Description

The perfect page-turning read for fans of All the Light We Cannot See, In Memoriam and Alone in Berlin

SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE
ONE OF INDEPENDENT’S BEST HISTORICAL FICTION OF THE YEAR

‘An emotionally resonant debut full of music and menace’ Mail on Sunday

‘A confident debut with an original premise’ Sunday Times

‘A hauntingly beautiful exploration of love, family and societal unrest’ Glamour

‘Packs a real emotional punch … I can’t recommend this novel highly enough’ Laura Barnett, bestselling author of The Versions of Us

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Imagine waking up and a wall has divided your city in two. Imagine that on the other side is your new-born baby and there is now now no way of getting to him…

Lisette is in hospital with her baby boy. The doctors tell her to go home and get some rest, that he’ll be fine.

When she awakes, everything has changed. Because overnight, on 13 August 1961, the border between East and West Berlin has closed. Lisette is trapped in the east, while her baby is unreachable in the west. But this is not the first time she has lived in a divided city.
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Lisette’s teenage daughter, Elly, has always struggled to understand the distance between herself and her mother. Both have lived for music, but while Elly hears notes surrounding every person she meets, for her mother the music has disappeared. Can Elly now find a way to bridge the silence?

Set across two timelines – the Second World War and the tumultuous events of 1961 – The Silence in Between explores the unbreakable bonds of family, the resilience of women, and the lengths they will go to protect the ones they love.

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PRAISE FOR THE SILENCE IN BETWEEN:

‘An emotionally resonant debut full of music and menace’ Mail on Sunday

‘Rooted in real stories, The Silence in Between is a reminder of how seismic political events shape ordinary lives’ Independent

‘A haunting and compassionate account of war’s legacy, the atrocities inflicted on ordinary German women and their extraordinary resilience’ Observer

‘Without a doubt one of the best books I have read this year… I can’t recommend this book enough’
Abbey Rowlinson, bookseller review

‘Absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. A must-read’
Dominika, bookseller review

‘An incredible book full of heartbreak, hope, unbreakable love… I don’t think this book will ever leave me.’
Hayley, bookseller review

‘I cannot tell you how wonderful this book is…If you are a lover of historical fiction like me, then this is a must read!’ 5-star reader review

‘Best historical fiction book of the year – even ever’ 5-star reader review

‘I couldn’t put it down’ 5-star reader review

‘A tribute to the unbreakable bonds of family, the healing capacity of love…I loved it’ 5-star reader review

‘A masterclass in storytelling’ 5-star reader review

Publisher Review

A compelling debut . . . The Silence in Between is a haunting and compassionate account of war’s legacy, the atrocities inflicted on ordinary German women and their extraordinary resilience * Observer * A thoughtful and moving debut … Rooted in real stories, The Silence in Between is a reminder of how seismic political events shape ordinary lives * Independent, Best historical fiction books of 2024 * A strong, emotionally resonant debut full of music and menace * Mail on Sunday * A hauntingly beautiful exploration of love, family and societal unrest all set against the backdrop of the Berlin Wall . . . a poignant and heartfelt story that eloquently captures the resilience of the human spirit * Glamour * A confident debut with an original premise * Sunday Times * A captivating, tense portrayal of desperation, fortitude and courage * Herald * A tautly plotted, deeply involving novel that packs a real emotional punch … I can’t recommend this novel highly enough * Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us * A quietly powerful novel about lives altered by a seismic historical moment * Fife Today * A gut-wrenching but beautiful novel about love, family, resilience and music * Culturefly * A powerful story of family, hope and generational narratives, beautifully told * My Weekly *