The Silent Child: Haunting and thought-provoking historical fiction set during WWII
(Paperback)
Available Formats
Paperback
Published: 12th April 2022
Hardback
Published: 30th August 2022
Paperback
Published: 15th February 2024
Publishing Details
The Silent Child: Haunting and thought-provoking historical fiction set during WWII
By (Author) J.G. Kelly
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton
12th April 2022
United Kingdom
Classifications
General
Fiction
Historical crime and mysteries
Historical fiction
Second World War
Physical Properties
Paperback
480
Width 154mm, Height 232mm, Spine 46mm
580g
Description
IS IT EVER TOO LATE FOR THE PAST TO FIND A VOICE
1944Leo Stern arrives in the camp of Borek with his wife Irena and their two daughters. The Sterns are briefly spared from the chambers when they are witnesses to a horrifying incident, but in a place that humanity has deserted, Leo is forced to make unimaginable choices to keep his family alive.1961For seventeen years, Hanna has been unable to remember her name, or how she was separated from her family at the end of the war, until the discovery of an anonymous letter among her late uncle's possessions reveals her real identity - Hanna Stern - and sets her off to Berlin in search of her past. Aided by ex-boyfriend Peter, Hanna begins to piece together the shocking final days of Borek. But Hanna isn't the only one with an interest in the camp, and lurking in the shadows is someone who would prefer Hanna's history to remain silent . . .Based on in-depth research and beautifully written, this a novel of memory and identity, and the long shadow of war.Reviews
Outstanding. Heartstopping. Brilliant. A story that scorches the page, searing in its honesty and profoundly moving in its emotional impact. The characters reach out to you and challenge your preconceptions in this testament to a tragic chapter of history that moved me to tears. It holds up a dark and shocking mirror to our world, yet ultimately it is a triumphant tale of light within darkness. Of love surviving hate. Impressively researched and superbly told, this is an important powerful novel that everyone should read -- Kate Furnivall, author of top ten bestseller The Liberation
Taking the reader from the atmospheric Fenlands of Cambridgeshire to the ghost-filled forests of wartime Poland and finally into Cold War-era Berlin, The Silent Child is a thought-provoking and compelling novel about the long-lasting aftershocks of war. This is great storytelling, full of mysteries and twists, epic in its sweep, but precise and respectful in its historical details. J. G. Kelly's vividly evoked scenes will stay with me for a long time -- Caroline Scott
Author Bio
James Kelly is the author of the Nighthawk crime series for Alison and Busby, and the Philip Dryden series for Penguin. He was born in 1957 and is the son of a Scotland Yard detective. He went to university in Sheffield, later training as a journalist and worked on the Bedfordshire Times, Yorkshire Evening Press and the Financial Times. His first book, The Water Clock, was shortlisted for the John Creasey Award and he has since won a CWA Dagger in the Library and the New Angle Prize for Literature. He lives in Ely, Cambridgeshire.
