Gosh but Abbie Greaves’ book is a beautifully rendered emotional read! It’s a love story wrapped in a mystery and so wrought with fractured emotions and tension that you want to find a way to intervene and make this couple communicate.

The Silent Treatment is a deeply intimate portrait of a relationship. Frank and Maggie have been married for 40 years. Eleanor is their only child, conceived long after they had given up trying and that just makes her extra special to them both.

Told initially in the voices of Maggie and Frank, the novel traces their relationship and where and how things went wrong. So we hear from Frank as he reads Maggie’s journal written in the form of letters and that enables us to understand what he is thinking and feeling as he does so.

Maggie and Frank have not spoken for 6 months, now we wonder if they will ever speak to each other again. Abbie Greaves’ accomplished debut is a heart-wrenching story of love and what can happen when two people stop meaningful communication and how relationships can dwindle on the vine if not nurtured and tended to with honesty.

As Frank reads, he’s talking to Maggie, explaining himself and as he recounts their life together it adds poignancy knowing that he may be too late in deciding to speak now.

The reader is witness to the initial strength of their love they met at University. Frank was shy and a little bit stuffy and Maggie was his heart’s desire. 40 years later and a climactic event has brought Frank to his knees. For six months he and Maggie have been punishing with each other with the silent treatment until, finally, Maggie has given Frank long enough and cannot bear it any longer.

The author slowly drip feeds the reasons for the fissure and as we come to understand the reasons for it, we realise that the love has not diminished but misunderstandings and parental heartbreak meant that secrets grew and resentment flourished.

Through Frank’s narrative we hear the story of their relationship, courtship marriage and of their lives as parents, which is what is at the heart of their current problems. It is a beautifully rendered portrait of love tinged with a host of other emotions from fear to guilt to plain worry, sadness and anxiety, showing us how even the best of relationships can falter in the face of enormous pressures.

Maggie’s journal is the catalyst for progressing the story and enabling us to find out what was in her mind as we hear Frank’s reactions. A host of tragic incidents has led them to distance each other and to question the basis of their relationship and whether they were even good parents. Years of keeping secrets, being afraid of the other’s judgement and deciding on silence as the answer has broken this pair.

A switch in narrative technique enables to give us Maggie’s reactions and perspective to Frank’s declarations and this adds a layer of emotional clarity to our understanding. She tackles some strong and difficult themes and does so unflinchingly, making for some quite raw moments.

Verdict: Beautifully written, well-paced and immaculately plotted this is an immensely compelling book with a propulsive plot line and an emotionally wrought turbo charge. Read with a box of tissues.

The story begins with a tragic decision and the realisation that it might be too late to say the things that need to be said. The things Maggie and Frank should have said, but were swallowed in their months of silent treatment, and didn't.

I can't decide whether the silence or the dismantling of the marriage and relationship was more fascinating. The silence between the two of them could have ultimately lead to the choice Maggie made. Much like isolation experiments with monkeys have shown, humans can crumble under the pressure of isolation techniques such as not having any verbal interaction with the only other person who lives in your home - the person who loves you the most.

It seems as if the crumbling is due to a lack of communication and hiding important moments in their lives from each other, which creates an atmosphere of tension and a lack of trust. The reason why they do it is irrelevant because it becomes cause and effect. Or is it irrelevant? Does the reason or person at the core of the secrets automatically solidify the love the two have for each other because they are the same.

It's a contemporary read for all ages - a marriage stripped down to the bones. Heartache, lies, fear and grief are ground into the essence of this story to create a fascinating tale of loyalty, companionship and love.

This is a story with incredible depth. I think what I enjoyed about it the most was the simplicity of it and the basic structure. Proof that to write a captivating story you don't need more than two characters and a great storyline. This would make a great play by the way. Very - Barefoot in the Park. Hopefully this is the first of many.

A poignant, heart-breaking tale of a fragile relationship.

When I started to read “The Silent Treatment” I really wondered if this book would be my cup of tea, as I found it difficult to imagine such a bizarre situation.

It is a poignant, heart-breaking tale of the fragile relationship between Frank and Maggie who haven’t actually spoken to each other for six months, even though they had been married for 40 years!!! Why? I wonder?

Luckily, I started to realise that Abbie Greaves has an eloquent, thought provoking style of writing, which then inspired me to really discover why this husband and wife were in this atrocious, distressing situation.

Things finally came to a head when Maggie took drastic action, which gave Frank the motivation to reminisce over their entire relationship, telling Maggie of the highs and lows. Ironically, he discovered that his wife had put her own darkest thoughts in a note book.

This is a dark tale, giving an insight into how and why mental health can take over in human situations, but I can see why it won’t appeal to everyone. It’s up to you, but I recommend that you give it a go.

Galadriel.

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this book to read from NetGalley.

It was a beautiful story of a couple in a very long marriage and the challenges they experience during their relationship.

I loved the character of Daisy and her connection to Frank. I guessed quite early on the situation with Eleanor but not the reasons why Frank and Maggie were not speaking.

The story was beautifully crafted and I also had some contact with Abbie because there were a lot of duplications of text in the copy I had. Abbie promptly responded to my message and advised me to redownload, as the publisher had rectified these, and contact her if it didn't work!

The Silent Treatment was a beautifully written story about love, sadness and secrets which somehow manages to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

Maggie’s story really resonated with me as I know very well how your relationship changes as the years go on and how having children can affect the relationship you had with your husband. Suddenly you have all these little people who need you in order to survive and this often means that your husband gets sidelined. I therefore really felt for Maggie and how she was feeling.

The story is told by both Maggie and Frank so that the reader gets to hear the story from both points of view. My favourite part of this was Frank’s story as I loved that he was telling us what was going on at the same time as explaining himself to Maggie. This intimate glimpse into their relationship was really affectively done and meant that I felt everything they were going through like it was happening to me.

I so enjoyed this wonderful book and felt very sad when I finished it as the characters had started to feel like they were old friends. The message in this book was a beautiful one, that you shouldn’t hold off telling someone how you feel as you never know what’s going to happen.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Georgina from Midas publicity for my copy of this book.

The silent treatment is a beautifully written harrowing account of Frank and Maggie’s long marriage. Told by both parties, this is a minutely observed dissection of a life lived together over many years, detailing the intricacies and complexities of their unique relationship. Frank and Maggie haven’t spoken for six months and through the recounting of memories alongside much soul searching we learn of their shared past that has brought them to this moment in time.
Frank’s perspective is relayed via Maggie’s beside where she lays in a coma and his grief and horror at the part he has played in the situation they now find themselves in is palpable. Spanning the years from when they first met, through difficulties in conceiving to finally becoming parents, Frank bares his soul desperate to explain his reasons for his silence before it’s too late. The way he interacts with her now is so tender and moving. It makes for compelling reading not knowing exactly what the secret is he has been withholding.
Not only is this novel about miscommunication and misunderstandings it is a love story, not just between Frank and Maggie but between their daughter Eleanor,exposing the strength of parental love. The whole spectrum of emotions every parent experiences is explored, ranging from elation and awe to guilt, fear, dismay and immense sadness when life doesn’t turn out how you expected. Eleanor is at the heart of this lengthy silence between Frank and Maggie so that happy memories are overshadowed by years of worry and inability to reach out and help when it’s most needed. Reading this I could feel their pain in what is a tender and compassionately written novel, wanting to reach out and console these two people who blame themselves for feeling they have let Eleanor and each other down. In their own words they are seeking forgiveness and the chance to salvage their marriage for their love for each other has never really been in question.
Whilst this is mostly a sobering and thoughtful read, I felt connected to the storyline knowing that Frank and Maggie’s story could belong to any couple which adds to the poignancy. They are just ordinary likeable people who could be your friends or neighbours. Although life has definitely not always been kind and they’ve experienced much heartache you could tell these two people were meant to be together. Like chalk and cheese they simply compliment one another and since their first encounter knew that there could never be anyone else they would rather be with. Personally I think that is something to celebrate which is why I wanted Frank and Maggie to unburden themselves of secrets they had kept and release themselves from the constraints of blame. They deserved to be happy again in my opinion.
I liked the way we hear Frank’s perspective first and then Maggie’s voice through a planner/diary that she has left behind in the kitchen. It made me feel sad to think two people who knew each other inside out hadn’t been able to communicate when it was most needed but I totally understand their reasons for doing so; they were protecting each other from further heartbreak. Who can judge whether the decisions we make as parents are right or wrong? We can only do what we think is best and hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Highly recommend this debut novel and look forward to hearing more from this author. My thanks go to the publisher and Netgalley for for giving me the opportunity to read.

Frank and Maggie have been married for forty years. Haven't spoken for six months. Maggie is at the end of her tether and takes an overdose. She's put I to a coma. They each kept secrets from each other. They didn't share them as they didn't want to hurt each others feelings. Whilst Maggie is in the coma, Frank takes the opportunity to say to Maggie all the things he should have told her before.

This is a love story that has spanned forty years. A story that will tug at your heartstrings and ,if up your spirits. I felt every bit of Maggie's pain and Frank's guilt. We look into relationships, love, guilt and loyalty. Thenstory is beautifully written and thought provoking. Its told from both of their points of view. A really good debut novel.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author Abbie Greaves for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A slower-paced book that looks at an ordinary family and how miscommunication and small untruths can culminate in heartbreaking and tragic events. Each page is soaked in emotion as the reader experiences Frank and Maggie's relationship from the moment they met, right up to the present day, told firstly from Frank's perspective and then from Maggie's. Contained within the pages is love, obsession, pathos, grief, second chances, motherhood, fatherhood and pain. All is slowly revealed as the reader starts to understand what it is that drove Frank to stop talking and Maggie to commit such a drastic act.

For some reason though, the book didn't resonate with me. Despite such heart-wrenching situations, I didn't shed a single tear, instead, I felt frustrated that the couple weren't more honest with each other. Overall, I think it was a case of 'wrong time and the wrong reader' for this book.

I would like to thank the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

"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?"

This is a sweet, poignant debut novel. There is a strong focus on relationships and love, of course, but also a focus on families and parenting.

However, I did find it a little slow to start off with. The characters didn't grab me. I did persevere and found that I started getting more interested as the book went on; Greaves does dangle the carrot in front of the reader well! I was also desparate to find out what becomes of Frank and Maggie's daughter Eleanor, who was mentioned a few times in the beginning of the book, introduced more as the book went on, but it was obvious she was not on the scene, so I just HAD to keep reading to see where she was!

The book was heartbreaking and heartwarming. It was well-written, and I'm interested to see what else Abbie Greaves writes in her career; this is a great start for a debut!

Frank and Maggie have been happily married for forty years, getting by all the bumps and twists that reality put in their way – and there were plenty of them. However, it seems that now they have hit a wall – Franks hasn’t spoken to Maggie for six months. Why? Maggie can’t take it anymore and one day Frank finds her slumped over the kitchen table after swallowing the contents of a bottle of sleeping tablets. He blames himself and is desperate to explain to Maggie why he hasn’t uttered one word to her in the last half year. Encouraged by a nurse at the hospital, Frank starts to speak – is there enough time for him to tell everything?

It is a beautifully written story, both plot – wise and writing style – wise. The narration flowed so naturally, it didn’t feel forced, it just felt so normal and human and the writing is almost lyrical, so very evocative and vivid it is. The author has a way with words, her narration is touching, poignant yet uplifting and flowing effortlessly, keeping you glued to the pages.

I would say that it is a very character driven story, and they all were really well written and developed, as well as the relationships and dynamics between them – and they were never the easiest ones. Their feelings and emotions were effortlessly brought to us on the pages.
Maggie and Frank’s voices are strong and distinctive. During Maggie’s stay at the hospital we learn everything about their life together, starting with the early days of their relationship and their struggle to have a child of their own. I have expected – probably like many of you reading the book – that they had a fight, that there must have been an understatement between them and this is why they live in silence, but the truth is much more shocking and heart – breaking. The story of them is unique, full of memories, anecdotes and thoughts and there emerges a picture of people committed to each other, loving each other and caring about each other.

I must admit that the epilogue confused me a bit – probably because the author has suddenly decided to use the third narrator, so out of the blue and only for the few pages of the epilogue. Somehow it didn’t sit with me so well, not sure why, but it didn’t fit the whole story.

The story explores marriage, parenting and more difficult issues in a gentle, understanding way, showing how hard it sometimes is to communicate with our closest ones and how secrets kept from each other may affect our relationships – but we still keep them, out of fear as we don’t want to hurt them, out of love.
It is a powerful and moving book, so very honestly touching upon many heavier issues, bringing the small family to life, creating them all believable and full of flaws. It is emotional, poignant and uplifting at the same time. It is a great debut novel and the author shows her strong voice – I am already looking forward to her next release. Highly recommended.

The Silent Treatment is a powerful and emotional debut which draws you in to deceptively deep waters. It’s about Frank and Maggie, their forty year marriage and the events which lead them to not speaking to one another for 6 months. It opens with the attempted suicide of Maggie, and it is whilst Frank is sitting bewildered and bereft at her hospital bedside whilst she lies unconscious that he begins to speak to her. He takes us back in the time to the moment he saw her in the garden of a pub, to the day they first went, to their wedding and then onward to their marriage and to the ebbs and flows, highs and lows.

The reason why they haven’t spoken for half a year is the mystery at the heart of this novel. We see their marriage through Frank’s eyes and his love and adoration for Maggie is clear. She captivates him. She is sparky, full of energy and life but has crashing lows. Their marriage is tested by some of the most terrible challenges which life can throw at you, but they survive. Gradually though you start to realise that something really awful is going to test them.

Frank and Maggie’s marriage is wonderfully and sensitively depicted. Marriage is hard work and isn’t something that just falls in your lap as a fully formed thing, The things which test them are things which many couples experience and I found some of these instances incredibly moving and delicately handled. It really shines a light on the importance of communication and honesty in a relationship and the small ways that we can show each other we care.

The majority of the book is from Frank’s point of view meaning that for vast swathes of the novel we never really know what Maggie is thinking or feeling. At first I took this at face value, Frank and Maggie have been together for forty years – if there is anybody who would really know Maggie, it would be Frank. But, is this the case? Does anybody really ever fully know their spouse? Frank’s shock at Maggie’s suicide attempt is clear; he really didn’t see it coming. What was going on inside her head? Six months of silence has meant that their bond is frayed, but his love for her continues.

Maggie’s voice is clear and she and Frank are two engrossing and captivating characters. I loved meeting them and watch them build their lives together. I couldn’t imagine them without each other, they seemed to be a couple that just fit, despite their problems and challenges. I was intrigued by the events that led up to the opening pages of the novel I’m not sure I was quite ready for the reveal.

Abbie Greaves has written a beautiful and poetic novel about love, relationships and marriage. There are some passages in this book which made me stop and pause; they’re so delicately written yet pack such an emotional punch. This is an accomplished and powerful debut and I look forward to reading more from Abbie Greaves.

Wow what a powerful story. Loved the way it was written with Franks thoughts and actions then Maggie thought about what was going on....the insite to what had happened prior and why life had turned bad for them
Really well written, keep me reading to the end, very powerful story about the relationship between them and their daughter.
As i was reading it i kept willing things for them to be okay, i felt compassion for them, and kept willing Frank to open up to his wife and make things better for them .
A must read

A slow burner which start as a domestic tale, then delves into deeper lifestyle difficulties. This was quite believable and unfolded with worrying insights. The plot drew me in with its everyday family detail. A life told by both partners, in an easy to read fashion. There is a dark twist full of tension. Which had me in edge. A true insight into difficulties with parenting. I read this in one siting.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication date in exchange for a fair review

This novel stole my heart - it's absolutely incredible!

The writing is utterly captivating, lose yourself in the journey of Frank & Maggie's relationship. I simply could not put it down.

Buried secrets, misunderstandings and underneath it all a true all-consuming love you really believe in, these authentic characters will take you on an emotional rollercoaster.

A fantastic debut, I can't wait to see what Greaves comes up with next. This worthy title deserves a spot on everyone's shelf!

Ps. Do grab some tissues before you curl with it, its sure to break your heart it definitely did mine.

Thanks to Anne Cater & Netgalley for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and Netgalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for a unbiased review of these works.

This book hit me hard, it was utterly heartbreaking, I felt for both frank and maggie and I loved been taken on the journey of ther life and marriage, a lesson to be learned to never leave things unsaid

The Silent Treatment is the debut novel by Abbie Greaves and when I read the description about a couple who had stopped talking to each other for six months I was intrigued. When Anne Cater of Random Things Tours asked me if I would like to join the blogtour I immediately said “yes please”.

The Silent Treatment is a story of Frank and Maggie, married for forty years when a tragedy occurs resulting in Frank withdrawing from Maggie which forces her to take a final and drastic step.

This is a beautifully written character story narrated by both main characters, taking the reader back to the moment they met at University and bringing them to the present day. Frank, a socially awkward and quiet man, is forced to open his heart and secrets to Maggie in a desperate bid to save their marriage and her life.

This book has so many levels and delves into relationships, marriage, parenthood, failure, communication, love, loyalty and guilt. My heart was broken in places and lifted in others, the characters were so real to me that I could feel Maggie’s pain and Frank’s guilt so profoundly.

Highly recommended.

The Silent Treatment is the fantastic debut novel by Abbie Greaves, and if this novel is a marker point for the rest of her work. Then I will definitely be putting them on my wish list.

Maggie and Frank have not spoken a word to each other in six months. They have been happily married for forty years. And, are still living under the same roof, eating meals together and sharing the same bed. But, they don't speak. What is the reason behind The Silent Treatment.

This story takes us on a journey to discover how this seemingly normal married couple stopped communicating with each other. It's obvious from the opening chapter that they still love each other. But, we know there is an underlying secret or mystery to be solved. It all comes to a head for Maggie when she overdoses and is rushed to hospital.

We pick up the story with Frank by her bedside and he starts recalling their lives together. The second half of the story is told from Maggie's recollections that she has written down for Frank in a planner he finds in the office.

Maggie and Frank's story is a beautiful tale of love. Two complete opposites coming together and building a life together. Along the way there is heartache and hardships. Like any relationship, and we see how Maggie and Frank deal with these in their way. What we discover from seeing both points of view is that some secrets are held from both sides. Culminating in the reason they both stopped communicating.

I must mention Daisy. She may not have been a central character. She was just the nurse that was caring for Maggie in hospital. However, I felt that her character was kind of the moral compass or the pivotal character in The Silent Treatment. She gently persuaded Frank to open up to Maggie, saying that communicating and talking to her would be the best form of recovery for her.

Ironically with a title like The Silent Treatment this story emphasises on the importance of communicating within a relationship. A beautifully written story, that will charm you with its characters and message.

The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves takes us on a journey through the lives of Frank and Maggie. Why did they stop speaking six months ago? A long, and obviously happy marriage, albeit with a bit of a hiccough when their only child struggles to cope, it’s difficult to see what has caused the hiatus in communication.
This is a very well written story of joy and heartbreak with jobs, chores, friends, tight finances but always with an underpinning of fun, laughter and love.....until there doesn’t seem to be any of that left. Abbie unravels the mysteries through a dual storyline which reveals Frank’s view, alongside Maggie’s reality, to bring us to a somewhat tragic conclusion yet with some hope. I loved this book but, as a parent, it did break my heart a little bit. Definitely recommend

Thanks you NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book.

I had high hopes for the book and the story had a lot of promise - but it didn't live up to that for me unfortunately, daughter was too 2 dimensional and more like a caricature than a real person. However, the main problem personally was the huge big secret that the story hung on was such damp squib, it just was an anticlimax for me.

When we meet Professor Frank Hobbs and his wife, Maggie, Frank is playing chess against his computer, although not very successfully. Maggie, on the other hand, has just taken some pills - eight of them, in fact - and before long she will collapse. When Frank rings the emergency services in Oxford he has a bit of a problem. He has to admit that he and Maggie haven't actually spoken for a while. How long? Well, it's about six months since he spoke to Maggie and he can't really say if it's likely that Maggie has tried to take her own life.

In Intensive Care, the full force of what has happened hits Frank. He cannot bear to lose Maggie. In fact, he really can't believe that he's been lucky enough to have her as his wife for forty years. He knows that his not speaking to Maggie has been entirely his fault, but he has a secret and he knows that if Maggie knew that secret then she would leave him. In his own mind, he decided that it was better to have Maggie with him, even if they didn't communicate, rather than not have her there at all. But it seems that the only way to try to bring Maggie back from her coma is to talk to her, so Frank decides that he must tell his story.

But Maggie has been hiding something too. She's never stopped loving Frank, and when they stopped talking she decided that she would give him six months and then she would take action. A week before the six months is up she starts to write her story because she can't believe that she's been lucky enough to have Frank all these years and she feels that she owes him an explanation for what she's done. We hear the two stories in tandem.

After fifteen years of marriage, Frank and Maggie had a baby. She was called Eleanor and Eleanor was where the problem began.

Sometimes you pick up a book and you're pulled into the story. Maggie's bright and bubbly and Frank - well, Frank's probably best described as 'hapless'. He's very clever but there's a distinct lack of self-confidence and he doesn't read people well. Not talking to someone you love for six months seems like an extreme way of dealing with a problem, but when you know Frank you can understand that in his mind it was completely logical. But what was Frank's secret, the secret that was so terrible that Maggie would leave him and why does Maggie feel that taking her own life is the best option?

The writing is superb: there's a clarity and a deceptive simplicity which hides great skill and the plotting is skillful. I really couldn't believe that there would be anything which could make two people act as they did but as you read you realise that this was the obvious way for a man and a woman who loved each other as much as Frank and Maggie.

If you take one thing from this book it will be the importance of communication, the need to leave nothing unsaid, to risk what might happen when you tell the truth. You will also know that you've encountered a superb writer and I really can't wait to see what Abbie Greaves writes next. I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag see a review copy.