The Silence

A darkly gripping and addictive read. I tore through it in a few days' 'Deeply engrossing … an exquisite literary thriller' 'Emotionally wrenching' 'Impossible to put down' 30 years ago, in the suffocating heat of a Sydney summer, the Greens' next-door neighbour Mandy disappeared without a trace. 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. 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' 'Allott uses the scandal of Australia's stolen children to devastating effect in this memorable debut' 'A riveting mystery, beautifully unwound. excavates dark, decades-old secrets buried in human hearts, in families and in nations. I read it in one weekend' 'An impressive and beautifully written, Australian-set debut with the devastating subject of the Stolen Generation at its core' 'Tense, atmospheric and brilliantly paced. is fraught with disturbing secrets and powerful emotions. I loved it' 'A brooding, suspenseful debut' 'A suspenseful, beautifully crafted debut for fans of Celeste Ng and Jane Harper' 'Intricate and suspenseful… [a] stellar debut'