I found this book rather tedious to read. I stuck with it but now feel that I rather wasted my time. I thought, when I read the introduction from Netgalley, that it could be rather interesting but am now sorry that I made this choice. How a husband could not speak to his wife, of many years, for six months and she is seriously ill in hospital is hard to comprehend. This could have been a reasonable short story but I felt it too long.

A bittersweet story about a couple who no longer speak. After 6months of silence it all becomes too much for Maggie who does something drastic. The story is told from the perspective of Frank talking to Maggie and Maggie telling her side through a journal being read by Frank. An interesting premise which worked well. Heartbreaking yet uplifting too.

I must be in a grumpy phase because I am finding the last couple of novels far too sentimental and mawkish. I didn't like the central premise here and that caused me not to believe in the relationship. I read a lot o fpositive reviews so I'm sure it's just me, but I got this from Netgalley and so I feel I need to provide at least some feedback. The writing was competent, the ideas within topical and important; I liked the Yorkshire nurse character. I think ultimately, I saw the ending in the blurb ( "Is this an ending, or a beginning? " Well, obviously a beginning, otherwise you wouldn't ask!) so I wasn't curious about the outcome of what happens in the first few pages. I think there's a tendency in some books, to take away the tension about what will happen at the end, so the reader can focus on the character development, and that may be a great idea, but I'm not a fan. I like to be gripped.

I read the whole book but found it very slow and a bit pointless. Glad i stuck with it but it just wasnt for me.

The writer immediately drew me in to discover the complexity of the relationship between Frank and Maggie. An easy but emotional read as one enters the challenge of human relationship and missed opportunities.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What a great first time novel b Abbie Greaves. I found this to be very moving and emotional..

Wow... an incredibly unique novel written in such an engaging way. I was intrigued from the get go and didn't see any of the twists coming! It's the first novel I've seen to blend romance and thriller genres so well, and I genuinely couldn't put it down. The characters are beautifully developed and it's so easy to start loving each and every one of them. Thank you for such a wonderful read!

The Silent Treatment, Abbie Greaves

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction ( Adult)

I really didn't know what to expect, the description is tantalisingly vague. All I could think was Why? Why didn't Frank speak to Maggie? Did she speak to him? Had they rowed? What on earth had happened to carry this on for so long?

Well, that answer comes slowly, little by little as we learn about Maggie and Frank's life together. Its clear they adored each other right from the start, from that first meeting up to now, even though he's not speaking – and I was just so intrigued the more I read.
They were so close, one of those couples who were really perfect together, who complement each other. They had some setbacks in life but it seemed to bring them closer, so where, how, why did it all go so very wrong?
My first though was that maybe one of them has an affair or something, but it quickly became clear that neither would do that, and I just couldn't think of what could have prompted such a long silence, especially when it doesn't seem to be an angry or resentful lack of communication, not held out as a punishment, but simply a lack of speech, and I found it such a puzzle.

Its a beautiful story, very easy to read and engrossing, very moving, very emotional and yes, like other readers it did make me cry.
Yet the big question of why, which maid it such a mystery also began to frustrate me. The more I read the less I understood, until pretty close to the end, and I did find that a bit disheartening, wondering if when all was reveled it was going to be anti climatic.

I did feel the last section wrapped up a little too quickly, after that long, drawn out story of questions, it felt as if I was given the answer I'd been waiting all through the story for, quickly followed by a tidy, neat wrap up. It felt a bit too slick after the way the main story was so carefully drawn out, as if the two didn't really work together. This is one of those books I enjoyed, am glad I read but which I doubt I'll reread. ,G

Stars: Four, a moving, easy to read story but I felt there was a disparity between the main part being so slow to reveal and suddenly , story out, reasons disclosed and bam, neat ending. I needed a little more than a quick, slick conclusion.

Arc via Netgalley

Frank has not spoken to Maggie, his wife of forty years, in six months.
Maggie is now critically ill in hospital and Frank has little time to explain why he has been silent for so long.
I’m afraid this book was not for me. I revisited the blurb on Netgalley to clarify my inappropriate selection but the summary is actually vague enough to mislead me. Let me just stress, the problem lies with me, many will absolutely love this book.
I may be pedantic, but I like an accurate backdrop against which a story and its characters are set. Anything less confuses me, is it dumbing down, or incomplete research? The whole Intensive Care situation where the action occurs for much of this read just doesn’t cut it. This of course may be secondary for all those who love Maggie and Frank and their race against time.
On the plus side, this book is eminently readable, and did not at any stage drag, but the inconsistencies in Frank’s character distanced me. I cannot conceive of living with a partner for six months and not being able to get a word out of them (and them still tender to me) and the reveal when it came was heart-breaking but sanitised.
Sorry – not my scene, but I think this book will do well.

A tough read about parenting which deals with several difficult issues. I feel this would have made a better short story than a long form novel though.

It’s not often a book makes me cry, this book did. A really heartbreaking, well written story about marriage and being a parent. Highly recommend.

I have just finished reading this book, and I can barely see through my tears to write this review. I started crying about halfway in, and continued sobbing until the end.
This book was a tragic tale, and heart breaking to read. But people go through these tragedies in real life. My heart goes out to them.
It was obvious what was happening with their daughter, but both of them had a secret, and neither of them confided with the other.
It was a relief to find that the love Frank and Maggie had between them did not diminish, and that there was a happy ending, after all the angst.
Such an emotional read.

This is the story of a man who has not spoken to his wife for six months when she tries to take her life and ends up in a coma. He tells the story of how they met in flashbacks whilst sitting beside her hospital bed trying to explain to her what happened. The explanation came at the end and it was a bit of a let down. They had faced a tragedy together but instead of supporting each other they had retreated into their separate griefs. I did not feel that the reasons for Eleanor's behaviour was fully explored. Her voice is only heard right at the end and there is a happy ending of sorts.
Thank you to the publishers for a second chance to read this after the gliches were sorted out.

I admit I did, at first, think that this was going to be a suspense/thriller, looking at the summary. The husband hasn't talked in 6 months and the wife doesn't know why?

But after reading it, I found it deeper than just a regular suspense/ thriller. In fact, it was far from that. This was a story about the strength of love and what it can do to the people around. One of the deepest, in terms of the emotions felt, books I have read this year.

4 stars.

The premise of the book and the way the story is told makes it an easy read. The reader has the opportunity to get inside the thoughts and feelings of the main protagonists. I enjoyed how my understanding of these characters unfolded and I think the balanced way they are represented is the highlight of the novel

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It is a bittersweet story of love and missed opportunities to say things to one another. It made me smile and also reduced me to tears, it will stay with me for a long time.

I'm sure this would have been a good book if the format hadnt got into such a horrid muddle. Pages were repeated, pages were lost. It was very difficult to make sense of it, sadly.
However, thanks to Net Gslley for at least a chance to reaad this.