“Wall of Silence” by Tracy Buchanan – A Maternal Conundrum

Tracy Buchanan is one of many authors trying to push the thriller genre forward, willing to try out new concepts and premises resonating more with the modern world. In her latest psychological thriller, Wall of Silence, she tells the story of a mother of three children, living in a small tight-knit community.

One day, she comes home to find her husband stabbed on the floor, and soon realizes one of her three children did it. As she tries to hide what she knows from the outside world, she must also steel herself and dig out the real truth beneath the countless lies.

Tracy Buchanan Ruins a Perfect Life

Towns and cities are ever-expanding, to the point where we have to adjust our perception of them. Whereas in the past a town of a few thousand would have been considered big, today it would barely find its way onto the map.

As such, the particular charm of the few towns which we could, in good conscience, define as small, is slowly being lost on us. However, there are many authors who seek to preserve this aspect of our world as best they can through their writings, as we see Tracy Buchanan do in her latest novel, Wall of Silence.

Taking us to the small, tight-knit community of Forest Grove, we are introduced to Melissa Byatt and her perfect life. A beautiful house, a loving husband, three magnificent children, and not a single worry in the entire world.

Needless to say, there comes a day when Melissa's life is shattered in ruins. Upon returning home one evening, she finds her husband stabbed on the kitchen floor, and it's clear one of their three children is to blame.

From there on out, Melissa's life only gets more complicated as she tries her best to keep her secret from spilling over into the rest of the town, all too eager for a new piece of gossip to latch on to. At the same time, she is pressed to dig onward towards the truth and try to unravel the thread of a seemingly senseless crime before the police do.

Slowly, she begins to learn the idyllic town in which she lived the perfect life is hiding underneath it a layer of grime and darkness threatening her carefully-planned existence.

The Slow Burn Format in Wall of Silence

Thrillers distinguish themselves from other genres in a number of ways, and one of those is generally their faster pace marked by short and concise chapters focused on moving the plot forward. In Wall of Silence, Buchanan takes a different approach, opting to move things at a much slower pace than I came to expect from the genre.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, but I understand many people read thrillers for the quick gratification they provide, so if you belong to this group of people I would advise you to more carefully consider whether this book would be worth it for you.

So why exactly does it move along at a slower pace? From what I could gather, the author wanted to take her time in fleshing out the town and its inhabitants, to let us into their heads so we might know what they really think of the events transpiring in the town. I would say she ultimately succeeded in doing so, and I would attribute this in large part to how well to so-called “Facebook chat group” chapters were made.

While initially I thought they would end up being obstacles preventing the story from moving along at a convenient pace, I was pleasantly surprised at how well-written they were, how authentic they felt, and most importantly, how interested I was in what the town's citizens really thought beneath their appearances.

Once again, this is probably the type of approach to narration which won't exactly be suitable to everyone's taste, but as far as the technical execution goes and how well it integrates with the rest of the story, I can't think of a single reproach to make.

A Trove of Questions

Moving onward, I found the plot itself, no matter how you might feel about its presentation, to have been solid and engaging, definitely on the higher end of the thriller genre. Buchanan found an excellent way to open her novel and grasp our attention, starting with a direct narration from the person responsible for the stabbing, leaving us with no doubt it was one of the three children, but with a lot of questions as to the motive.

From there on out, Buchanan spins the thread of mystery rather adeptly, consistently bringing new elements and characters into play, always raising the stakes for Melissa's personal investigation and attempt to conceal the truth. Speaking of which, I found Melissa to be an overall likeable protagonist, even though some of her decisions as a mother do raise questions about how competent she really is.

On the whole we can understand her struggles and relate to her concerns on a human level, and it is always interesting to see a character lacking plot armour truly stuck in a dilemma where there doesn't seem to be a winning option.

Once we get to the ending the pace ramps up considerably and a whole lot of interesting developments more than make up for the slower pace until then. While there were a few moments and elements which demanded I suspend my disbelief (especially in relation to what's happening in secret at the local bar), they didn't ruin my sense of enjoyment.

On the whole, I felt more than enough invested and immersed in the little town, its gossip and social circles to bear with the little flaws here and there.

The Final Verdict

Wall of Silence by Tracy Buchanan is an excellent psychological thriller with a compelling and original premise, adeptly-developed characters, and plenty enough mystery to keep you guessing. It tries to do things a bit differently in certain, and while I can see it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, if the slower pace doesn't sound like too much of a hassle for you I do recommend you give this novel a try.

Thrillers are meant to entertain at the end of the day, and this novel accomplishes what it was meant to be.

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Anne Tyler Personal site Tracy Buchanan is an author from the United Kingdom who also worked as a travel magazine editor while extensively travelling the world. Now a full-time writer, she has published a number of bestsellers, including The Atlas of Us, No Turning Back, My Sister's Secret, and most recently,Wall of Silence.