"THE OTHER SIDE OF QUIET," by Tara C. Allred, Patella Publishing, $14.95, 308 pages (f)
Savannah Childs, a ninth-grade teacher in fictional Helam, Utah, has assigned her students to keep weekly journals and has promised to never read them. She wants her students to enjoy complete freedom of expression, and the teens know their innermost thoughts are safe, in “The Other Side of Quiet.”
But when clues from a murder investigation point to Childs’ class, the police department confiscates the journals. Childs is then given the difficult task of betraying her students’ trust and reading their writings. Her reading shows her that although they are young, these ninth-grade students have not remained unscathed by adult problems.
Author Tara C. Allred tells this remarkable story from multiple perspectives. Although “The Other Side of Quiet” may seem like a simple murder mystery, it is so much more. Overarching the mystery of the murderer’s identity, the interweaving stories of the teenagers and their teacher are what make this novel compelling and unique. The characters have stories that are easy to empathize with as they struggle with everything from the stress of living up to a parent’s expectations, to bouncing between foster families, to teen pregnancy.
“The Other Side of Quiet” has a handful of mild profanities and deals with multiple issues. Infertility, murder, teen pregnancy, drug use, adoption, religion, military service and the LGBT culture all have a place in this novel. However, each subject is talked about without going into explicit detail. Faith comes up slightly in the book; several of the main characters are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and many of them struggle to live its teachings.
Allred lives in Utah with her husband. “The Other Side of Quiet” is a Whitney Awards finalist in the general fiction category and a 2015 Kindle Book Awards finalist. The Whitney Awards honor novels by LDS authors.
Elizabeth Reid has bachelor's degrees in economics and history. She has worked in retail, medical billing, catering, education and business fields. Her favorite occupation is that of wife and mother. She blogs at agoodreid.blogspot.com.