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Apr 21, 2014Cecilturtle rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I found this book incredibly appealing. Through snippets of stories and various perspectives, Smith shows the ignorance, prejudice, differences and social habits to which we are all attuned but which we mostly choose to ignore. What struck me most was the silence as a common theme and how the quiet or silent characters are the ones who have the most effect, the central being of which is Miles and his strange action. Ultimately, this book is about quietness and what it can open up: everything from Gen's greediness to Josie's generosity, from Mark's kindness to Anna's re-connectedness with the past, from Brooke's young, open curiosity to May's old, questioning wisdom. Not an easy story to follow, but one that will keep readers dreaming and thinking.