The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves @AbbieGreaves1 @arrowpublishing @midaspr #TheSilentTreatment @PublicityBooks #BookReview

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?

The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves was published by Century in hardback on 2 April 2020. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.



A version of this review was published recently in the Daily Express


I absolutely adored The Silent Treatment, it took me completely by surprise. I was expecting a thriller, although I'm not sure why. What I found was a beautifully composed exploration of a long relationship. The reader peers into every nook and cranny of Frank and Maggie's lives, finding out far more about them than either of them know.  It's perfectly paced and an absolute joy to read.

Frank and Maggie have been married for a very long time, and on the surface they appear to be happy and loving.  However for the past six months, they’ve not had a conversation. Frank has not spoken one solitary word and Maggie isn’t sure why the silence began, although she has her suspicions.

They eat together and sleep together and the silence begins to get louder and louder.

One day Frank comes downstairs to find Maggie unconscious in the kitchen with the empty packaging from her sleeping pills beside her. She’s alive, but seriously ill.  In hospital, Maggie is placed in an induced coma, whilst Frank realises that he must find his voice.

The Silent Treatment is an in-depth, and beautifully written exploration of relationship and family. This debut author has shown incredible insight into how loneliness, grief and guilt can shape a marriage.

Maggie and Frank’s stories, told through her diary and Frank’s own voice celebrate the hope, love and tension that have shaped their relationship. The characters have been created with empathy and realistically; showing their multiple flaws, along with their total devotion to family life.

Deeply buried secrets are revealed, both to the characters, and to the reader, explaining the utter desolation of how lonely they have both felt despite living under the same roof.

With an underlying air of suspense and mystery and an overwhelming sense of emotional tension, this is a story that will touch the hardest of hearts. A cleverly structured and superbly moving story that will resonate with fans of Jojo Moyes, David Nicholl and Gail Honeyman.

Praise for The Silent Treatment 

‘An original and moving debut from a talented new voice.’ SANTA MONTEFIORE

'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' Daily Mail

'Beautifully written in Greaves’s unique voice... Poignant, heart-breaking and insightful.' Woman & Home

‘A must read’ Sunday Express

‘Heart-breaking secrets tenderly evoked with intelligence and depth. Maggie and Frank are unforgettable characters’ RACHEL HORE, author of The Memory Garden

'Empathetic, beautifully written ... will resonate with fans of Jojo Moyes, David Nicholls and Gail Honeyman.' Daily Express

'I adored this powerful, heart-breaking tale' The Sun

‘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

'Greaves’s insightful account of a long marriage kept us gripped till the very last page' Independent

'Beautifully written... Poignant, heart-breaking and insightful.' Woman

'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

‘In her tremendously moving debut, a novel that pulses with emotional tension, Abbie Greaves masterfully unpicks a history of ordinary lives facing extraordinary challenges. I found it impossible to look away from the relationship at the heart of this novel.’ GILLY MACMILLAN, author of The Nanny

‘I really loved it…It’s a very moving book’ JO WILEY

About the Author

A bit about me. Well, I was born in Oxford and from an early age, I read everything - cartoons, the Argos catalogue, cereal boxes. I wasn't that fussy, really! Most of all I loved books, which led me to study English Literature at university. After graduation, I spent three years in publishing and I wrote my first novel, THE SILENT TREATMENT (April 2020) whilst working as an assistant to a literary agent in London. It tells the story of a couple, Frank and Maggie, who have been married for forty years but who haven't spoken for the last six months.

I currently live in Edinburgh with my boyfriend, John, and am hard at work on my follow-up novel, THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. With the time that isn't spent writing or reading (the greatest hobby of all), I force myself to group exercise classes and knit to try and keep my phone-checking habit to a minimum.

For more information about me and news about my writing, check out my website: www.abbiegreaves.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @AbbieGreaves1 or on Instagram @abbiegreavesauthor where you'll also find out more about what I'm reading myself and what I get up to when I'm not at my desk. See you there!