When Dottie Connell adopts her best friend's daughter out of a combination of spite and loyalty, she must confront her ideas on motherhood, sexuality, and God. This Heavy Silence explores the mysteries of grace, the bargaining of birthright and the power of vows?both the vows we make to others, and, more binding, those we make to ourselves. Evoking the hardship, windswept beauty and simplicity of life in the rural Midwest, this beautifully observed debut novel leads us to question our ideas about motherhood, the obligations of family, and faith. It will appeal to readers of A Map of the World and Gap Greek.