Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by caroline77
The Silent Land by Graham Joyce
2.0
***SPOILERS HIDDEN***
It sounds almost post-apocalyptic according to its summary: A married couple discovers they’re the only two people--and seemingly the only living creatures--remaining after an avalanche strikes the ski resort where they’re vacationing. Phone calls go unanswered; the internet doesn’t connect; and the city’s boundaries may as well be electrified for all the luck they’re having trying to leave. All is so unfathomably quiet that they can practically hear each snowflake land.
Joyce’s basic premise seems to hint at a deep, layered story; however, although the story has plenty of surprises that kept me guessing, there's nothing particularly meaningful about The Silent Land. There's room here for some thought-provoking exploration about the meaning of life and death, but this is just a nice story written in a mostly bare-bones, dialogue-heavy style.
The ending redeems the story somewhat for no other reason than because it’s so heartbreaking. The many loose ends also tie up very neatly. Shortly after starting, I was worried that I'd figured out what had really happened----and was in store for a predictable story, but Joyce addressed those hunches head on in chapter five. Toward the end, it's maybe too obvious that ; however, getting definitive answers to the book’s other, stranger enigmas is highly satisfying. Joyce also maintained the suspense until about the last five pages, when suddenly all pieces to the puzzle lock snugly into place.
I was unimpressed by the simplistic writing style; however, a few passages here and there stand out as striking, especially considering the unchanging setting. This takes place entirely in a winter wonderland where it snows almost constantly, yet Joyce’s description remained original throughout all 262 pages. To cite just one example:
It sounds almost post-apocalyptic according to its summary: A married couple discovers they’re the only two people--and seemingly the only living creatures--remaining after an avalanche strikes the ski resort where they’re vacationing. Phone calls go unanswered; the internet doesn’t connect; and the city’s boundaries may as well be electrified for all the luck they’re having trying to leave. All is so unfathomably quiet that they can practically hear each snowflake land.
Joyce’s basic premise seems to hint at a deep, layered story; however, although the story has plenty of surprises that kept me guessing, there's nothing particularly meaningful about The Silent Land. There's room here for some thought-provoking exploration about the meaning of life and death, but this is just a nice story written in a mostly bare-bones, dialogue-heavy style.
The ending redeems the story somewhat for no other reason than because it’s so heartbreaking. The many loose ends also tie up very neatly. Shortly after starting, I was worried that I'd figured out what had really happened--
Spoiler
that Zoe and Jake are deadSpoiler
Zoe has survived, but Jake has notI was unimpressed by the simplistic writing style; however, a few passages here and there stand out as striking, especially considering the unchanging setting. This takes place entirely in a winter wonderland where it snows almost constantly, yet Joyce’s description remained original throughout all 262 pages. To cite just one example:
The gray, pregnant clouds lowered above them, but there were blue smudges in the sky. A transforming power had breathed over the land and turned it into a perfect wedding cake, and the two of them were now perched on the top like a marzipan bride and groom.Descriptive gems like these are a welcome break from all the dialogue. If only every sentence were a gem and every paragraph meaningful. The Silent Land definitely has a unique premise, but ultimately, it's just another quick suspense read.