The Silence. Susan Allott

       Copyright

      The Borough Press

      An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

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       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      HarperCollinsPublishers

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      First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2020

      Copyright © Susan Allott 2020

      Cover design by Sim Greenaway © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

      Cover images © jax10289 / Alamy Stock Photo (house), Shutterstock (sky)

      Susan Allott asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

      A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

      This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

      Source ISBN: 9780008361341

      Ebook Edition © April 2020 ISBN: 9780008361327

      Version: 2021-02-24

       Praise for The Silence:

      ‘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

      ‘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

      ‘Emotionally wrenching’

       WALL STREET JOURNAL

      ‘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 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 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

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

       LANCASHIRE TIMES

      ‘A compelling and powerful read. Susan Allott is a writer to watch’

       HOOKED FROM PAGE ONE

      ‘An unsettling portrayal of unhappy marriage, alcohol abuse and a dark chapter of history, with a plot that grips like an anaconda’

       SAGA MAGAZINE

       Dedication

       For David