It Happened in Silence by Karla M. Jay

This interwoven tale of family, resilience, betrayal, and the moral evolution of a nation is powerful and stirring, but also subtle and humble in its storytelling. The novel is a striking meditation on America of the past and present, particularly when it comes to exploring ideas of disability, justice, and the small choices we make that change who we become. It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Faulkner, both in the deep colloquial writing style, and a memorable narrator somehow separated from the rest of the world. With breath-catching flashes of poetic grace, unexpected descriptive beauty, and a meaning-laden flow of prose, It Happened in Silence is a captivating and ambitious achievement.