The Other Side of Silence by Joan M. Drury

The fact that Tyler (and Drury) have an important agenda is all the better. It just continues to develop until the very unusual (but maybe not totally unexpected) ending. The fact is, The Other Side of Silence is one of the most well-crafted mysteries I have ever read. The history of feminism and the ongoing violence against women is a subject that everyone should take a serious interest in. So does this mean that men won’t like this book? Umm. Likewise chapters of her book, which are convincing and heartfelt. We are not just told about a column, we get to read it, too. And hey, Tyler is a writer who actually writes. She produces a weekly column for her newspaper and is writing a book-length oral history. As she says, “I am, with reason, suspicious about men-especially when it comes to violence.” In fact, Tyler makes her living writing about the subject. Here’s another thing we know about Tyler but have no real backstory on: she has little use for men (except for her contact at the newspaper) and blames them for much of the violence that goes on in the world-especially against women. The fact that Drury gives us no backstory on any of this is an omission that might be rectified in the two subsequent books about Tyler Jones. We also know that she is a recovering alcoholic who is often badly in need of a drink. Yet she mentions this only in passing-never dwells on her weight issues. This may be explained by the fact that she describes herself as “hefty,” “robust,” and “fat.” Not in the way a fashion model might think she has to lose a pound or two, but because Tyler is truly overweight. We know that she broke up with her last lover ten years before and that she is more comfortable working at home than at an office. The characterization of Tyler is very subtle, and we often have to rely on small clues to get a true picture of her. That is until she finds a dead body in the park while out walking her dog.

But although her research and counseling brings her into contact with many forms of violence, her own life is rather uninteresting and predictable. Because of her urgent concern about violence against women, she also spends time at a crisis center. Tyler Jones is not the most social person in the world, so when she wins the Pulitzer Prize for journalism for a feature story about spousal abuse committed by members of the police force, she goes into semi-retirement, writing her newspaper columns from home.

The Other Side of Silence by Joan M. Drury