'The Silence in Between' by Josie Ferguson is a book that stays with you long after you’ve finished it. Telling the stories of a mother and daughter in 1940s and 1960s Berlin, it is an emotional, sad and realistic story of the long-lasting effects of war on the women left at home while the men went to fight.
Lisette and her daughter Elly are alike in their love of music. But while Elly can hear the personal music of everyone she meets, a sensory skill that gives her an insight into character and personality, her mother Lisette has lost her voice and her music. It is 1961 and Lisette has given birth to her second child, Axel, who she knows immediately is her favourite. When Axel is kept in hospital for tests, Lisette goes home overnight to recover. But in the morning a wall has appeared in Berlin, dividing the Soviet-managed sector from that of the Allies. Lisette is in East Germany. Axel’s hospital is in the West. The trauma, helplessness, fear and anger are well-expressed and hard-hitting. Lisette’s oldest child, Elly, is sixteen, a troubled teenager who feels unloved by her mother. The loss of Axel and the torment of her mother makes Elly look with new eyes at the world around her; she takes a courageous and impulsive decision.
In the wartime segment, 1938-1946, Lisette is a teenager going to dances with her girlfriends and wishing her best friend Julius would kiss her. But as first her father then Julius and other schoolfriends go to fight, Lisette sees the world through new eyes. First her father is declared missing in action and her mother Rita begins to act strangely, forgetful with empty blank moments. Lisette becomes the responsible adult in the flat, despite her young age, caring for her mother and elderly neighbour Frau Weber. Then Julius returns on leave and is a haunted man, a shadow of the boy she waved goodbye to, unable to forget the things he has seen and done. And suddenly the war is being lost as the Soviets enter Berlin and no woman is safe.
This is not an easy read but despite this I found myself reading just one more chapter, wanting to know what happens to Lisette and Elly. Both face impossible choices; decisions that will stay with them whatever the outcome, with repercussions stretching into the unimagined future.
A very affecting novel, showing the post-war trauma of the defeated nation and a reminder that German women were victims too.
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WHAAAAAAT A DEBUT
Sometimes when you get a good historical fiction it punches you in the gut and leaves you winded. That was the case here - Berlin in the shadow of the war and the liberation of its wall, it is hiding a deep and shameful history of abusing women. It is absolutely a beautiful and impactful read and I would highly recommend

I received this book as an ARC via netgalley - it has takenme an awfully long time to get around to reading it. I am not a huge fan of War fiction that centre on the world wars believing that a lot of it simply navigates ground already covered. However the informationi about this book really grabbed my attention.

The narrative is told through the voices of a mother and her daughter along two time lines. The first, the years of World War II and the latter during the time when East are West Berlin are divided. The opening is certainly an attention grabber as Lisette and her infant son are divided overnight by the erection of the wall. It is a powerful and emotive start. The narrative is sweeping, evocative of time and place and yet intensely intimate. I. felt I lived this book through the eyes of these two voices - with of course the interactions with supporting characters. I think I loved Lisette the most - her life, her decisions, the road she travelled was always hard won. She survived, at times byt locking her mind and her voice away. Elly's journey was perhaps milder in it's narrative but again there were beautiful depictions of how her mind controlled her feelings.

I could quote reams of this book back to you to show the emotion and the evocation behind and within it. Some that really caught my attentions include "Fear was a person and he joined us in the dark" and "Evil demanded little of me - it merely asked me to remain silent, to do nothein and I complied"

This is a stunning debut and an author I hope to follow

I really enjoyed this book although I do wonder about certain points of historical accuracy. It definitely transported you and there were a few well written red herrings. Fully recommend

"𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘰. 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸-𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺..."⁣
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The Silence in Between is a poignant but stark study of the fallout of brutal occupations on the civilian population. ⁣

1961 Berlin. We meet mother Lisette who takes her newborn to hospital in West Berlin, only for the border to be shut when she goes home to East Berlin to get provisions for her baby's stay. As what will come to be the infamous Berlin Wall is put in place, we follow Lisette, her husband and their teenage daughter Elly as they face their new reality. Told through both women's POV, we see the trauma and horror of being persecuted yet again.
⁣
To add to the emotion of this incredibly sad and moving story, we also get flashbacks to teenage Lisette during WWII times in Berlin, building a picture of a woman who has already experienced the worst the world has to offer, and who couldn't possibly guess her world would fall apart as it does again decades later.⁣

I've highlighted some extremely prescient paragraphs which could so easily be applicable to what is happening in today's world; 'Never Again' should mean for no one ever again, but sadly history is once again horrifically repeating itself.

An excellent historical fiction offering, but with plenty of content warnings.

With thanks to Netgalley and the author Josie Ferguson.

The Silence in Between is a stunning and heartbreaking novel that goes between Berlin in 1961 and the Second world war, It's one of those books that will stay with me for a long time.

Wow, wow, wow. What a book. Deserves all the accolades. It broke my heart a million times over and was one of those books you’re thinking about hours after you put it down.

Told in two timelines, it tells the story of the women of war and its aftermath in Berlin. Lisette tells the story from World War II onwards, and her daughter, Elly, tells it from when the Berlin Wall went up and honestly, as you can probably imagine, it’s absolutely devastating but completely captivating.

All I can say is, I think I’ve found the best book I’ve read in 2025 already, and please read this book!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

You can tell the author done their research before writing this book. A well-written and researched book historical accurate and acurately portrayed

Shortlisted for the Waterstones, Debut Fiction Prize The Silence In Between had a lot to live up to and oh my did it deliver.

Set in Berlin, Lisette is nursing her newborn in a West Berlin hospital, totally in love, the suggestion to leave and rest is met with resistance but off she goes. The sheer horror of awakening the following morning, guards barring the entrance back to the west her baby stuck on the other side was truly horrific. Ferguson shut Lisette down, voice gone, traumatised, desperate.

Daughter Elly watches on, a plan forming, maybe if she rescued her brother her mother would finally love her.

Their estrangement was a question we and Elly wanted answered but underneath there was at least one connection, that of music, Lisette a talented pianist long abandoned during the traumas of the second world war. Elly also talented, the ability to see the character of those around her through music, the melody or tune that reverberated around them. A clever unique element that made Ferguson’s novel stand out.

What a perfect impactful start by Ferguson, and it only got better as she flipped seamlessly to Berlin during the Second World War and 1961.

Ferguson’s retelling of the war years were utterly fascinating, the women left to cope as best they could whilst the men fought for Hitler. Rationing, the bombs that fell on the city and sheer hardship formed much of Lisette’s young life and when Hitler fell and the Russians moved in that hardship took an indescribable turn.

Ferguson did not shy away from the true horror of soldiers who felt entitled to take what they wanted, of using women for their own entertainment. What Lisette endured would form what came in the future it answered our questions, but for the time being not Elly’s. Elly had to go through her own life changing and heartbreaking events before she too learnt the truth.

A chance meeting with Russian guard Andrei, a friendship formed under the unlikeliest circumstances and and finally Elly had an escape plan.

The West is everything Elly wanted, freedom, friends, but she never lost sight of her objective, the return to the west, one that was harder than from east to west.

If it was a tense hold your breath moment for Elly , it was just as tense for the reader, would they or wouldn’t they successfully return?

Whatever the outcome you knew as you turned the final page you had read a book that had your whole heart, that plunged your emotions from high to low. The historical detail, the imagery truly wonderful, characters that resonated from the beginning.

I will be crossing everything in the hope that this beautiful novel comes away victorious and named Waterstones Debut Fiction Book of the Year

This book will stay with me for a long time. I have read a lot of World War Two historical fiction but this was from a perspective I have never read before. Honestly I never really thought about what life was like in Germany for those who were “rescued” by the soviets. I loved the dual storyline which gave not only the immediate impact but how that affected generations after too. This is a harrowing story and it brings up so many emotions. I was born the year before the Berlin Wall fell and it always astounds me that this lasted into my lifetime. I’ve also been to see the wall myself which added a lot more context to this story. I will be encouraging everyone to read this and thank you to the author for sharing this story with the world.

It’s such a wonderful book. Fresh, clever, thoughtful and moving all at the same time. Vivid characters and a wonderful turn of phrase give it real life. I loved it.

This is a harrowing yet hopeful novel about a mother and a daughter in Berlin, set during the Second World War and border closure in 1961. It’s great and I always found myself learning a lot about history from reading a great piece of historical fiction writing.

The book begins with how Lisette, a woman from East Berlin, is separated from her sick baby Axel who is hospitalised in West Berlin, when the border is suddenly closed overnight in 1961. Her 15-year old daughter, Elly, decides to take it upon herself to get to West Berlin to find her brother and bring him back to her parents. It’s interesting to read about the distance felt between the mother and daughter, the reason of which becomes clearer and clearer as we get to learn about Lisette’s own past during the Second World War, which is really heartbreaking to read about. I love the alternating storylines and I thought they’re written so well.

I personally think that this book is one that has a lot of ‘thinking’ - I couldn’t help but ponder on the characters’ observations and thoughts whilst feeling moved by their challenging things that happened to them.

“…Like so many, I chose to be ignorant of the events that were unfolding. I was like a small girl plugging my ears with my fingertips and singing loudly to drown out the voices of truth. I was present, yet stupidly unaware.”

“…Mozart said that music is not in the notes but in the silence in between. I think that’s where our souls are – hidden in that silence.”

This is Josie Ferguson’s debut novel and I think it’s such a strong one. I loved every bit of it.

For lovers of wartime fiction this is a must. A harrowing story of Lisette and her family in Berlin. Lisette leaves her baby son in a hospital in Berlin only to be separated when East Berlin is cut off suddenly. Her relationship with her daughter Ella is tainted by this event and Ella decides to reunite the family.
Told from the point of view of both Ella and Lisette, this book gives the reader an insight into the difficulties faced by the German people in their own county.
A wonderful debut novel and I will be looking out for more works by her.
Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk and the publishers for this ARC.

Lisette takes her sick baby to a West Berlin hospital. She goes home to wash and sleep and finds the border closed the next day. The book moves between the present and past to produce a really deep and moving book, which makes you want to explore more the lead-up to the building of the Berlin wall and the people stuck in East Germany. In places, the book is deeply moving and sad, but also gives a sense of hope. I would really recommend it.

An extremely powerful yet heartbreaking book, highly charged with every emotion you can imagine this is a book that will drag you in and you’ll be lost for hours on end. Sheer class and one that will stay with you long after the last page.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I was invested in the characters straight away, I found it a quick read as I was so keen to find out how the story panned out. Fanstastic writing style, very emotive, great female characters, a brilliant example of historical fiction.

I have not read anything by Josie Ferguson previously. The writing reminds me of the work of Mandy Robotham, which I love. I was interested to realise on completing the book, that this is based on a true story. Briefly put, a mother has a baby in a hospital on the West side of Berlin. She has to leave him in hospital and return home to the east. Overnight the Berlin wall is erected. The parents cannot reach their son but his teenage sister is determined to cross over and bring him back. The rest is the completion of the story and for you to find out. Just one give away, there are twists in the story. This will make an excellent film or TV series. I hope that it is made. An interesting and page turner of a book.

The Silence In Between is a dual timeline story. In 1961, Lisette takes her sick baby to a West Berlin hospital for treatment. She returns to her home in the East of the city to wash, change clothes and have some sleep, and the next morning she wakes to find the Wall has been erected overnight. She can’t go back for her baby. This traumatic event causes her to lose her voice - which takes her back to the war and the last time she lost her voice.

Lisette lived in Berlin with her mother, and during the last days of WW2, she experienced what many women did at the hands of the Russians. This is brutal, and explains a lot about why Lisette is the mother she is to her daughter Elly.

Elly knows that the only way to make her mother happy is to get the baby back - no matter the cost. She’s a brave, resourceful young woman, who takes death defying risks for her mother.

There’s a lot of hope in this book of survival and loss. Elly is a symbol of determination - she never gives up, and her family is at the heart of all her actions.

The two female characters, mother and daughter, are exceptional women. The history behind their lives has been well researched and is believable, and their story has stayed with me well after finishing this book.

Highly recommended.

I LOVED it! In the heart of divided Berlin, The Silence in Between, weaves a poignant narrative that spans the tumultuous 1940s and the tense 1960s. This gripping story intricately explores the lives of Lisette and her daughter, Elly, against the backdrop of war-torn Germany and the Cold War era.
Ferguson crafts a compelling story filled with well-developed characters that invite readers into a world of fear, uncertainty, and the longing for connection. Lisette's journey is one of a woman caught in the throes of circumstance, while Elly's narrative is that of a young girl searching for familial bonds in a city literally and metaphorically divided by a wall.
What sets this novel apart for me is its emotional depth. The historical context provides a fascinating setting, but it is the unyielding bond between mother and daughter that truly captivates. Ferguson skillfully balances the dark shadows of history with glimmers of hope and resilience, illustrating the enduring strength of family ties and the human spirit.
For fans of historical fiction rich with emotional complexity, The Silence in Between offers a profound reminder of the unbreakable connections that define our lives, even amidst the harshest of divides.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy, all opinions are my own.

As a big fan of historical fiction, I was really excited by the premise of this book and it did not disappoint! The book breaks your heart from the opening chapter and the tension is sustained throughout. A really powerful read!