How to survive the unthinkable This is the question nineyearold Tom has to face after witnessing his father kill his mother and then turn the gun on himself After the horrific event Tom refuses to speak At first he moves in with his childless Aunt Sonya but she is ill equipped to deal with the traumatized boy Before long Tom is forced to move again this time to downtown Toronto where he shares a rundown house with his mercurial Aunt Rose and his reckless yet endearing Uncle Will Claremont is a gripping story of survival As the seasons change Toms silence becomes a powerful presence allowing this fractured family to hear one another for the first time