Natalie Zellat Dyen

Set in Philadelphia in the mid-1800s, this is a well-written account of a young, institutionalized woman imprisoned for a crime she cannot recall committing. Through her memories, we learn of her pre-incarcerated life including her involvement in the abolitionist movement, her romance with a well-to-do man, being sexually abused by her “master” and being emotionally abused by her mother. There is a shift halfway through the book, when the setting changes, and the storyline takes a different direction. I found that it lost some of its appeal at this point, as it morphed into somewhat predictable women’s fiction focusing more on motherhood and romance. But it is certainly not a light read. The book covers some big topics: slavery, abuse (child, sexual, emotional & bullying), violence, murder, insanity, racism, misogyny, the failings of the justice system, as well as challenges in motherhood, amongst others. So it gives the reader plenty to think about.
I won a free copy of this book (thanks to the author & publisher!) and am voluntarily providing an honest review.… (mais)

What first drew me to "Locked in Silence" was its setting in an asylum, and its focus on a woman consigned there against her will. I enjoy historical tales about real, less explored struggles, and unfortunately the nineteenth century did see more than one woman unjustly stripped of their rights in such a manner.

I did get my wish, albeit in a bit of a more twisted fashion. Our heroine's cell is sparse, but largely humane for the times, and the real prison is the one created by her own mind in her story of struggle, as well as that of the silence and judgement enforced by the officials of the asylum. In that way, I did appreciate this book for its focus on the psychological toll, as opposed to resorting solely to physical violence as a way of highlighting atrocity and struggle.

If I did have any issues with this book, it would be the values of the main character being a bit too perfectly attuned to modern standards and ethics. As a reader of historical fiction, I just have seen too many iterations of this trope, and it just can get a bit tedious seeing it again in this book.

Thanks to LibraryThing and the author for providing me a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.… (mais)

Quite honestly, this book for me was rather… amazing. I didn’t know what to expect going into it. I just read what it was supposed to be about and thought it sounded interesting. I’m not typically a fan of historical things, they just don’t catch my interest, but this one did. So, I went into it with an open mind, knowing that I wasn’t a history fan and I was not going to let that cloud my judgement. And I’m glad that I did.

The historical aspect of it didn’t really come into play too much. Yes, I knew it was in the past and it was a constant thing throughout the book, but it wasn’t the main focus, really. The way that Natalie wrote everything and incorporated it all made it very smooth and seamless. I didn’t feel bogged down with too many historical facts or overwhelmed with too many historical mentioning.

I loved the premise and concept of this book. I like the psychological approach that she took for it. The beginning (there won’t be any spoilers of anything here, don’t worry, you can read freely) gave a well thought out look into Lizzy’s experience. You can sympathize with her and what she’s going through. Natalie did a wonderful job here and I appreciate the work that must have gone into it.

I do wish that she would have gone into a little bit more on her post release. The aftereffects and such. It seemed a little glossed over at times, but that could have been something that they wanted taken out. I’m not sure. I think it would have given a little more depth and life to Lizzy. It would have made me understand and sympathize with her even more. Which I already did. Lizzy is my girl and I just wanted to protect her with everything that I had while I was reading this book.

I’m glad that the ending was the way that it was. And I’m talking about the very, very ending. The last chapter ending. Again, no spoilers. I thought it was just… fitting somehow. It just gave a good closure that I didn’t know that would pull things together. I wasn’t sure how an ending or closure would come about in this book, but the way that it ended here was just right, in my opinion.

Overall, this book was wonderful and beautifully written. She did a wonderful job making a character that you can sympathize with and like throughout the book. It wasn’t a page turner that I just couldn’t put down, but it was a page turner in its own way. I wanted to know what was going to happen to Lizzy, I wanted to know what her story was. It wasn’t a fast page turner, but it was a page turner in its own right.… (mais)