A fantastic thought-provoking read that I really enjoyed. Throughout the story I was intrigued and I loved the characters. The only reason I haven't given it five stars is because of plausibility - at times, I did want to shout at the characters, 'just talk to each other!', but that's how real the writer made them to me - a great job!

It took me a minute to get into this but once I read a few chapters I was hooked! Really interesting premise. The payoff was a little disappointing or anticlimactic for me but it may be because I'm not a parent! Really enjoyable read and a very original take on the ordinary struggles of everyday people

Great book, leaves you on tenterhooks for Frank's confession right at the end, but it ended exactly as you wanted.
Really enjoyed reading this and would definitely recommend.

Abbie Greaves writes a story of a family growing and changing over the years of a little girl’s birth and her life that follows.

It has been six long months since Frank spoke to his wife. They live together in silence, each shrouded in misery with painful secrets held close.

I liked the writing but I think Greaves dragged the story telling. The unravelling of the main plot was lengthened unnecessarily.

I received this book through Netgalley for review consideration.

A beautiful book that really gripped me. This is one of those books that will stay with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Beautifully told story which felt real. It gripped me right up to the end. The characters were amazingly real.

A book about not talking to your spouse could have gone either way, but Greaves captured such affection within silence it was impossible not to enjoy it.

When Maggie ends up in a coma after attempting to take her life, Frank finds himself compelled to explain how his six months of silence began. Alternating between past and present The Silent Treatment explores Frank and Maggie's relationship and marriage, the highs and the lows, and their obvious adoration for one another. The latter half of the book is written from Maggie's perspective on the silence, through a series of writings and Frank's reaction to them. The dual perspective element of The Silent Treatment unpacks their relationship and their love for each other in such a way that the reader couldn't but feel for them.

Written almost in a thriller style; with an event happening at the beginning and a lead up to the explanation at the end, with a lot packed into the last 25% of the book, it had somewhat of a slow start and I didn't find myself gripped for quite a while. Once I was hooked it was difficult to put down, and I devoured it; feeling every heartbreaking moment and willing for it not to be the beginning of the end.

This book is really well written but for some reason I really struggled to get into it? 
It is about a husband and wife of 40 years who have some kind of family trauma which causes them to drift apart. The wife takes drastic measures and the husband is left trying to release the silence they have been holding onto for the last 6 months. 
It’s deals with infertility, parenting and spousal relationships. 
I think I was expecting more excitement than what I got. 
I would still read another of this authors books as the writing was good. I just didn’t connect with the characters in this one

The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves is a beautifully written story about an ordinary family dealing with painful experiences. The author’s technique of telling the story in two parts from the perspectives of the two main characters is particularly effective and so well done.

However, it is just too sad and for me and, although I never considered abandoning it, I kept hoping it would become more uplifting as I read on. 

My thanks to Netgalley and Century part of Penguin Random House publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

An interesting read, with a non-linear structure, allowing for heart-breaking and dramatic moments, designed to pull at the heartstrings. 
That said, I feel like I was unable to fully engage with the plot as it felt like we were dealing with tragedy after tragedy to a numbing extent. I also wasn't drawn in to the narrative style, as the narrators lacked distinctive voices.  Overall, this read wasn't for me, but I expect many others to find it deeply moving. 


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is going to be a very difficult review to write without giving too much away but I shall try my best.

Let’s start with the characters Frank and Maggie. Frank, quiet, reserved, a man of few words, all the common traits of an academic.

Maggie, outgoing, vivacious, almost the complete opposite of Frank. Together they were invincible, close knit and totally and utterly in love until that is they stopped talking for 6 months.

Why? That was something we didn’t find out until the end as Greaves delved into their back story, their meeting, their marriage and all the ups and downs that came with it. Their connection was so close but it wasn’t until a traumatic event that threatened to rip them apart that you realised that actually, they were fathoms apart, their true feelings hidden beneath a secret.

Greaves used Frank as her main voice and what a voice it was. A man who examined every part of his life, his regrets, but also the joy, and the sheer deep love he felt for Maggie. Greaves beautifully captured those emotions, from their first meeting, a hurried marriage to the tragic events that followed. Here was a man adrift, unable to verbalise his feelings, to communicate with his wife, almost alienating himself from her and the rest of the world.

You could sense his desperation, his total despair, as he truly believed he had lost everything he ever had, but it was that desperation, the intervention of a stranger that finally nudged him to open up. As his story unfolded you felt empathy and frustrations, not only with Frank, but also Maggie, as they each made assumptions of the other, scared to almost open up, afraid of what might happen if they did.

When Maggie’s voice finally broke through, Greaves gave you an alternative view, a woman who dearly loved her husband, but had regrets, hid her own secrets. You wanted to bash their heads together, open up, to communicate, make it right and get back to living rather than just existing.

As the story unfolded, Greaves’s narrative became more urgent, time appeared to be running out. A picture emerged of the void within their lives, of the hurt and tragedy they had to live with , before finally, their secret emerged. It wasn’t earth shattering, and I don’t think that was the point to Greaves’s story, it was a tool to show the complexities we often face within relationships, the damage silence could play in tearing people apart, no matter how old you are.

Would they find their way back to one another or would all be lost?

The Silent Treatment was filled with emotion and tenderness, of love and grief , the writing outstanding and so hard to believe this was Abbie Greaves’s debut novel.

Enjoyed this book, it was fast paced and kept me guessing. Certainly helped pass time during lockdown!

This story broke my heart so many times and stayed with me for weeks after finishing. I loved Frank and Maggie and knowing their story. Their care and love for one another. This book reminded me of reading David Nicholls One Day. It’s beautifully written and takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. I sobbed at the end.

Well, this was quite some book!  Very different from the sort of thing I would normally pick up but that was one of the reasons for signing up to Net Galley.  Very much a love story, though not in the conventional sense of the word and very moving.  I was hooked from the very beginning, desperate to understand the reason behind Frank's silence and exactly what had triggered it.  I have to say that I was almost getting frustrated at not finding out, especially when I could see I still had a long way to go in the book, but when the story switched to being told from Maggie viewpoint, I understood why I still had a lot to read.  This was not a bad thing - it just kept me turning the pages!  Indeed, I lost count of the number of nights my husband asked when exactly I was going to stop reading & put my Kindle down due to the time....!  

If you are up for an emotional rollercoaster, a novel that really draws you in where you can't wait to find out what happens (but at the same time, don't want it to end!), I would highly recommend this book.  You will not be disappointed.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review, which is truly what I have given here.

Really enjoyed this book - very easy reading and if it wasnt lockdown it would be great on a beach. Not too taxing so nice and light reading

The Silent Treatment was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a breakdown of a marriage and/or a relationship between Maggie and Frank, but what I got was far more than that. It was a breakdown of their relationship of shorts where both parties have been keeping secrets from each other.

Frank hasn't spoken to Maggie for six months, and Maggie has utterly had enough, so much so that she takes and overdose and ends up in a coma. This actually forces Frank to talk to her at the instance of Maggie's nurse Daisy, who says it will do him good to talk to her to let her know he is there. 

What we get from this story is told in two parts 'His Silence' and 'Her Silence' and each weaves the forty year love story that they shared together as well as the eventual navigation of parenthood. This story is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, and it will tug at your heartstrings, I have to admit I shed a tear the last few chapters.

A brilliant debut from Abbie Greaves!

4 stars

Wow, this really blew me away. Right from the start I was  hooked, and keen to know what has driven this couple apart. It was pretty devastating, but told with such a light touch that it was so compelling and easy to read, and it hit harder. I would recommend, and I need to check out Abbie Greaves' other books!

Really easy read, that reminded me of a Marian Keyes book! 
I would recommend it if looking for something light, but that explores deep themes.

A beautifully written book based on a marriage where Frank hasn’t spoken to his wife in six months- giving her the literal silent treatment. This book is a real eye opener on mental health, I feel like everyone should read it for that alone, but then add in the beautiful prose and the story that swept me along and you have a real winner.

Such a lovely book! Touching and heartfelt. Could benefit from rereading as I whizzed through to find out the big reveal