This book investigates the social function and structural management of silence during face-to-face human interaction. Elliott M. Hoey, a scholar in the field of conversation analysis, examines how participants in social settings navigate the transition between active speech and periods of silence. By analyzing video-recorded interactions, the author argues that silence is not merely an absence of talk but a socially organized activity that requires active monitoring and coordination by all participants.

Experts in conversation analysis recognize this work as a rigorous application of ethnomethodological principles to the phenomenon of silence. Readers frequently note the technical density of the prose, which is intended for an academic audience familiar with transcript-based research methods.