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The Silence

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The Silence

By: Susan Allott
Narrated by: Melle Stewart
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About this listen

Longlisted for the New Blood Dagger Award 2021

'A darkly gripping and addictive read. I tore through it in a few days’ ESTHER FREUD

'Deeply engrossing … an exquisite literary thriller’ PHILIPPA EAST

‘Emotionally wrenching’ WALL STREET JOURNAL

‘Impossible to put down’ TREVOR WOOD

A missing woman

30 years ago, in the suffocating heat of a Sydney summer, the Greens’ next-door neighbour Mandy disappeared without a trace.

A cold case reopened

In 1997, in a basement flat in Hackney, Isla Green is awakened by a call in the middle of the night: her father is under suspicion of Mandy’s murder.

A devastating secret

How well does Isla know her father? Is he capable of doing something terrible? And is there another secret in their community – a conspiracy of silence which stretches deep into Australia’s past?

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

‘An atmospheric, convincing portrayal of the way that the decisions we make, both individually and collectively, reverberate down the years’ GUARDIAN

‘Allott uses the scandal of Australia’s stolen children to devastating effect in this memorable debut’ SUNDAY TIMES

'A riveting mystery, beautifully unwound. The Silence excavates dark, decades-old secrets buried in human hearts, in families and in nations. I read it in one weekend’ ERIN KELLY

‘An impressive and beautifully written, Australian-set debut with the devastating subject of the Stolen Generation at its core’ FIONA MITCHELL

‘Tense, atmospheric and brilliantly paced. The Silence is fraught with disturbing secrets and powerful emotions. I loved it’ FRANCESCA JAKOBI

‘A brooding, suspenseful debut’ SUNDAY MIRROR

‘A suspenseful, beautifully crafted debut for fans of Celeste Ng and Jane Harper’ TELEGRAPH AUSTRALIA

‘Intricate and suspenseful… [a] stellar debut’ NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS

©2020 Susan Allott (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Crime Crime Fiction Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Small Town & Rural Fiction Suspense
All stars
Most relevant
This story is like a jigsaw puzzle, turning over the pieces thinking you know where each will go, eventually realising you need to revise each placement. The descriptions add to the atmosphere, and are measured and informative about place or time, and I wish I could do the book justice in review. That is not my skill, but it is certainly the author’s domain. I shall remember this book for a long time to come.

A powerful jigsaw

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I can enjoy the goriest of books and keep listening without issue. The combination of the narrator, the tragic plot and the glimpse into Australian history made me step away from this book for a couple of days though. Which I mean in a good way. This book was the equivalent of the richest chocolate in the box that needs to be eaten bit by bit.
I'm already looking forward to another book by this author but will be relaxing with a nice bloody serial killer thriller first!

Brilliant!

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I’m surprised this book doesn’t have better reviews. I thought the story was very involved with complex characters who behaved realistically. The narration was excellent with the narrator using various accents and voices effectively.

Complicated, realistic story

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Loved this novel, which toggles between 1960s and 1990s Australia. Its Aboriginal plot line feels very pertinent to the Black Lives Matter movement, its characters are very well drawn and I found it impossible to switch off - so listened to the whole thing in about three days!

Gripping and immersive

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Really enjoyed this book. Slowed the ending down as I didn’t want the end to come! Great story from start to finish.

Brilliant

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