The Silent Treatment
The book everyone is falling in love with
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4.1 • 98 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
A lifetime of love. Six months of silence. One last chance: read the unique and moving Radio 2 Book Club pick, adored by readers and shortlisted for the RNA Debut Romantic Novel of the Year Award.
An unforgettable novel about the power of love and the importance of leaving nothing unsaid.
'A remarkable debut' JOJO MOYES
'Beautifully written' WOMAN & HOME
'An unforgettable love story' CATHERINE ISAAC
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Frank hasn't spoken to his wife Maggie for six months.
For weeks they have lived under the same roof, slept in the same bed and eaten at the same table - all without words.
Maggie has plenty of ideas as to why her husband has gone quiet, but it will take another heartbreaking turn of events before Frank finally starts to unravel the secrets that have silenced him.
Is this where their story ends?
Or is it where it begins?
READERS ARE FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE SILENT TREATMENT
***** 'The best book I have read this year'
***** 'It's impossible not to fall in love with Frank and Maggie'
***** 'A wonderful story, it made me laugh and cry'
***** 'I read it in two sittings I was so hooked!'
___________________________
'An original and moving debut from a talented new voice' SANTA MONTEFIORE
'Empathetic, beautifully written ... will resonate with fans of Jojo Moyes, David Nicholls and Gail Honeyman' EXPRESS
'It's beautiful, so moving and clever. I truly adored it' JOSIE SILVER
'This is an extraordinarily tense yet tender portrait of a marriage ... written with assurance and agonising insight, and the characters of Maggie and Frank will stay with me for a long time' MAIL
'Beautifully written in Greaves's unique voice... Poignant, heart-breaking and insightful' WOMAN & HOME
'Heart-breaking secrets tenderly evoked with intelligence and depth. Maggie and Frank are unforgettable characters' RACHEL HORE, author of The Memory Garden
'Such stunning prose, and such insight for a debut author... I was bowled over by Abbie's writing' CLARE MACKINTOSH
'A beautifully written and compelling novel that enthralled us from beginning to end. Frank and Maggie feel so real, and their moving story is simple, but powerfully told' HEAT
When a debut is praised by the likes of Jojo Moyes, you know it's worth reading ... You won't be able to put down this tender and heartbreaking read' COSMOPOLITAN
'An unforgettable love story with a mystery that had me captivated until the last, heart-wrenching page. It deserves to be huge' CATHERINE ISAAC, author of You Me Everything
'A tender, heartfelt portrayal of a long marriage with all its secrets. Cleverly structured and beautifully written, this novel celebrates love, hope - and the importance of finding the right words' LUCY DIAMOND
'Tremendously moving' GILLY MACMILLAN, author of The Nanny
'I really loved it...It's a very moving book' JO WILEY
'It's bittersweet and beautifully written...It's a book that stays with you' ASHLEY AUDRAIN
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Despite their long, largely successful marriage, Maggie and Frank have not spoken to each other for nearly six months. However, when Maggie falls into a potentially fatal coma Frank finds the courage to talk again—fuelled by the hope that the sound of his voice will wake his beloved wife. As Frank embarks on the story of their relationship and explains his recent silence, the secrets the couple have been keeping from each other are slowly, painstakingly revealed, with devastating effects. Never over-laboured, Abbie Greaves’ sharp, precise prose is taut with emotion (warning: there will be tears). This powerful and moving debut is a nuanced examination of parenthood, relationships and loneliness with the unforgettable story of Frank and Maggie pulsing at its heart.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Greaves's confident, bittersweet debut explores an unhappy married couple's enduring love. After Maggie, Frank's wife of 40 years, is induced into a coma following an apparent suicide attempt, Frank spends hours at her hospital bedside. Despite Frank's shame and reluctance, a persistent nurse encourages Frank to talk to his inert wife. What the nurse doesn't know, however, is that Frank and Maggie haven't spoken to one another in six months. The reasons for their silence unfold in dual narratives of their courtship, marriage, and heartbreaking journey through parenthood, related first in Frank's bedside confession and later in Maggie's letters that he finds. After years of childlessness early in their marriage, Frank and Maggie were overjoyed at the birth of their daughter, Eleanor, now a college dropout. The bliss faded as Eleanor suffered from depression and drug addiction as a teenager. While Greaves's choice to tell the story through both Frank's and Maggie's voices yields occasional moments of redundancy, she finds a poignant distance between their perspectives. Greaves creates an affecting sense of irony: Maggie and Frank adore one another, but retreat into silence instead of finding strength by sharing their heartache and facing their struggles together. While this affecting tale covers well-trod ground, it still packs an emotional punch.
Customer Reviews
The silent treatment
A really good book, very well written, and with relatable characters, and scenarios, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Tragic tale of love and loss
A wonderful moving story about the loss of a child. I couldn’t put this book down.