I absolutely loved this book. The story covered three timelines with a difference of 20 years between each. Gwen's perspective showed that at first, she thought George was a nice person but then he started showing his true self. Then we see their life through Joy's perspective of how their father used to abuse her and her brother when they were kids. Then we meet the present Joy who is now in her 30s standing in the same house where her abusive father is now on his deathbed. The story goes back and forth in time. I think the author did a great job in describing Joy's childhood and Gwen's early years of marriage establishing the character of George Henderson and how his family came to be terrified of him. Then we gradually see the connection between Wendy's disappearance when she was nine years old and the Henderson family. At first, I thought it was not making any sense and I was curious about how the author would connect the two plots (Joy's abusive childhood and Wendy's disappearance) but the author did a remarkable job in putting the pieces together at the end which blew my mind. This book is well written, filled with suspense and mystery while also giving out goth vibes. The ending left me speechless. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I love discovering new authors and Lyn Yeowart is certainly a new author for me. The synopsis of ‘The Silent Listener’ certainly sounded intriguing and drew me in. So without further ado, I grabbed my Kindle, grabbed a cup of tea and settled down for what I hoped would be a cracking read. Overall I did enjoy reading ‘The Silent Listener’ but more about that in a bit.
I must be honest and say that it took me a little while to get into the story. I didn’t feel an instant connection with any of the characters and I didn’t warm to them. However as I was making my way through the story and I started to understand more about the background of some of the characters, I could see why they were the way they were and this helped me to ‘get into’ the story more. I would say that I found it difficult to put the book down for any length of time after about a fifth of the way through. I seemed to fly through the rest of the book. I had my own theories as to what was going to happen and I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had wandered down another path entirely. The pages turned increasingly quickly as I worked my way through the rest of the story.
‘The Secret Listener’ is well written. The author certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and draw you into what proves to be a compelling read. Some of the subject matter in this story isn’t always easy to read but necessary as part of the story. I used to work in Children’s Services so the subject matter didn’t upset me. The story is written using different chapters and timelines. Some of the chapters focus on events as they happened in the past and others focus on events in the present day. The chapters interlink and the story flows seamlessly. Reading ‘The Silent Listener’ felt like being on one hell of a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster with several twists and turns along the way. I felt as though I was part of the story and that’s all thanks to Lyn’s very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short and overall I did enjoy reading ‘The Silent Listener’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Lyn’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

The Silent Listener is slow, twisty, horrifying, and enthralling. Lyn Yeowart weaves three timelines together to bring you into one of the most depressing and oppressive families you will ever read about. In 1983 Joy Henderson returns to her childhood home to visit her father on his death bead and care for him in his final days. Chapters wind between adult Joy, child Joy in 1960, and 1942 to trace how her parents’ marriage began. If you ever wonder how an abusive parent is able to control an entire family Yeowart gives a compelliong example.

Along with the abuse doled out by her pious father, June is facing the “accident” involving her sister Ruth, the disappearance of a young girl from 2 decades earlier, and her own brother leaving home at 16. And there is a constable who is sure she has something to hide. All the while you need to remember that June may not be a completely reliable narrator. What does she really know? What does she really remember? Is she right in the head after so many years of torture?

Sometimes you read a book and you know there will be horrible things happening. You keep hoping that they won’t, but you have no control. You can just watch. Helpless. All I know is that I wanted Joy to get everything she wanted. She deserved it.

Thank you for the ARC and a new author to follow.

A dark disturbing debut novel from Lyn Yeowart. Set in Australia, Joy Henderson lives with her siblings on a farm run by her mother & father, George & Gwen. Her father is a brutal man and Joy often along with the others including her mother felt the brunt of his beatings and temper. So when her father dies, she is the prime suspect. Told in time lines of past and present, starting when Joy is 12 years old, this novel is a harrowing read. It was very hard reading about the abuse and fear of Joy. I had to force myself to stay with it as I wanted to know what became of Joy.

Joy Henderson returns to the family farm to nurse her dying father. To the outside world, George is a pillar of the community, but to Joy and her siblings, he’s a monster. As children, they lived in constant fear of the punishments he dished out to his “dirty, filthy sinners who are going to rot in Hell”. Then, the day after George finally confesses to a horrific crime, Joy finds him dead — with a belt pulled tight around his neck . . .

What a sad, emotional read this is. The Silent Listener is loosely based on events from the author's childhood. As such, I had expected a great deal of credibility. Sadly to say, that's exactly what I got. The subject matter is horrific, but the author has framed events in a kind of non-graphic way.

The differences between George at home with his terrified family and what everyone else sees is like night and day. Effortlessly propelling the reader back and forth between three timelines, Lyn Yeowart’s unforgettable debut richly rewards the reader with its explosive, pitiless conclusion. I am a fast reader, but with this one, I slowed down in order to read each and every word. Joy, her mother, sister, and brother are caught in this maelstrom of violence. No one in the family escaped unharmed .. they all have the scars, both mental and physical, to prove it. The ending was so unexpected, I found myself reaching for the tissues.

It's compelling and riveting. It's hard to believe this is the author's debut novel.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Book Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this Psychological Thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Set in rural Australia, we are taken through the 1940s, 1960s and then 1983, when George dies. Joy, comes back to Blackhunt to look after her dying father George in 1983 and when he is found with a belt around his neck we are led to believe that it was foul play - was it Joy?

We are brought back in time to when George met Gwen, their dating days and how the came to be married.

Flash to the 1960s, 11 year old Joy leads us, how she looks up to her big sister, and what they suffered at the hands of their father (who is not quite the upstanding member of the community everyone believes he is!)

This book has plenty of twists, horrors and ghouls of the past!

Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Books

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.

Thank you to the author, Joffe Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a gut-wrenching, brutal read - not for the faint of heart, but compellingly well-written. The story is told in three different timelines and multiple POVs, which makes it hard to follow at first. However, the voices/characters are distinct and well-drawn, and I felt myself drawn in to the claustrophobic post WWII life in a poor rural farming community in Australia. The underlying threat of (domestic) violence is a constant lurking presence in the background, and the tension builds slowly as the story progresses. The intense pressure that is felt by the family under the thumb of a tyrannical father is horrifying - but at the same time shining a light on these problems is so badly needed. Highly recommend, but with a caution for those that could be triggered.

A terrific read that is both a murder mystery and a chronicle of an extremely dysfunctional family. I liked this not only for the characters (not all of the likable) but also for the depiction of rural Australia throughout the years. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Highly recommend.

Joy Henderson lives with her mother, brother, and abusive father on a miserable dairy farm in rural Australia. Her story spins out in three parts, starting with her mother's courtship and marriage to her father during WWII, the Christmas holidays of 1960-1961, and her father's death in 1983. Joy's life is, to put it bluntly, abysmal. Her father is more than cruel. He uses religion as justification to abuse his family, while remaining a pillar of the community.

The isolation, the weather, the total lack of any kind of privilege or pleasure for the Henderson family makes this novel stark. But Joy herself is a wonder. Her mind creates the most startling images. She has a love affair with words that so closely mirrors my own that I was almost shocked. She is more than smart, she is creative and one can't help but feel that in an environment that valued and treasured these qualities she would thrive and be extraordinary. Instead, she tries not to stand out. She does what most girls do. She tries to please, to get everything right and not make the mistakes her mother and brother make. She doesn't succeed, of course, but the way she copes with her father's rage and his rules and punishments is nothing short of amazing.

I was mesmerized by this story because I saw a great deal of myself in both Joy and her mother, having endured abuse at the hands of someone who was supposed to love me. Like her, I was brought up in church, in a Christian home, where I was taught the Bible and Godly principles. Unlike Joy, however, my home and church were full of joy and singing and laughter. We weren't quite Felicities, but I was cherished and to some degree spoiled. God was never the punisher of wrongs, and the devil was never used to threaten me. Instead, God was the loving Father who gave his Son to free us from sin, and the devil had no power over those who knew the Lord. My parents gave me the gift of faith. They did not use it as a system of rules and punishments, even though I was a strange child with a penchant for talking to imaginary people and living inside of books.

I understood Joy, and I hoped more than anything for her escape, for a happy ending to her story and for her to be justly punished. I suppose he was, but the ending of the book dragged out too long. There were several times when I thought it would end, only for there to be several more chapters.. I am not satisfied with the ending,, either. Without saying too much, the fate of Wendy Boscombe was a disappointment. There were also times when I wasn't sure if the events actually happened, or if Joy imagined them. And the question of whether she caused her father's death could have been dealt with in a more timely manner. A little suspense is good. Too much becomes annoying and the reader starts thinking, "Just get it over with!"

While I understand why Joy's story did not have the traditional happy ending, I have to wonder if this was just a little too "extra" It is true that not everyone gets to emerge triumphant from childhood trauma, and that great cosmic jokes happen instead of everything lining up and concluding in an orderly fashion. This does not mean I was not disappointed. Joy deserved more. She inspired hope, and overcame so much. It would be better, in my opinion, if she got to enjoy seeing her father's reputation destroyed along with the farm.

I am also a bit leery of books where vengeance is portrayed as a virtue. It rarely is, because it rarely works the way the person wants it to. Vengeance is a wildfire, and once it is lit it is difficult to control. If you let hate take root, then cruelty triumphs and a person is never free of the hold the object of that hate has on them. Forgiveness is not easy, and certainly some do not deserve it. But it is the only thing that offers any avenue of escape.

I loved this book. I hated this book. I couldn't put it down, and it seemed like it it would never end. I fell in love with Joy Henderson, and she broke my heart. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time, and with a few changes it could be one of the best ever.

This was a bit of a slow burn but my goodness when it got going. I remember my summer when I went to see relatives up the bush in SA, they were nothing like this. Really got me engrossed.

Loved the three timelines -it suited it.

The ending was brilliant could not have asked for more. Definitely will be on the look out for more by this author - very talented.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

🐍Dark, fascinating tale of abuse & death in rural Australia😰

4-4.5🌟 stars
The Silent Listener was a fascinating depiction of cruelty and desperation in a farm household in Australia over a forty year period. George Henderson, the head of household, really was a Jekyll and Hyde personality: good, extremely pious and upstanding in public and a domestic terror/abuser to his wife and children behind closed doors. Joy, the daughter, is the story's principal narrator, though it alternates between Joy, her powerless mother Gwen and police constable Alex Shepherd. It's a tale of deep hurt, both physical and mental, and Joy's journey of loss, revenge and redemption.

Intertwined with their grim domestic drama is the mystery of a young girl who disappears from a neighboring farm. It's odd to say but the parts dealing with the missing child investigation and George's demise were a relief from the intensity of the Henderson household rules, regulations and punishments for any infringement.

This is a gritty psychological drama with plenty going on and some super twists, though I did find it a bit drawn out. And I found the negative attitude towards religion overdone. But the good points of the plot and the writing greatly outweigh the negatives and made it a really compelling read.

Thanks to Joffe Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

The Silent Listener is a heavy, domestic drama that tells the story of the toxic Henderson family. I enjoyed the three timelines that slowly revealed crucial information. My heart ached for Joy and Gwen throughout. It always hurts to read a story about domestic violence and to see the psychological effects on the characters long after the abuse has ended. This is definitely a slow burn and at times I just wanted it to end. I'm glad I stuck it out though and found out how the story ends. Wait for that twist, y'all. It's a good one.

Published: February 2, 2021
Penguin Books Australia
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Lyn Yeowart is a professional writer and editor with more than 25 years of experience 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.

‘I’m not going to be a silent listener ever again.’

Joy lives on a dairy farm with her older brother and her parents. It’s a hard life, her father being a pious and difficult man and her mother unable to stop the abuse in the house.

This book was kind of a whirlwind. Told alternating between the past and the present, we learn that growing up, and the Henderson house was rarely filled with laughter and happiness.

George was a hard man. Hardworking, hard praying, and he wore two faces. The one at home and the one in town. Joy didn’t have the soft, lovely childhood she so often dreamed of, but she survived, which is more than most can say.

The secrets were kept, and Joy grew up knowing how to present what people wanted to see while hiding the truth. It’s not a lie if you just don’t tell.

The first half or so of this novel is relatively dry and slightly depressing. But as we get over the hump and free fall to the ending, the twists and the truths that come catapulting are insane.

I did not see the twists coming—any of them. I’m usually fairly good and figuring out the twist before it happens (unless it’s a KMod novel, then I am always wrong) but the twists in this book were very well played.

The build-up was on the slower side. So having patience and a willingness to finish the book will help. The ending is worth the wait. The final twists are so insane you’ll be left speechless. A darkly twisted novel about poverty, abuse, struggle, and adolescence, this book will take your breath away.

As a debut novel, there is one hell of an ending, and as the pieces start falling into place and as the truth gets uncovered, you will not be able to put this book down. Prepare yourself for one hell of a ride.

When I finished reading the last sentence of the epilogue of this stunning book, I actually sighed. I think the last time I did that was with Where the Crawdads Sing.
I am also completely amazed by the fact that this is the author's debut novel. Lyn Yeowart did a brilliant job weaving this harrowing story over three timelines, eventually leading us to a pretty explosive and unpredictable ending. The Silent Listener is an emotional and at times heartbreaking read. A slow burn initially, but it soon had me turning the pages at a crazy speed. My dog had breakfast at lunchtime because I couldn't stop reading until I had finished!

Joy Henderson's tale will stay with me for a long while to come.

A huge thank you to Joffe Books, NetGalley and Lyn Yeowart for a copy of this book to review.

Not an easy book to read, but it keeps your attention throughout. Told in different voices, it is the story of Family Henderson, headed by George and living on a remote farm in Australia. The book is set in different time priods, the 40s when the couple first meet , 1960 when Joy is 11 and the 80s when her father is dying . As the book progresses, the damage sustained due to continual abuse becomes apparant, the neighbours do notice it, but do nothing.
Definitely a book I will be thinking about for a while , there are a couple of unexpected twists in the story.
Thank you to Net Galley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review

Blackhunt is the last place Joy ever wanted to go. She did her best to escape the family farm at the age of sixteen after years of violent punishments from her church elder father. But at the beginning of The Silent Listener, by Lyn Yeowart, Joy receives a phone call that summons her back. Her father’s doctor has just informed her that the old man is on his death bed and can she come back to take care of him in his last days? Joy reluctantly agrees because, at long last, this might be her chance to finally let Blackhunt know what a monster George Henderson really is.

The Silent Listener is told in three interwoven parts. In 1983, Joy wrestles with her still intimidating, albeit bedridden father and her own desire for revenge. In 1960, we follow a very young Joy during the year when her friend Wendy disappears forever. Lastly, in 1942, we watch as Joy’s mother is emotionally and physically beaten down by George after a mere two months of courtship. Taken together, we see how George created a family of people who are absolutely terrified of him while at the same time becoming one of the most admired men in the district. You see, George never loses his temper or raises his hand to them in public. He’s lively and jolly in a crowd. Because the Henderson farm is so isolated, it’s not hard for George to keep his secrets.

As if all of this wasn’t complicated enough, 1983 Joy is dogged by two ghosts from the past. One ghost is one of the detectives who tried to find Wendy all those years ago. The other ghost is actually a ghost: the ghost of Joy’s sister, Ruth. Both of them hector Joy. The detective is absolutely convinced that Joy did something to speed her father to his death and wants a confession. When Joy starts to drop hints that George might have had something to do with Wendy, he starts to push even harder. As for Ruth, Ruth has always been the part of Joy that will say the things Joy can’t bring herself to say out loud. Ruth is the part of Joy that wants to withhold pain medication or come up with elaborate plans for vengeance.

This is a hard book to read. The child abuse is gutting to read about. No one should live so terrified of someone in their family that they can barely breathe or move when that person is in the same room. Readers will want to shout at the characters to run, to call the police, to do something in spite of all the research about living with abuse that tells us that all of those actions are a lot harder for someone conditioned to the kind of life we witness at the Henderson farm. The Silent Listener is a tough psychological drama, but a good one. I was hooked in spite of all the violence and misery. Readers, consider yourself warned.

Deep red scars. Cold dark secrets . . .

The Silent Listener is a tale of family drama and religion. I tend to lean more toward "thrillers" . Although this book is definitely incredible, I would not classify it as a thriller but more of a domestic drama. This novel touches on everything a toxic family holds. Filled with secrets, lies and deceit, you cant help but wanting to know more. I felt as though I personally knew each of the characters.

I can not help but anticipate what Lyn Yeowart will come up with next.

Dark, Tragic, Unsettling…
A dark, tragic read. Taut and well constructed through multiple timelines with a credible cast and a well written storyline. Ultimately, a brutal and unsettling tale recounting the devastating effects of trauma. lightened now and then by the emotional insights into the incredibly strong protagonists’ inner being.

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 of his family. The story follows Joy's journey from before she was born through to adulthood.

Parts of this book are hard to read due to brutality Gwen, Ruth. Joy and Mark had to suffer from George. The story is told over three different decades. George was the pillar of the community, loved by everyone he met. His family lived constantly in fear. When George dies, Senior Constable Alex Sheppard 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.