LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
What an incredible novel. Presented as a daughter’s account of her mother’s life, death and legacy as founder of a protest movement, Carole Hailey’s The Silence Project is a sizzling, thought-provoking tour de force.
From personal vow-of-silence protest, to founding a Community cult, through to igniting a sinister global organisation with cultural imperialist grips on developing countries, The Silence Project explores the snowballing nature of cults and social movements, and the impulse of big organisations to grab more power and money. If that wasn’t enough, it’s also a moving story of impossibly complex family dynamics, mother-daughter needs, and knowing when to listen, and when to speak out.
Emilia last heard her mother’s voice on her thirteenth birthday, the day Rachel took a vow of silence and moved into a tent in their garden. Initially seen as the act of a lone eccentric woman, it’s not long before more women turn up and found the Community, driven by Rachel’s belief that, “Action born of anger can never be positive. Our world needed positive action. And that can only happen if we stop shouting, First, we must fall silent. Then we must listen to others. Only when we hear others, will we ourselves be heard”.
Soon the Community’s ideals and “Shhh… Talk less, listen more” slogan goes global like wildfire, sparking a big organisation, and a big Event. Namely, a mass burning that sees Rachel and thousands of her followers burn themselves to death.
Just before the Event, Rachel’s Goals were revealed: “Eliminate International Conflict, Restore Climate Health, Solve Population Crisis”. Post-Event, the Community takes extreme measures to realise them. As Emilia notes, “An organisation built on the promise of listening” now “only heard what it wanted to hear”. Depending on who you listen to, Rachel is either a martyred saint, or a devil. To her daughter, now an adult who’s struggling to live a new life and make sense of it all, “No matter what she did, Rachel was very human. She was deeply flawed and deeply courageous. She was a bad person and good one. She was also my mother”.
Joanne Owen
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The Silence Project Synopsis
Monster. Martyr. Mother.
On Emilia Morris's thirteenth birthday, her mother Rachel moves into a tent at the bottom of their garden. From that day on, she never says another word. Inspired by her vow of silence, other women join her and together they build the Community. Eight years later, Rachel and thousands of her followers around the world burn themselves to death.
In the aftermath of what comes to be known as the Event, the Community's global influence quickly grows. As a result, the whole world has an opinion about Rachel - whether they see her as a callous monster or a heroic martyr - but Emilia has never voiced hers publicly. Until now.
When she publishes her own account of her mother's life in a memoir called The Silence Project, Emilia also decides to reveal just how sinister the Community has become. In the process, she steps out of Rachel's shadow once and for all, so that her own voice may finally be heard.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781838956066 |
| Publication date: |
9th February 2023 |
| Author: |
Carole Hailey |
| Publisher: |
Corvus an imprint of Atlantic Books |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
362 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Thriller and Suspense
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Press Reviews
Carole Hailey Press Reviews
'Carole Hailey has conjured a gripping tale of transformation; its protagonist's clear-eyed, arresting voice is impossible to ignore. This striking debut grounds itself in a world we recognize in order to invite us to imagine both darkness - and hope. The Silence Project marks the arrival of a sophisticated and compelling new voice.' -- Erica Wagner
'Totally unique, gripping, compelling and immersive' -- Nell Hudson, author of Just For Today
'Compulsive reading ... so timely in its considerations of the ownership of narrative and truth' -- Jane Fraser, author of Advent
'A big novel, a story for our age that asks the central question: how to save an endangered world when there can no longer be heroes? Love and power burn through The Silence Project. A terrifying and beautiful coming of age story. What an achievement!' -- Isabelle Dupuy author of Living the Dream
'A gripping, intelligent, multi-layered triumph -- Andy Charman, author of Crow Court
'A ferociously smart page turner, exploring how idealism curdles into fanaticism, silence into violence. Brilliantly original and inventive.' -- Alan Bilton, author of The Known and Unknown Sea
'Arresting ... pins down the zeigeist as if with a rivet gun and is so good on the subject of cults that it might well become the focus one. Bravo.' -- Jon Gower
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