The Silence

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

“'Emotionally wrenching' WALL STREET JOURNAL '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 '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 'A darkly gripping and addictive read. I tore through it in a few days' ESTHER FREUD 'Deeply engrossing ... an exquisite literary thriller' PHILIPPA EAST, author of Little White Lies 'An impressive and beautifully written, Australian-set debut with the devastating subject of the Stolen Generation at its core' FIONA MITCHELL, author of The Swap 'Tense, atmospheric and brilliantly paced. The Silence is fraught with disturbing secrets and powerful emotions. I loved it' FRANCESCA JAKOBI, author of Bitter 'A suspense-filled story set in Australia, highlighting the effects of an official policy that has haunted generations. Allott's prose builds an incredibly convincing portrayal of the destruction caused by dysfunctional relationships. A fantastic debut' NIKKI SMITH, author of All in Her Head ighlighting the effects of an official policy that has haunted generations. Allott's prose builds an incredibly convincing portrayal of the destruction caused by dysfunctional relationships. A fantastic debut' NIKKI SMITH, author of All in Her Headighlighting the effects of an official policy that has haunted generations. Allott's prose builds an incredibly convincing portrayal of the destruction caused by dysfunctional relationships. A fantastic debut' NIKKI SMITH, author of All in Her Headighlighting the effects of an official policy that has haunted generations. Allott's prose builds an incredibly convincing portrayal of the destruction caused by dysfunctional relationships. A fantastic debut' NIKKI SMITH, author of All in Her Head”

‘Emotionally wrenching’ WALL STREET JOURNAL

‘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

'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

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

'Deeply engrossing … an exquisite literary thriller’ PHILIPPA EAST, author of Little White Lies

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

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

‘A suspense-filled story set in Australia, highlighting the effects of an official policy that has haunted generations. Allott's prose builds an incredibly convincing portrayal of the destruction caused by dysfunctional relationships. A fantastic debut’ NIKKI SMITH, author of All in Her Head

‘A poignant literary mystery, impossible to put down. One of those books that stops you rushing to your next read for fear it won’t compare.’ Trevor Wood, author of The Man on the Street

‘A brooding, suspenseful debut’ SUNDAY MIRROR

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

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

‘A compelling account of loyalty, familial trust and distrust.’ LANCASHIRE TIMES

Susan Allott is from the UK but spent part of her twenties in Australia, desperately homesick but trying to make Sydney her home. In 2016 she completed the Faber Academy course, during which she started writing this novel. She now lives in south London with her two children and her very Australian husband.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.