A dark, claustrophobic and harrowing journey that tells the story of the Henderson family in a small, Australian rural community where the father, George, is outwardly a pillar of the community and the church but his family know differently. It is told in three timelines - the early 1940s while WWII is still raging and many goods are rationed, the early 1960s when daughter Joy is 11 and 12, and 1983 when Joy comes home to care for her dying father. This is a story of a toxic family, of lies and secrets, of damaged children and religion wielded as a whip. It is also about resilience and the extraordinary lengths people can go to when desperate.
In 1942 George Henderson meets Gwen at a dance and sweeps her off her feet. They are married 2 months later after a whirlwind romance. When Gwen is whisked off to the marital home, a rather marginal dairy farm miles from anywhere, her world changes completely. George has rules, lots of rules. By and by the children are born. First Mark who learns from an early age that crying is against the rules and later Joy. There is also Ruth but Ruth had an unfortunate ‘accident’ so we don’t really talk about her much. We join the family again in 1960 when Joy is 11. In this time period she makes a friend and loses another as 9 year old Wendy Boscombe disappears, never to be seen again. Mark is beaten down and desperate to leave home and Ruth is the only one keeping Joy sane as they plot against their father.
In 1983 Joy returns home to care for her dying father (or not)! In this time period all the toxic pus leaches out and a lot of things become clear. Senior Constable Shepherd who was part of the search for young Wendy all those years ago, a case that still haunts him today, is called when George finally fizzles out. He is now the only police officer in the little town and the circumstances of George Henderson’s death are ambiguous to say the least. Shepherd is determined to pin it on Joy but as he investigates and learns more about the family he finds that nothing is as it seems and nothing is clear.
This book was chilling, spellbinding and compelling. It is not a thriller but a dark domestic drama that leaves you intensely unsettled most of the time. When you learn how George managed to evade the draft for the war you just want to slap his horrid fictional face! There were some mixed reactions to this. It is rather long and rather bleak but I read it in record time as I couldn’t put it down. I had to know how it ended. This will be one of my favourite books of the year and I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next. Just one comment on the blurb - it mentions gothic, there is nothing gothic about a small, struggling, Australian dairy farm so if that’s your schtick you may be disappointed. Other than that I highly recommend this book. I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 23, 2022
Lyn Yeowart’s debut novel is a dark tale of a young girl growing up in 1960s rural Australia with a violent and vengeful father. A man who was a pillar of his small community, a church elder, Rotarian, committee member and everybody’s generous and cheerful friend. No one seemed to have any idea of how he controlled and violently abused his wife, son and daughter.
The novel opens in the 1980s with a woman who has returned to care for her terminally ill father who she hasn’t seen since fleeing her home seventeen years before. But Joy Henderson hasn’t come back out the goodness of her heart, she has questions she wants her father to answer now that he is unable to fight back.
The novel then takes us back to the 1940s when George met and persuaded Gwen to marry him and move to a run down, isolated dairy farm. Gwen soon learns that she has to live by George’s rather strict rules if she doesn’t want to be physically abused, and so must her children, Mark and Joy when they arrive. There is a third child, Ruth who had an accident that the family don’t talk about.
This is an intense and absorbing tale of secrets, lies and toxic behaviour. George is truly a monster who never loved Gwen but had ulterior motives for finding a naive, gentle woman to marry him. His violent and irrational abuse of his children scarred them not only physically but mentally and ruined their lives as well. It’s not always an easy read but as the tension gradually rises, it is compelling and very worthwhile.
The novel opens in the 1980s with a woman who has returned to care for her terminally ill father who she hasn’t seen since fleeing her home seventeen years before. But Joy Henderson hasn’t come back out the goodness of her heart, she has questions she wants her father to answer now that he is unable to fight back.
The novel then takes us back to the 1940s when George met and persuaded Gwen to marry him and move to a run down, isolated dairy farm. Gwen soon learns that she has to live by George’s rather strict rules if she doesn’t want to be physically abused, and so must her children, Mark and Joy when they arrive. There is a third child, Ruth who had an accident that the family don’t talk about.
This is an intense and absorbing tale of secrets, lies and toxic behaviour. George is truly a monster who never loved Gwen but had ulterior motives for finding a naive, gentle woman to marry him. His violent and irrational abuse of his children scarred them not only physically but mentally and ruined their lives as well. It’s not always an easy read but as the tension gradually rises, it is compelling and very worthwhile.
February 16, 2021
The Silent Listener is an intense and dark story of a family in rural Australia. We have 3 different timelines and multiple points of view. It be s a slow burn but worth sticking with as it comes to an explosive conclusion.
In the 1940’s we meet Gwen and George and learn of their early life together. Then there is the 1960’s where he children have come into the world. The main part of the story is set in the 1980’s when the father, George, is dying.
George is a well respected member of the community, but his family know better. When he is dying, daughter Joy reluctantly returns home to care for him. It has been 17 years and there is no love lost in this relationship. George was a cruel, controlling and abusive father and his passing is a relief to Joy. But when the police arrive after his death, Senior Constable Alex Shepherd starts asking difficult questions and believes that George didn’t die of his illness.
It is a story of family, deep dark secrets and so much more. Everybody is hiding something and wants a better life. A tough read at times and won’t be for everyone.
Thanks to Penguin Australia for my copy of this book to read. The Silent Listener is out in Australia now.
In the 1940’s we meet Gwen and George and learn of their early life together. Then there is the 1960’s where he children have come into the world. The main part of the story is set in the 1980’s when the father, George, is dying.
George is a well respected member of the community, but his family know better. When he is dying, daughter Joy reluctantly returns home to care for him. It has been 17 years and there is no love lost in this relationship. George was a cruel, controlling and abusive father and his passing is a relief to Joy. But when the police arrive after his death, Senior Constable Alex Shepherd starts asking difficult questions and believes that George didn’t die of his illness.
It is a story of family, deep dark secrets and so much more. Everybody is hiding something and wants a better life. A tough read at times and won’t be for everyone.
Thanks to Penguin Australia for my copy of this book to read. The Silent Listener is out in Australia now.
December 31, 2020
“We’re all liars… It’s not a question of whether we lie or not, it’s a question of what lies we choose to tell. And to whom.”
The Silent Listener is the first novel by Australian editor and author, Lyn Yeowart. George Henderson, a respected member of the Blackhunt community, is dead. His daughter, Joy, called back after a seventeen-year absence to care for her dying father, might be expected to grieve, but does not. Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, summoned to the scene by George’s doctor, is suspicious: did Joy murder her father? If so, why?
In 1942, after a very short courtship, Gwen marries George Henderson and is brought to his newly-purchased dairy farm at Blackhunt in rural Victoria. From his detailed instructions, his rigid rules, his tight control of every aspect of her life, and his physical abuse, Gwen understands that this marriage will never be what she had expected.
Having no alternative, Gwen works hard to keep George happy and seeks refuge in her chooks and her flowers and the tiny room where she makes bouquets and wreaths to earn a few pounds. Within a decade, Gwen has given birth to a son, Mark, and two daughters, Ruth and Joy. She tries to protect them, but without a clear example of mothering in her own life, is less than successful.
Her children grow up learning to fear their father’s mercurial moods, which might deteriorate from the amount of rain that falls or the size of the butter factory cheque or the vet’s bill, or the perceived breaking of one of his countless arbitrary rules; they live in constant fear of the corporal punishment he seems to relish in dishing out to his “dirty, filthy sinners who are going to rot in Hell”.
George is a pillar of the community: an Elder of the Church, active in Rotary, a member of the High School PTA, the Fire Brigade, and the Shire Council committee, always helpful to neighbours, loved and lauded by all. When nine-year-old Wendy Boscombe goes missing two days after Christmas in 1960, no one in the town of Blackhunt could imagine he would have anything to do with it. But Wendy is never found, and Alex Shepherd is plagued by his failure to find her.
The story plays out over three time periods and is told from three perspectives. Readers are likely to wonder from the start about reliability of Joy’s narrative, and will feel vindicated about certain aspects as the facts are revealed, but there are still plenty of red herrings, distractions and twists to keep the pages turning.
The building tension in the story is sometimes relieved by neighbour Robert Larsen’s amusing word confusions (fire distinguisher, a quick trump call, obliviously, a fine lemming meringue pie), Joy’s insidious little acts of revenge, her musings about God, and the images and feelings that certain words convey to her. The easy acceptance of Gwen’s search of the Death Notices for “good ones” highlights the distortion of normality in this family.
Yeowart’s portrayal of setting and era are faultless, and the mindset of this small Australian rural community in each of the time periods is likely to strike a chord with many. Her character development is particularly skilful, and her depiction of coercive control is chilling. Her cop, if tenacious, is not terribly clever, but he does (sort of) get there in the end. This is a slow burn thriller that richly rewards the reader’s patience. More from Lyn Yeowart will be eagerly anticipated.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Better Reading Preview and Penguin Australia.
The Silent Listener is the first novel by Australian editor and author, Lyn Yeowart. George Henderson, a respected member of the Blackhunt community, is dead. His daughter, Joy, called back after a seventeen-year absence to care for her dying father, might be expected to grieve, but does not. Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, summoned to the scene by George’s doctor, is suspicious: did Joy murder her father? If so, why?
In 1942, after a very short courtship, Gwen marries George Henderson and is brought to his newly-purchased dairy farm at Blackhunt in rural Victoria. From his detailed instructions, his rigid rules, his tight control of every aspect of her life, and his physical abuse, Gwen understands that this marriage will never be what she had expected.
Having no alternative, Gwen works hard to keep George happy and seeks refuge in her chooks and her flowers and the tiny room where she makes bouquets and wreaths to earn a few pounds. Within a decade, Gwen has given birth to a son, Mark, and two daughters, Ruth and Joy. She tries to protect them, but without a clear example of mothering in her own life, is less than successful.
Her children grow up learning to fear their father’s mercurial moods, which might deteriorate from the amount of rain that falls or the size of the butter factory cheque or the vet’s bill, or the perceived breaking of one of his countless arbitrary rules; they live in constant fear of the corporal punishment he seems to relish in dishing out to his “dirty, filthy sinners who are going to rot in Hell”.
George is a pillar of the community: an Elder of the Church, active in Rotary, a member of the High School PTA, the Fire Brigade, and the Shire Council committee, always helpful to neighbours, loved and lauded by all. When nine-year-old Wendy Boscombe goes missing two days after Christmas in 1960, no one in the town of Blackhunt could imagine he would have anything to do with it. But Wendy is never found, and Alex Shepherd is plagued by his failure to find her.
The story plays out over three time periods and is told from three perspectives. Readers are likely to wonder from the start about reliability of Joy’s narrative, and will feel vindicated about certain aspects as the facts are revealed, but there are still plenty of red herrings, distractions and twists to keep the pages turning.
The building tension in the story is sometimes relieved by neighbour Robert Larsen’s amusing word confusions (fire distinguisher, a quick trump call, obliviously, a fine lemming meringue pie), Joy’s insidious little acts of revenge, her musings about God, and the images and feelings that certain words convey to her. The easy acceptance of Gwen’s search of the Death Notices for “good ones” highlights the distortion of normality in this family.
Yeowart’s portrayal of setting and era are faultless, and the mindset of this small Australian rural community in each of the time periods is likely to strike a chord with many. Her character development is particularly skilful, and her depiction of coercive control is chilling. Her cop, if tenacious, is not terribly clever, but he does (sort of) get there in the end. This is a slow burn thriller that richly rewards the reader’s patience. More from Lyn Yeowart will be eagerly anticipated.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Better Reading Preview and Penguin Australia.
July 1, 2021
Check out all of my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
THE SILENT LISTENER by Lyn Yeowart is an intense, dark atmospheric family drama suspense. This debut author follows a family over several decades by intertwining three timelines. This is a slow burn suspense and it does take a while to sort out, but it is so well written it is difficult to put down even with the difficult subject matter and well worth your time.
Set in rural Australia, one timeline is set in the 1940’s when George Henderson meets his future wife Gwen and after a whirlwind romance marries her. George is not the man he pretends to be and Gwen does not realize the direction her marriage will take. They have three children, Mark, Ruth and Joy. The second timeline is told in Joy’s perspective. Joy in the 1960’s when she is age 11 and her neighbor’s 9-year-old daughter, Wendy disappears. Joy returns home in 1983 to take care of her dying father and Senior Constable Shepard investigation is the focus.
When George Henderson dies, it is under suspicious circumstances and Senior Constable Shepard is called to the home. He was part of the search for the missing Wendy all those years ago and now as he investigates George’s death and learns more about the Henderson family, nothing is as it seems.
This is a story that is difficult to read and yet difficult to put down. Even with the slow set-up, there are so many things that you question and that you are intrigued by. The plotting has subtle red herrings in the first part of the book and then as secrets begin to unravel and be revealed the pacing picks up to a conclusion that was very surprising and satisfying. Trigger warnings for readers: Domestic violence and child abuse.
I can recommend this dark family domestic suspense for an intense read by this debut author.
THE SILENT LISTENER by Lyn Yeowart is an intense, dark atmospheric family drama suspense. This debut author follows a family over several decades by intertwining three timelines. This is a slow burn suspense and it does take a while to sort out, but it is so well written it is difficult to put down even with the difficult subject matter and well worth your time.
Set in rural Australia, one timeline is set in the 1940’s when George Henderson meets his future wife Gwen and after a whirlwind romance marries her. George is not the man he pretends to be and Gwen does not realize the direction her marriage will take. They have three children, Mark, Ruth and Joy. The second timeline is told in Joy’s perspective. Joy in the 1960’s when she is age 11 and her neighbor’s 9-year-old daughter, Wendy disappears. Joy returns home in 1983 to take care of her dying father and Senior Constable Shepard investigation is the focus.
When George Henderson dies, it is under suspicious circumstances and Senior Constable Shepard is called to the home. He was part of the search for the missing Wendy all those years ago and now as he investigates George’s death and learns more about the Henderson family, nothing is as it seems.
This is a story that is difficult to read and yet difficult to put down. Even with the slow set-up, there are so many things that you question and that you are intrigued by. The plotting has subtle red herrings in the first part of the book and then as secrets begin to unravel and be revealed the pacing picks up to a conclusion that was very surprising and satisfying. Trigger warnings for readers: Domestic violence and child abuse.
I can recommend this dark family domestic suspense for an intense read by this debut author.
July 2, 2021
This story takes place over 3 timelines, the 40s, the 60s and the 80s, and each decade is as mesmerizing as the next as we go back and forth in time following the Henderson family as they try to eke out a living on a dairy farm in rural Australia. This is the story of a family ruled with an iron hand, not to mention a belt, by husband and father George, his downtrodden wife Gwen and their three children - Mark, Ruth and Joy, all of whom are afraid of George who uses religion and threats of violence as a means of controlling the family.
The story is told mostly by Joy who has been convinced from a young age that she's a dirty sinner and who bears the scars from her father's liberal use of the belt. Being a lover of words myself, I loved the pictures Joy saw when she heard certain words. The story keeps returning to a young girl from the area who went missing in the 60s and has never been found and that event becomes central to the whole story. In the 80s Joy has returned to the farm where she grew up to care for her dying father but when he does die, the local police get involved. This is where the story stuttered a bit for me because Senior Constable Alex Shepherd was so intent on getting Joy to confess to the murder of her father that it got annoying. If anybody deserved to die it was George Henderson. Still a 5-Star book in my opinion.
There are mixed reviews for this book but I think it's one of the best books I've read so far this year. It's a longish book although it's hard to tell when reading an ARC on a Kindle but I was engrossed in the story throughout and look forward to another book by this author. Excellent title and cover and highly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for access to an ARC of this book.
Publication Date: June 24, 2021
The story is told mostly by Joy who has been convinced from a young age that she's a dirty sinner and who bears the scars from her father's liberal use of the belt. Being a lover of words myself, I loved the pictures Joy saw when she heard certain words. The story keeps returning to a young girl from the area who went missing in the 60s and has never been found and that event becomes central to the whole story. In the 80s Joy has returned to the farm where she grew up to care for her dying father but when he does die, the local police get involved. This is where the story stuttered a bit for me because Senior Constable Alex Shepherd was so intent on getting Joy to confess to the murder of her father that it got annoying. If anybody deserved to die it was George Henderson. Still a 5-Star book in my opinion.
There are mixed reviews for this book but I think it's one of the best books I've read so far this year. It's a longish book although it's hard to tell when reading an ARC on a Kindle but I was engrossed in the story throughout and look forward to another book by this author. Excellent title and cover and highly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for access to an ARC of this book.
Publication Date: June 24, 2021
May 26, 2021
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The Silent Listener by Lyn Yeowart. (2021).
In 1960, 11 year old Joy lives in constant fear of her father. She tries to make him happy but he keeps reminding her she's nothing but a filthy sinner destined for hell. Yet decades later she returns to the farm to nurse him on his death bed. She is surprised to find her perfect sister Ruth there, urging revenge. The day after their father confesses to a despicable crime, Joy finds him dead... For Senior Constable Alex, investigating this murder revives memories of an unsolved case from 1960: the disappearance of 9 year old Wendy. As seemingly impossible facts surface about Joy's family - from the past and present - Alex suspects Joy is pulling him into an intricate web of lies and Wendy's disappearance the key to the bizarre truth.
I really appreciate that the author has shined a light on a topic that we as a society often shy away from: family violence. And in particular, the cases where the perpetrator is commonly seen as a 'good guy' to everyone other than to his (or her) family who he (or she) is causing harm to. Of course, given the topic, the novel could be triggering or distressing for some readers. However it's an important topic and I'd recommend this novel for reading. Through the use of three timelines (1940s, 1960s and 1980s), we experience how George charms Gwen into marriage and quickly exerts his control, onto him as a father being violent towards his children while Gwen is a broken woman hiding away, to when Joy is an adult and traumatised from her abusive father. It's certainly a tension filled read, with the mystery of what exactly happened to little Wendy underlying the suspense.
I'd highly recommend this intense and dark novel.
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The Silent Listener by Lyn Yeowart. (2021).
In 1960, 11 year old Joy lives in constant fear of her father. She tries to make him happy but he keeps reminding her she's nothing but a filthy sinner destined for hell. Yet decades later she returns to the farm to nurse him on his death bed. She is surprised to find her perfect sister Ruth there, urging revenge. The day after their father confesses to a despicable crime, Joy finds him dead... For Senior Constable Alex, investigating this murder revives memories of an unsolved case from 1960: the disappearance of 9 year old Wendy. As seemingly impossible facts surface about Joy's family - from the past and present - Alex suspects Joy is pulling him into an intricate web of lies and Wendy's disappearance the key to the bizarre truth.
I really appreciate that the author has shined a light on a topic that we as a society often shy away from: family violence. And in particular, the cases where the perpetrator is commonly seen as a 'good guy' to everyone other than to his (or her) family who he (or she) is causing harm to. Of course, given the topic, the novel could be triggering or distressing for some readers. However it's an important topic and I'd recommend this novel for reading. Through the use of three timelines (1940s, 1960s and 1980s), we experience how George charms Gwen into marriage and quickly exerts his control, onto him as a father being violent towards his children while Gwen is a broken woman hiding away, to when Joy is an adult and traumatised from her abusive father. It's certainly a tension filled read, with the mystery of what exactly happened to little Wendy underlying the suspense.
I'd highly recommend this intense and dark novel.
February 15, 2021
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4.5 stars
‘The silent listener to every conversation.’ Yes, she had been a silent, sinful listener to Mr Larsen’s conversation. A filthy sinner, prying into his personal, private life.’
A rural Australian crime novel defined by a deep-seated murder mystery, The Silent Listener is the debut release from Lyn Yeowart. A story of a missing child, family relations, religion, violence, abuse, fear, revenge and cold truths, The Silent Listener is a ravaging read from page one to the final devastating line.
The Silent Listener is the story of the Henderson family who reside in the small rural township of Blackhunt. In the 1960s, the reader learns that the Henderson children live in constant fear of their strict and abusive father. With strong religious convictions, this patriarch finds a way to punish his children at any opportunity. The impact of this severe level of violence has taken its toll on Joy. Decades later Joy must return to her father’s side as he nears death. But Joy grapples with the trauma of years of abuse at the hands of this cruel man and she cannot help but think of the need to inflict a final act of revenge. In a shocking turn of events, Joy manages to illicit a confession from her father, for a long-standing crime that occurred when Joy was just eleven years old. But soon after this horrific confession, Joy’s father is found dead. The death of Joy’s father and his deathbed confession dredges up a cold case involving a missing little girl in the 1960s. One of the original officers on this case is still haunted by the memories of little Wendy Boscombe, the nine-year-old girl who never came home. Now Senior Constable Alex Shepherd has the chance to finally lay this baffling cold case to rest, but questions loom over the nature of the confession and Joy Henderson’s testimony. Will the truth finally be revealed?
With over twenty-five years’ experience as a professional writer and editor, Lyn Yeowart has utilised this vast industry experience to pen her first novel, The Silent Listener. Inspired by her own childhood growing up in the heart of rural Victoria, Lyn Yeowart has produced a debut novel of great merit.
The Silent Listener deftly weaves in and out of three different timelines. Crossing wartime Australia in the 1940s, family life in the 1960s, through to the shocking final turn of events in 1980s, The Silent Listener is an ambitious but absorbing novel. From the early courtship and marriage of George and Gwen, through to the struggles of a family living in poverty in the 1960s, to the dramatic confession made by a dying man in 1980s, this debut piece is an affective composition. Tinged by moments of hard reflection, confusion, emotion, revenge, anxiety, fear and mental instability, The Silent Listener manages to get deep into the crevices of your mind. This often creepy and chilling novel set shivers down my spine, as I experienced the very same devastating feelings that the core character Joy endures during her troubled lifetime.
Yeowart is skilled in the area of character development and this author is able to embody all aspects of her varied protagonist set. From the confused Joy, to her cruel father, her bystander mother, damaged brother Mark, the innocent child Wendy and staunch constable Alex Shepherd help to form a vivid picture of events. Yeowart is unafraid of delving directly into the mindset of her mixed-up cast, exposing a litany of strong emotions, regrets, fears and hopes. This firm attention to character is carried across each of the three separate timelines and shifting viewpoints of The Silent Listener. At times I did find some areas of the character dialogue and experiences very confronting. I was also angered by Gwen’s inability to protect her children. A community also stood by while a severe level of abuse was happening, which earned my ire. But these were very different times, which led me to develop a sad level of acceptance of these tragic happenings. But it is Joy who remains front and centre of the events of this book, which delivered some perplexing moments. The reader is never sure of Joy’s testimony, her uneasy thoughts and the level of entrenched trauma that acts as a toxic leak in her life. The placement of death notices littered through this book which is linked to Joy’s character illustrates the victimisation experienced on a long-standing scale by this troubled woman. Yeowart works hard to help her audience understand the truth to the family trauma that surrounds the character of Joy and the resulting impact this has on the direction of the story.
The mystery at large that dominates much of the novel is the missing person’s case of little nine-year-old girl Wendy, who disappears one summer’s day. The level of tension, suspense, conjecture and theories built around this long-standing case managed to capture my full attention for the duration of this novel. Yeowart takes a slow drip approach to her unfolding mystery, gradually feeding the reader with some breadcrumbs, along with a number plot diversions that will test any crime fiction fan. I was shocked at the final turn of the events, I definitely didn’t see the last act taking the direction it did, but I think the author did a fine job of delivering a sense of closure to this complex story.
I must make a final mention and nod to the author’s eerie setting, that helps to illuminate the events in this novel to a high degree. From the opening I was mesmerised by the dangerous beauty and looming presence of the rural township of Blackhunt, which is artfully depicted in The Silent Listener. The small-town remote stage really works to compound everything further for the reader. I really admired Yeowart’s prose, it was clear, descriptive and fully immersive.
If you are searching for a new crime thriller with a distinct rural Australian tinge, I must direct you to The Silent Listener, the brilliant debut novel by Lyn Yeowart.
*I wish to thank Penguin Books Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Silent Listener is book #10 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
4.5 stars
‘The silent listener to every conversation.’ Yes, she had been a silent, sinful listener to Mr Larsen’s conversation. A filthy sinner, prying into his personal, private life.’
A rural Australian crime novel defined by a deep-seated murder mystery, The Silent Listener is the debut release from Lyn Yeowart. A story of a missing child, family relations, religion, violence, abuse, fear, revenge and cold truths, The Silent Listener is a ravaging read from page one to the final devastating line.
The Silent Listener is the story of the Henderson family who reside in the small rural township of Blackhunt. In the 1960s, the reader learns that the Henderson children live in constant fear of their strict and abusive father. With strong religious convictions, this patriarch finds a way to punish his children at any opportunity. The impact of this severe level of violence has taken its toll on Joy. Decades later Joy must return to her father’s side as he nears death. But Joy grapples with the trauma of years of abuse at the hands of this cruel man and she cannot help but think of the need to inflict a final act of revenge. In a shocking turn of events, Joy manages to illicit a confession from her father, for a long-standing crime that occurred when Joy was just eleven years old. But soon after this horrific confession, Joy’s father is found dead. The death of Joy’s father and his deathbed confession dredges up a cold case involving a missing little girl in the 1960s. One of the original officers on this case is still haunted by the memories of little Wendy Boscombe, the nine-year-old girl who never came home. Now Senior Constable Alex Shepherd has the chance to finally lay this baffling cold case to rest, but questions loom over the nature of the confession and Joy Henderson’s testimony. Will the truth finally be revealed?
With over twenty-five years’ experience as a professional writer and editor, Lyn Yeowart has utilised this vast industry experience to pen her first novel, The Silent Listener. Inspired by her own childhood growing up in the heart of rural Victoria, Lyn Yeowart has produced a debut novel of great merit.
The Silent Listener deftly weaves in and out of three different timelines. Crossing wartime Australia in the 1940s, family life in the 1960s, through to the shocking final turn of events in 1980s, The Silent Listener is an ambitious but absorbing novel. From the early courtship and marriage of George and Gwen, through to the struggles of a family living in poverty in the 1960s, to the dramatic confession made by a dying man in 1980s, this debut piece is an affective composition. Tinged by moments of hard reflection, confusion, emotion, revenge, anxiety, fear and mental instability, The Silent Listener manages to get deep into the crevices of your mind. This often creepy and chilling novel set shivers down my spine, as I experienced the very same devastating feelings that the core character Joy endures during her troubled lifetime.
Yeowart is skilled in the area of character development and this author is able to embody all aspects of her varied protagonist set. From the confused Joy, to her cruel father, her bystander mother, damaged brother Mark, the innocent child Wendy and staunch constable Alex Shepherd help to form a vivid picture of events. Yeowart is unafraid of delving directly into the mindset of her mixed-up cast, exposing a litany of strong emotions, regrets, fears and hopes. This firm attention to character is carried across each of the three separate timelines and shifting viewpoints of The Silent Listener. At times I did find some areas of the character dialogue and experiences very confronting. I was also angered by Gwen’s inability to protect her children. A community also stood by while a severe level of abuse was happening, which earned my ire. But these were very different times, which led me to develop a sad level of acceptance of these tragic happenings. But it is Joy who remains front and centre of the events of this book, which delivered some perplexing moments. The reader is never sure of Joy’s testimony, her uneasy thoughts and the level of entrenched trauma that acts as a toxic leak in her life. The placement of death notices littered through this book which is linked to Joy’s character illustrates the victimisation experienced on a long-standing scale by this troubled woman. Yeowart works hard to help her audience understand the truth to the family trauma that surrounds the character of Joy and the resulting impact this has on the direction of the story.
The mystery at large that dominates much of the novel is the missing person’s case of little nine-year-old girl Wendy, who disappears one summer’s day. The level of tension, suspense, conjecture and theories built around this long-standing case managed to capture my full attention for the duration of this novel. Yeowart takes a slow drip approach to her unfolding mystery, gradually feeding the reader with some breadcrumbs, along with a number plot diversions that will test any crime fiction fan. I was shocked at the final turn of the events, I definitely didn’t see the last act taking the direction it did, but I think the author did a fine job of delivering a sense of closure to this complex story.
I must make a final mention and nod to the author’s eerie setting, that helps to illuminate the events in this novel to a high degree. From the opening I was mesmerised by the dangerous beauty and looming presence of the rural township of Blackhunt, which is artfully depicted in The Silent Listener. The small-town remote stage really works to compound everything further for the reader. I really admired Yeowart’s prose, it was clear, descriptive and fully immersive.
If you are searching for a new crime thriller with a distinct rural Australian tinge, I must direct you to The Silent Listener, the brilliant debut novel by Lyn Yeowart.
*I wish to thank Penguin Books Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Silent Listener is book #10 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
June 7, 2021
In the cold wet summer of 1960, eleven year old Joy Henderson lives in constant fear of her father. she tries to make him happy but, as he keeps reminding her, she's nothing but a dirty sinner destined for Hell. Yet decades later, she returns to the farm to nurse him on his deathbed. To her surprise her "perfect" sister Ruth is also there, whispering dark words, urging revenge. Then the day after her father confesses to a despicable crime, Joy finds him dead - with a belt pulled tight around his neck.
Joy and her family live in rural Australia. Her father is a religious tyrant who is viciously brutal to all his family. The story follows Joy's journey from before she was born through to adulthood.
Parts of this book were hard to read due to the brutality Gwen, Ruth. Joy and Mark had to suffer from George. The story is over over three different decades. George was the pillar of his community, loved by everyone he met. HIs family lived in constant fear. When George dies, Senior Constable Alex Shepherd suspects foul play. The story is well written and filled with twists. It's hard to believe that this is the authors debut novel.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #LynYeowart for my ARC of #TheSilentListener in exchange for an honest review.
Joy and her family live in rural Australia. Her father is a religious tyrant who is viciously brutal to all his family. The story follows Joy's journey from before she was born through to adulthood.
Parts of this book were hard to read due to the brutality Gwen, Ruth. Joy and Mark had to suffer from George. The story is over over three different decades. George was the pillar of his community, loved by everyone he met. HIs family lived in constant fear. When George dies, Senior Constable Alex Shepherd suspects foul play. The story is well written and filled with twists. It's hard to believe that this is the authors debut novel.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #LynYeowart for my ARC of #TheSilentListener in exchange for an honest review.
November 5, 2022
Set between three timelines 1940s, 1960s and 1980s, The Silent Listener is a dark, raw betrayal of life in rural Australia.
At the heart of this book is Joy, an eleven-year-old girl living an isolated, harsh life in 1960. Her family are, sister Ruth, brother Mark and parents Gwen and George. The family are poor and they struggle with running a small homestead, with the children having daily chores around the farm. As Joy navigates childhood in this volatile household she is obsessed and horrified by a story of a missing girl, Wendy Boscome, from a nearby farm.
An engrossing read. 4.5 ⭐️
At the heart of this book is Joy, an eleven-year-old girl living an isolated, harsh life in 1960. Her family are, sister Ruth, brother Mark and parents Gwen and George. The family are poor and they struggle with running a small homestead, with the children having daily chores around the farm. As Joy navigates childhood in this volatile household she is obsessed and horrified by a story of a missing girl, Wendy Boscome, from a nearby farm.
An engrossing read. 4.5 ⭐️
July 20, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- WOWZA!
This by far is the best book I have read this year! It completely blew me away that this is the author's debut novel! The writing was phenomenal. It was well paced. The setting was atmospheric and bleak. The characters were well developed and intriguing. The plot was intricate and compelling. Each minor revelation akin to peeling the layers of an onion. And that ending...WOW! I honestly don't know what else to say about it other than if you can only read one book this year, this should be it!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
This by far is the best book I have read this year! It completely blew me away that this is the author's debut novel! The writing was phenomenal. It was well paced. The setting was atmospheric and bleak. The characters were well developed and intriguing. The plot was intricate and compelling. Each minor revelation akin to peeling the layers of an onion. And that ending...WOW! I honestly don't know what else to say about it other than if you can only read one book this year, this should be it!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
February 25, 2021
The Silent Listener is a disquieting tale of a dysfunctional family, draped in tension and dread, from debut novelist, Lyn Yeowart.
Unfolding primarily from three perspectives over three time periods, The Silent Listener tells the story of the Henderson family. In 1943, Gwen is swept of her feet by George Henderson, who courts her with a singleminded determination. In 1960, their eleven-year-old daughter, Joy, is terrified of her father’s rages that regularly culminate in brutal beatings. In 1983, George is dying and Joy has returned to the family farm in rural Victoria with the goal of unmasking her father’s secrets.
Themes such as domestic violence, trauma, religious hypocrisy, mental illness, and poverty, makes for heartbreaking reading as George terrorises his family. Gwen’s dreams of a happy new life are quashed within days of her wedding. Her new husband’s charm is reserved for the townspeople who consider him an upright pillar of the community, ignoring the thick foundation Gwen applies to her face, arms and legs. Their children cower under their father’s control, their innocence slowly stripped with every brutal strike of the belt that leaves their bodies, and minds, bleeding and scarred.
Yeowart’s characters, both major and minor, are carefully crafted, though it is Joy who is the most compelling. Joy is a sensitive child, who seeks solace in God as she is instructed to, in her sister, Ruth, and words. A synesthete, words conjure vivid images for Joy, offering her an escape of sorts from the reality of her daily drudgery. It’s the disappearance of a young neighbour, nine-year-old Wendy Bascombe, and her older brother, Mark, that finally strips Joy completely of her innocence, and she finds secret ways to rebel.
With Joy’s return to Blackhunt, and George’s passing soon after, Yeowart creates another mystery that gives rise to some surprising twists and a shocking, pitiless conclusion. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending still, while it absolutely fits with the story, it’s sad and dispiriting.
Skilfully plotted, with vivid characters, and evocative writing, The Silent Listener is poignant, confronting, and gripping.
Unfolding primarily from three perspectives over three time periods, The Silent Listener tells the story of the Henderson family. In 1943, Gwen is swept of her feet by George Henderson, who courts her with a singleminded determination. In 1960, their eleven-year-old daughter, Joy, is terrified of her father’s rages that regularly culminate in brutal beatings. In 1983, George is dying and Joy has returned to the family farm in rural Victoria with the goal of unmasking her father’s secrets.
Themes such as domestic violence, trauma, religious hypocrisy, mental illness, and poverty, makes for heartbreaking reading as George terrorises his family. Gwen’s dreams of a happy new life are quashed within days of her wedding. Her new husband’s charm is reserved for the townspeople who consider him an upright pillar of the community, ignoring the thick foundation Gwen applies to her face, arms and legs. Their children cower under their father’s control, their innocence slowly stripped with every brutal strike of the belt that leaves their bodies, and minds, bleeding and scarred.
Yeowart’s characters, both major and minor, are carefully crafted, though it is Joy who is the most compelling. Joy is a sensitive child, who seeks solace in God as she is instructed to, in her sister, Ruth, and words. A synesthete, words conjure vivid images for Joy, offering her an escape of sorts from the reality of her daily drudgery. It’s the disappearance of a young neighbour, nine-year-old Wendy Bascombe, and her older brother, Mark, that finally strips Joy completely of her innocence, and she finds secret ways to rebel.
With Joy’s return to Blackhunt, and George’s passing soon after, Yeowart creates another mystery that gives rise to some surprising twists and a shocking, pitiless conclusion. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending still, while it absolutely fits with the story, it’s sad and dispiriting.
Skilfully plotted, with vivid characters, and evocative writing, The Silent Listener is poignant, confronting, and gripping.
November 24, 2021
A family drama that moves backward and forwards through three time periods to following the developments from the parents meeting and getting married, the children being brought up, and the grown up children dealing with the father’s terminal illness. There were no complaints about where the novel ended up and the mystery that arose in the latter part of the book, but getting there really tested my patience. It seemed that almost every time I returned to a particular time period, very little had happened, and it seemed the same points were being reiterated. Goodish but much too slow!
June 23, 2021
The Silent Listener is an unforgettable literary suspense novel set in the dark, gothic heart of rural Australia revealing not only the deep redness of long-held scars but also the chilling secrets that led to their infliction. In the cold, wet summer of 1960, 11-year-old Joy Henderson lives in constant fear of her father. She tries to make him happy but, as he keeps reminding her, she is nothing but a filthy sinner destined for Hell. Yet, decades later, she returns to the family’s farm to nurse him on his death bed. To her surprise, her ‘perfect’ sister Ruth is also there, whispering dark words, urging revenge. Then the day after their father finally confesses to a despicable crime, Joy finds him dead - with a belt pulled tight around his neck. For Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, investigating George’s murder revives memories of an unsolved case still haunting him since that strange summer of 1960: the disappearance of nine-year-old Wendy Boscombe. As seemingly impossible facts surface about the Hendersons – from the past and the present – Shepherd suspects that Joy is pulling him into an intricate web of lies and that Wendy’s disappearance is the key to the bizarre truth.
This is a compelling, captivating and richly atmospheric historical thriller with an intriguing mystery at its centre. It propels back and forth in time almost seamlessly between the 1940s, 1960s and 1980s telling the story of multiple generations of the same family and how their lives, and those of the wider community, were touched by the crimes. Exploring, fear, abuse, trauma and anger, Yeowart writes about intense topics in an equally intense and claustrophobic style and the stunning gothic descriptions coupled with the searingly oppressive heat of the Australian sun were vivid and evocatively so. The Henderson family are complex individuals hiding dark secrets and shady pasts who had a domestic life that was fraught with difficulties and the need to walk on eggshells around those with abusive tendencies brought my own past trauma back and was portrayed authentically and realistically. There is tension and suspense throughout the pages, and I felt the time and sense of place were spot on and filled with nostalgia. This is an absorbing and enigmatic read and almost a character study in its form set against the backdrop of rural Oz where neighbours truly don't know what is going on behind closed doors.
This is a compelling, captivating and richly atmospheric historical thriller with an intriguing mystery at its centre. It propels back and forth in time almost seamlessly between the 1940s, 1960s and 1980s telling the story of multiple generations of the same family and how their lives, and those of the wider community, were touched by the crimes. Exploring, fear, abuse, trauma and anger, Yeowart writes about intense topics in an equally intense and claustrophobic style and the stunning gothic descriptions coupled with the searingly oppressive heat of the Australian sun were vivid and evocatively so. The Henderson family are complex individuals hiding dark secrets and shady pasts who had a domestic life that was fraught with difficulties and the need to walk on eggshells around those with abusive tendencies brought my own past trauma back and was portrayed authentically and realistically. There is tension and suspense throughout the pages, and I felt the time and sense of place were spot on and filled with nostalgia. This is an absorbing and enigmatic read and almost a character study in its form set against the backdrop of rural Oz where neighbours truly don't know what is going on behind closed doors.
February 25, 2021
I turned the last page a few days ago and this book hasn’t left me alone to think about anything else other than the characters and the page turning story.
The first line “the moment he dies, the room explodes with life”, pulls you in and propels you through three time zones, 1940’s, 1960’s and 1983. Each chapter highlights which character it’s about and when, so it’s not difficult to follow.
The main character Joy returns after a long absence in 1983 to nurse her dying father, George, a highly respected and upstanding citizen of the rural community of Blackhunt. Alex Shepard, the local policeman, suspects foul play George is found with a belt pulled tight around his neck and we’re left wondering if Joy has done it.
We’re then propelled back in time to George’s marriage to Joy’s mother Gwen, their whirlwind courtship, the run-down dairy farm she lives in and how she survives her new life. It’s through eleven-year-old Joy’s eyes in December 1960 that we learn about her fixation with words, about her religious father and his abusive consequences on Joy and her siblings. In particular, Joy’s special relationship with her older sister Ruth is fascinating as it is revealing.
“Joy knew she should feel sorry for Ruth, but the truth was she felt a familiar white tremor of jealousy.”
Beyond that we get a strong sense of the community and the era particularly when nine-year-old friend, Wendy who lives on a neighbouring farm disappears and is never found which haunts the same investigating policeman, Alex Shepard twenty years later.
The novel is divided into four parts and the first half slowly but intricately unveils the many secrets of Joy’s family sucking the reader into a web of intrigue. A few twists and turns threw me into an unexpected direction culminating in an ending I had no idea was coming.
“His room smells like the orange blankets have licked up the dying odours from his body and are slowly releasing them into the air, and the semi-darkness reminds me of the day I hid in here and saw a snake on the bed, about to attack me.”
There are so many elements to this story and to say too much would be to give away spoilers however, it should be noted that there is a strong theme of domestic violence and child abuse. And although not explicit, it is nerve-wracking and somewhat harrowing. Nevertheless, Ms. Yeowart holds nothing back, taking us on a journey where nothing is as it might seem, where neighbours turn a blind eye and where families hid what really goes on behind closed doors.
It’s disturbing and tense, gripping and complex yet beautifully crafted by debut novelist, Lyn Yeowart. Definitely worth checking out.
The first line “the moment he dies, the room explodes with life”, pulls you in and propels you through three time zones, 1940’s, 1960’s and 1983. Each chapter highlights which character it’s about and when, so it’s not difficult to follow.
The main character Joy returns after a long absence in 1983 to nurse her dying father, George, a highly respected and upstanding citizen of the rural community of Blackhunt. Alex Shepard, the local policeman, suspects foul play George is found with a belt pulled tight around his neck and we’re left wondering if Joy has done it.
We’re then propelled back in time to George’s marriage to Joy’s mother Gwen, their whirlwind courtship, the run-down dairy farm she lives in and how she survives her new life. It’s through eleven-year-old Joy’s eyes in December 1960 that we learn about her fixation with words, about her religious father and his abusive consequences on Joy and her siblings. In particular, Joy’s special relationship with her older sister Ruth is fascinating as it is revealing.
“Joy knew she should feel sorry for Ruth, but the truth was she felt a familiar white tremor of jealousy.”
Beyond that we get a strong sense of the community and the era particularly when nine-year-old friend, Wendy who lives on a neighbouring farm disappears and is never found which haunts the same investigating policeman, Alex Shepard twenty years later.
The novel is divided into four parts and the first half slowly but intricately unveils the many secrets of Joy’s family sucking the reader into a web of intrigue. A few twists and turns threw me into an unexpected direction culminating in an ending I had no idea was coming.
“His room smells like the orange blankets have licked up the dying odours from his body and are slowly releasing them into the air, and the semi-darkness reminds me of the day I hid in here and saw a snake on the bed, about to attack me.”
There are so many elements to this story and to say too much would be to give away spoilers however, it should be noted that there is a strong theme of domestic violence and child abuse. And although not explicit, it is nerve-wracking and somewhat harrowing. Nevertheless, Ms. Yeowart holds nothing back, taking us on a journey where nothing is as it might seem, where neighbours turn a blind eye and where families hid what really goes on behind closed doors.
It’s disturbing and tense, gripping and complex yet beautifully crafted by debut novelist, Lyn Yeowart. Definitely worth checking out.
October 9, 2020
If you are looking for a suspenseful, unputdownable page-turner, this book is for you.
This book is a beautifully written piece that weaves between the 1940s, 1960s and 1980s in rural Australia. It delicately and insightfully navigates the harsh realities of living in fear, living with pain, and living invisibly.
Through the innocent and curious eyes of Joy Henderson, we explore her life on an isolated farm in the 1960s, and how she makes sense of the people, and the cruelty, around her.
This book has moments of warmth and kindness, but is also dotted with violence and fear, and as the reader you feel every emotion as the characters themselves do.
There are artfully written twists and turns, and you’ll have moments surprise and shock right until the very end.
This book is a beautifully written piece that weaves between the 1940s, 1960s and 1980s in rural Australia. It delicately and insightfully navigates the harsh realities of living in fear, living with pain, and living invisibly.
Through the innocent and curious eyes of Joy Henderson, we explore her life on an isolated farm in the 1960s, and how she makes sense of the people, and the cruelty, around her.
This book has moments of warmth and kindness, but is also dotted with violence and fear, and as the reader you feel every emotion as the characters themselves do.
There are artfully written twists and turns, and you’ll have moments surprise and shock right until the very end.
June 4, 2021
Oh my gosh, this book is amazing, please everyone pick this up and read it.
October 21, 2023
It’s not often I give a book 5 stars, especially not one in the traditional mystery/thriller genre. But this is so searing, so close to the bone, so deeply driven by human frailty, it made a deep impression on me.
The twists and turns of the story in your typical murder mystery are designed to be as unpredictable as possible, but really they’re like the jump scare tactics in a horror movie. You know they’re coming, you try to outwit them as the audience, but ultimately they’re usually a pretty cheap tool to keep the audience engaged.
In The Silent Listener, even though I saw a couple of these twists and turns coming, it didn’t matter. It was the characters and their development and nuances that drove this story. The trauma of children going unnoticed, a close knit community that doesn’t want to upset the balance of power amongst between the pious and the rest of us, the expression of trauma and twisting of the knife that is family…it feels real and deeply troubling and not at all unrealistic.
Having said that this is also a gripping tale, as the threads of this family story is told over decades.
It doesn’t look like this book has had a lot of readers on Good Reads, and it definitely deserves way more.
The twists and turns of the story in your typical murder mystery are designed to be as unpredictable as possible, but really they’re like the jump scare tactics in a horror movie. You know they’re coming, you try to outwit them as the audience, but ultimately they’re usually a pretty cheap tool to keep the audience engaged.
In The Silent Listener, even though I saw a couple of these twists and turns coming, it didn’t matter. It was the characters and their development and nuances that drove this story. The trauma of children going unnoticed, a close knit community that doesn’t want to upset the balance of power amongst between the pious and the rest of us, the expression of trauma and twisting of the knife that is family…it feels real and deeply troubling and not at all unrealistic.
Having said that this is also a gripping tale, as the threads of this family story is told over decades.
It doesn’t look like this book has had a lot of readers on Good Reads, and it definitely deserves way more.
November 7, 2021
What a dark, mysterious and strangely beautiful trip down memory lane with an imaginative child narrator this turned out to be. It’s also a story about the beauty of words and images and their ability to transform the world. With three time periods interwoven through the book Lyn Yeowart’s compelling tale paints a harrowing, sometimes darkly funny picture of life with a monster… the 1940’s, and life on the farm for the newly married Hendersons, as Gwen comes to discover what she’s signed up for with smiling George; the 1960s when daughter Joy and her beloved siblings Mark and Ruth are growing up under the thumb of a sadistic monster known to all as pillar of the church and community; and the 1980s when Joy comes home to look after her dying dad, and a long unsolved missing child investigation comes to light. Could Father Dear have murdered little Wendy Boscombe all those years ago? Joy is determined that the community learns the truth about her father but her attempts to reignite Senior Constable Alex Shepherd’s interest in the case that has haunted him for 25 years start to backfire when he discovers the belt around the dead man’s neck. I don’t know how “loosely based” on the writer’s childhood in rural Victoria it is, but I’m glad she made it out alive. Powerful writing! Four and a half stars from me.
June 29, 2021
A beautifully written and intensely atmospheric psychological drama, a family saga set over decades with an emotionally complex conclusion.
The Silent Listener is a slow burn of a literary page turner, moving around in time until you gain a full perspective of the damaged family set at the heart of it. Utterly compelling throughout, the characters are deeply intriguing and the melancholy undertones really work.
Overall an excellent read. Recommended.
The Silent Listener is a slow burn of a literary page turner, moving around in time until you gain a full perspective of the damaged family set at the heart of it. Utterly compelling throughout, the characters are deeply intriguing and the melancholy undertones really work.
Overall an excellent read. Recommended.
February 10, 2021
The Silent Listener is a compelling read. Joy, with her rich interior life, is an very endearing character. Yeowart’s storytelling takes the reader into the struggle of a mother and children who each work out their own way to survive the mental and physical abuse of a narcissistic husband and father. The final twist is a surprise, but pitch perfect.
May 23, 2021
I cannot believe how many excellent debuts I have read lately and this is another one.
Set in rural outback Australia over 3 different decades, it’s starts with Joy Henderson being informed of her fathers death and the need for her to return to the farm to finalise things. Her father, George was a pillar of the church and the community, loved by everyone. What they didnt know was that he was the worst father possible. His children, Mark and Joy and to an extent his wife, lived in fear of him. Any tiny indiscretion led to 15 lashes of his belt and buckle.
The children when not at church work hard on the farm and in the house, and are constantly verbally and physically abused.
So when Joy finds her father dead with the very belt he used on her, around his neck, she rings the police. Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, isn’t convinced that Joy is innocent and suspects she is pulling him into her cleverly thought out lie.
I loved all three time frames that the book revolves around, the 1940s when Joys parents met, their whirlwind marriage and the subsequent realisation by Gwen that her husband isnt who she thought he was. The 1960s when Joy narrates her life as an 11 year old with her brother Mark and awful tyranny of her father, and the present being the 1980s when she plays the cat and mouse game with Alex Shepherd.
Scattered through Joys story is the disappearance of her friend Wendy Boscombe, in the 1960s although she is never found Joy is certain her father killed her.
Some twists In the book were predictable as was the main twist at the end but there were other discoveries I hadn’t thought of and the happy ending I expected didn’t happen. A great read that had me hooked from start to finish.
#netgalley #thenightlistener
Set in rural outback Australia over 3 different decades, it’s starts with Joy Henderson being informed of her fathers death and the need for her to return to the farm to finalise things. Her father, George was a pillar of the church and the community, loved by everyone. What they didnt know was that he was the worst father possible. His children, Mark and Joy and to an extent his wife, lived in fear of him. Any tiny indiscretion led to 15 lashes of his belt and buckle.
The children when not at church work hard on the farm and in the house, and are constantly verbally and physically abused.
So when Joy finds her father dead with the very belt he used on her, around his neck, she rings the police. Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, isn’t convinced that Joy is innocent and suspects she is pulling him into her cleverly thought out lie.
I loved all three time frames that the book revolves around, the 1940s when Joys parents met, their whirlwind marriage and the subsequent realisation by Gwen that her husband isnt who she thought he was. The 1960s when Joy narrates her life as an 11 year old with her brother Mark and awful tyranny of her father, and the present being the 1980s when she plays the cat and mouse game with Alex Shepherd.
Scattered through Joys story is the disappearance of her friend Wendy Boscombe, in the 1960s although she is never found Joy is certain her father killed her.
Some twists In the book were predictable as was the main twist at the end but there were other discoveries I hadn’t thought of and the happy ending I expected didn’t happen. A great read that had me hooked from start to finish.
#netgalley #thenightlistener
February 4, 2021
OOFT. This is a ride! I bloody love gritty, dark, claustrophobic Aussie thrillers, especially when they’re set in regional Victoria. #TheSilentListener ticked all those boxes and I read much of it with my mouth agape.
Inspired by Yeowart’s own childhood (seriously 😓) The Silent Listener uses time leaps, pervasive isolation and fear across decades to tell the story of George Henderson, an absolute demon of a man, who terrorised his family and fooled his community.
What it misses in typically spicy twists and turns it makes up for in visceral, innovative writing that cause the reader to question the narrator and themselves in turn. Sanity, satan, leather belts, isolation, handmade porcelain dolls, death notices and constant fear of stepping out of line made this a bloody scary, bloody impressive read and an incredible debut.
Thanks @penguinbooksaus for sending this my way, I’ll never look at a dam the same.
If you like: Jane Harper’s The Dry, religious zealots, fear, 10 gallon drums, traumatic childhoods, small town politics, abusive fathers, unreliable narrators and time leaps.
Inspired by Yeowart’s own childhood (seriously 😓) The Silent Listener uses time leaps, pervasive isolation and fear across decades to tell the story of George Henderson, an absolute demon of a man, who terrorised his family and fooled his community.
What it misses in typically spicy twists and turns it makes up for in visceral, innovative writing that cause the reader to question the narrator and themselves in turn. Sanity, satan, leather belts, isolation, handmade porcelain dolls, death notices and constant fear of stepping out of line made this a bloody scary, bloody impressive read and an incredible debut.
Thanks @penguinbooksaus for sending this my way, I’ll never look at a dam the same.
If you like: Jane Harper’s The Dry, religious zealots, fear, 10 gallon drums, traumatic childhoods, small town politics, abusive fathers, unreliable narrators and time leaps.
February 28, 2021
Highly recommended. This is a tightly constructed psychological thriller, set in the sweltering heat of rural Victoria and the story of the poverty-stricken Henderson family. George, the father is a stalwart of the community, a God-fearing Christian, leader of his church and although people in the community are aware of his behaviour towards his children and wife, they, on the whole, look the other way. The children, Joy and her brother are left to cope as best they can. Characters are superbly drawn, deeply flawed, yet realistic.
Lynn Yeowart, the author delves into the effects of long-term trauma, mental health, community expectations and the difficulties small-town police officers face.
One of those books you find yourself still reading well into the night!
Lynn Yeowart, the author delves into the effects of long-term trauma, mental health, community expectations and the difficulties small-town police officers face.
One of those books you find yourself still reading well into the night!
October 2, 2021
Blackburn population just over 600, a small outback country farming town where everyone appears as poor as each other. We are introduced to George and Gwen and their children Mark, Ruth and Joy.
There are some real stomach turning pages but the further you get into the book, the more twists and turns happen.
There is for one.... the accident about Ruth that no one can talk about, really leaves you thinking about what is the dark mystery.
Once you got over the first initial chapter then it really speeds up.
A book worth reading if you like a dark mystery with lots of twists and turns.
#betterreading #thesilentlistener
#lynyeowart #goodreads
There are some real stomach turning pages but the further you get into the book, the more twists and turns happen.
There is for one.... the accident about Ruth that no one can talk about, really leaves you thinking about what is the dark mystery.
Once you got over the first initial chapter then it really speeds up.
A book worth reading if you like a dark mystery with lots of twists and turns.
#betterreading #thesilentlistener
#lynyeowart #goodreads
December 27, 2021
A super propulsive one day read that was the perfect choice for my preferred Boxing Day experience. Yeowart has nailed all the things I love about Australian crime novels- specifically the complex family dynamic, the oppressive nature of small communities, and a carefully constructed atmosphere built out of characterisation, plotting, and the environment. I thought initially this might have been a bit too long, but it never felt like it. A great read.
March 9, 2021
another great aussie novel that pulls at the heart strings
August 22, 2022
This was recommended to me as the Australian version of Where The Crawdads Sing. As I loved that book I was keen to give this one a try.
The most important thing to note about The Silent Listener is the pace is slow, too slow at times even for me who loves a slow-burner. However there was something captivating about the characters and plot that kept me coming back for more and eventually succumbing to the glacial pace of the story.
The story is told in 3 timelines. The first depicts the early years of the marriage between George and Gwen in the 1940s. The second covers their lives from the perspective of their daughter Joy in the 1960s. The third portrays an ailing George and adult Joy in the 1980s. The alternating short chapters gradually build a picture of an unhappy family full of secrets and silent listening, to use the title. Woven into this is the unsolved disappearance of Joy's childhood friend in the 60s which becomes a catalyst for many of the events which follow.
This book requires patience but I am pleased to say I felt it was well worth the investment by the end. There was a depth and complexity to the characters which was given time to develop without competing with events in the plot, which I appreciated.
It certainly won't be a book for everyone but if you are a character-driven reader who loves a strong atmosphere and use of imagery, this may well be a book for you.
The most important thing to note about The Silent Listener is the pace is slow, too slow at times even for me who loves a slow-burner. However there was something captivating about the characters and plot that kept me coming back for more and eventually succumbing to the glacial pace of the story.
The story is told in 3 timelines. The first depicts the early years of the marriage between George and Gwen in the 1940s. The second covers their lives from the perspective of their daughter Joy in the 1960s. The third portrays an ailing George and adult Joy in the 1980s. The alternating short chapters gradually build a picture of an unhappy family full of secrets and silent listening, to use the title. Woven into this is the unsolved disappearance of Joy's childhood friend in the 60s which becomes a catalyst for many of the events which follow.
This book requires patience but I am pleased to say I felt it was well worth the investment by the end. There was a depth and complexity to the characters which was given time to develop without competing with events in the plot, which I appreciated.
It certainly won't be a book for everyone but if you are a character-driven reader who loves a strong atmosphere and use of imagery, this may well be a book for you.
October 22, 2025
Big thanks to Penguin for sending us a copy to read and review.
After reading Lyn’s latest book, I went back and picked up her debut.
The Silent Listener is a suspenseful and interesting book that you will not be able to put it down until the final sentence.
Woven together is three past eras full of intrigue with twists and turns and an unexpected finale.
During the summer of 1960, eleven year old Joy Henderson is very afraid of her father.
She lives to please him but he does nothing but belittle her and call her names.
Then Joy returns to the family farm as an adult to help him on his death bed.
His good sister Ruth returns also but with a different frame of mind ……..revenge.
Just before he dies he confesses to a crime.
Enter Alex Shepherd, a senior constable from the police force, who while investigating the family is haunted by a previous unsolved disappearance.
The Hendersons are under scrutiny and hidden lies and secrets are about to be revealed…….
This is such a great book.
A deeply enigmatic murder mystery and a rural Aussie crime fiction.
The plot is mysterious, the characters are fascinating, the setting is eerie and the direction this book takes throughout is so riveting.
You can’t help but be totally mesmerised by everything this story has to offer.
As this was released in 2021, many have probably already read but if you haven’t then I suggest you must.
After reading Lyn’s latest book, I went back and picked up her debut.
The Silent Listener is a suspenseful and interesting book that you will not be able to put it down until the final sentence.
Woven together is three past eras full of intrigue with twists and turns and an unexpected finale.
During the summer of 1960, eleven year old Joy Henderson is very afraid of her father.
She lives to please him but he does nothing but belittle her and call her names.
Then Joy returns to the family farm as an adult to help him on his death bed.
His good sister Ruth returns also but with a different frame of mind ……..revenge.
Just before he dies he confesses to a crime.
Enter Alex Shepherd, a senior constable from the police force, who while investigating the family is haunted by a previous unsolved disappearance.
The Hendersons are under scrutiny and hidden lies and secrets are about to be revealed…….
This is such a great book.
A deeply enigmatic murder mystery and a rural Aussie crime fiction.
The plot is mysterious, the characters are fascinating, the setting is eerie and the direction this book takes throughout is so riveting.
You can’t help but be totally mesmerised by everything this story has to offer.
As this was released in 2021, many have probably already read but if you haven’t then I suggest you must.
March 18, 2021
The Silent Listener (Penguin Random House 2021) by Lyn Yeowart is an accomplished rural literary psychological thriller that takes us backwards and forwards in time as mysterious events unfold and secrets, motivations and lies are revealed.
We meet Joy Henderson and her father George in 1983 as he lies on his deathbed. We are privy to 1942, when George and Gwen first meet and begin a romantic relationship that will become a troubled marriage. We see the interactions between 11-year-old Joy and her sister Ruth during their childhood in the 1960’s on the family farm and their later reactions to the death of their father. In this way of alternating chapters, from the perspective of the relationships between each of these pairs of two characters, the story gradually builds over two generations. About halfway through the book, we begin to also see chapters featuring Joy and Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, who is not only looking into George’s death but is also haunted by the disappearance years previously of local nine-year-old girl Wendy Boscombe, a cold case still unsolved.
The bereavement notices posted in the local paper by all manner of citizens indicate that George was well-liked and respected and will be sorely missed. But as the story unfolds, it is clear that the Henderson family has many secrets that were hidden deep within the family home. Joy and Ruth’s older brother Mark is one – he is absent from his father’s deathbed, but what could his reasons be?
George dies the day after he confesses to a terrible crime, and Joy finds him with a belt tightened around his neck. But even this is not all that it seems.
As the story develops, it becomes clear that at least one or more of the characters / narrators might be unreliable, either due to poor memory, or because they are being deliberately misleading. But who is it? And why? Where is the truth to be found?
The title comes from a wall hanging on the Henderson’s living room wall, (one I had in my own house growing up actually!); an embroidered piece of velvet with the words:
Christ is the Head of this House
The Unseen Guest at every meal
The Silent Listener to every conversation
And while the Henderson children endure the wrath of their abusive father (his constant lament to Joy is ‘you’re an ugly, filthy sinner … a lazy, good-for-nothing sinner …), she remains a silent listener to the goings-on in their house, planning for the day when she can leave and get her revenge. The physical and emotional scars of the characters mark them forever.
The web of lies and mistrust grows more tangled the more Shepherd investigates, and the decades-old cold case of Wendy Boscombe appears to tie everything together. If only he could find that first thread to pull, to begin the unravelling…
We empathise with the characters in this page-turning, psychological thriller with many surprises and twists and turns, right up until the last page. In fact the last few chapters are genuinely shocking but the author manages to leave us with a satisfying ending. Quite a remarkable debut.
We meet Joy Henderson and her father George in 1983 as he lies on his deathbed. We are privy to 1942, when George and Gwen first meet and begin a romantic relationship that will become a troubled marriage. We see the interactions between 11-year-old Joy and her sister Ruth during their childhood in the 1960’s on the family farm and their later reactions to the death of their father. In this way of alternating chapters, from the perspective of the relationships between each of these pairs of two characters, the story gradually builds over two generations. About halfway through the book, we begin to also see chapters featuring Joy and Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, who is not only looking into George’s death but is also haunted by the disappearance years previously of local nine-year-old girl Wendy Boscombe, a cold case still unsolved.
The bereavement notices posted in the local paper by all manner of citizens indicate that George was well-liked and respected and will be sorely missed. But as the story unfolds, it is clear that the Henderson family has many secrets that were hidden deep within the family home. Joy and Ruth’s older brother Mark is one – he is absent from his father’s deathbed, but what could his reasons be?
George dies the day after he confesses to a terrible crime, and Joy finds him with a belt tightened around his neck. But even this is not all that it seems.
As the story develops, it becomes clear that at least one or more of the characters / narrators might be unreliable, either due to poor memory, or because they are being deliberately misleading. But who is it? And why? Where is the truth to be found?
The title comes from a wall hanging on the Henderson’s living room wall, (one I had in my own house growing up actually!); an embroidered piece of velvet with the words:
Christ is the Head of this House
The Unseen Guest at every meal
The Silent Listener to every conversation
And while the Henderson children endure the wrath of their abusive father (his constant lament to Joy is ‘you’re an ugly, filthy sinner … a lazy, good-for-nothing sinner …), she remains a silent listener to the goings-on in their house, planning for the day when she can leave and get her revenge. The physical and emotional scars of the characters mark them forever.
The web of lies and mistrust grows more tangled the more Shepherd investigates, and the decades-old cold case of Wendy Boscombe appears to tie everything together. If only he could find that first thread to pull, to begin the unravelling…
We empathise with the characters in this page-turning, psychological thriller with many surprises and twists and turns, right up until the last page. In fact the last few chapters are genuinely shocking but the author manages to leave us with a satisfying ending. Quite a remarkable debut.
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