In this hauntingly beautiful novel, Barbara Neil explores with unflinching honesty the estrangement a family will endure rather than accept the shame of the past. There have been a lot of novels and memoirs in recent times dwelling on the subject of child abuse. Neil has a talent for revealing character indirectly, through dialogue and action rather than straightforward narrative description. Once Robbie reached Janvier, the novel changed in style and pace. The secondary characters in Neil's novel each have very distinct personas.
Children play an important role in A History of Silence.
So much is left unsaid between characters in Neil's novel-not just between Laura and Robbie and Esther, but between other characters as well, even the most loving. In a novel involving a Southern plantation, the portrayal of African-Americans can be a very sensitive issue. There was some ambiguity as far as Robbie's future.