A difficult book to read for many reasons.

This is a sad but believable book about a couple who have been married for a long time but the husband has not spoken to his wife for 6 months.

Told from the couples perspectives, Maggie and Frank and we learn the reason for Frank's silence.

A very detailed story and highly emotional.

This book was well written and I love reading about human interaction and relationships.

This was so hard as it’s focussed on a failing relationship and the perspective is such an interesting one that, although it’s not something I’ve experienced, I felt it with the character.

A slow start but it did get better the more I read.
Found it a little unbelievable in places that a couple would not speak at all for 6 months.
The background story did explain things .Not the best book but not the worst either.

Do you ever feel like you're just the wrong reader for a book? That for some reason a perfectly well written book with an interesting plot just doesn't appeal to you, well that is how I felt with this book, I cannot comprehend how a couple living together don’t speak for 6 months.
I am afraid I just couldn’t empathise with the main characters and found the whole story somewhat difficult to believe. However the book is well written and other people my well

I was super grateful to be sent this by the lovely folk at William Morrow but wasn't sure when I would get around to reading it. Then one day it called to me and it is turns out it is one of the most heartbreaking a hopefully books I've read it a long time. I sobbed uncontrollably while reading and devoured it all in just one sitting. The story of Frank and Maggie. Married all their lives, but can they break the deathly silence that has grown between them before it is too late? Gosh, such a brilliant book. Unfortunately this one isn't out until April, but I promise you it'll be worth the wait!

A difficult book to read - it didn’t immediately capture my interest but I ploughed on and enjoyed it anyway. A strong debut from a writer who will no doubt go on to improve. One to watch out for.

Thought provoking, sad but realistic tale of a devoted couple, deeply in love who adore their long awaited innately troubled daughter . The depth of their devotion, dedication and anguish is heart felt throughout. However, it is the humanely lack of communication that plays throughout the story. Lessons can be learned from this story which pulls at the heart strings; there is humour, compassion, misery but above all there is great love!

At times I found this book rather hard=going, but I am glad I persevered with it. The story is interesting, and the characters believable. The book is a bit long-winded, but I felt that was appropriate for the characters.

The opposite of what I expected but a wonderful read. A loving yet heartbreaking book but leaves you feeling heart warmed. Cosy up with a mug of coffee or glass or wine, a soft blanket and just enjoy the story and love the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for this advanced reader's copy. I enjoyed this book immensely. It was beautifully written and heart wrenching. I didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. Will look out for future books from Abbie Greaves

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

I really wasn’t very keen on this book at the start - I thought it was very slow going and maybe not for me. But the further I read slowly and surely the book began to capture and hold my attention, although I felt it was a little overly long in parts. It was told by the two main characters Maggie and Frank and followed their lives spanning 40 years together and how they dealt with difficult and heartbreaking times. I’m glad I persevered with this book, it wasn’t a book that really wowed me, it did become more enjoyable the more I read. 3.5 stars.

What a heartbreaking tale. Such sorrow and guilt held by both parties. This is why it is good to talk!! I struggled with this to begin with, but so glad I stuck with it and In the end I had tears streaming down my face.

It's not very often that I abandon a book that I can't 'get into', but I tried really hard with The Silent Treatment, but sadly it wasn't for me

I asked to review The Silent Treatment based on the many accolades it has already received from other writers.

The US Marketing spiel: 'Resonant with the emotional power of the bestselling novels of David Nicholls and Jojo Moyes, a rich and poignant debut about lies, loss, and a transcendent love at the heart of a troubled marriage.' Not entirely true. David Nicholls and Jojo Moyes books were uplifting whereas The Silent Treatment, while an emotional read, left me depressed.

The premise is of the long and loving marriage of Maggie and Frank being put under immense strain, leading to Maggie being hospitalised and, while she is in a coma, Frank explaining why he hasn't spoken to her for six months.

Their long term love affair and marriage is as troubled as anyone family's might be e.g. an early miscarriage etc. The real problem they both face lies with their relationship with the child they both love and the fact they cannot get through to her. Many parents face similar issues with their adolescent and adult children and the ensuing guilt they suffer, which is always heart- breaking. This is the core of the novel.

By the end Frank is harbouring a secret he cannot bear to share with Maggie and refuses to speak to her for a full six months. But she also has a secret. I didn't find the secrets particularly shocking but the fact that neither could approach the other due to avoiding any hurt was a little surprising to me. After such a long and loving marriage wouldn't your natural inclination be to share? I guess the message was that if you really love someone that much you will avoid any knowledge that you believe might hurt them.

The Silent Treatment didn't move me as much as I thought it would. I enjoyed the beginning and Frank's retelling of his romance with Maggie. The ending was rather predictable. The repetition of how much he loved her, which runs through the entire book, began to grate after a while.

There is already a lot of hype about this book and a box of tissues is recommended. However, my own belief is that The Silent Treatment would have been a stronger book if it had been edited further and been a novella instead. Thank you to NetGalley and Century/RandomHouse for the opportunity to read and review it.

#TheSilentTreatment #NetGalley An emotional book about the roller coaster lives of Frank and Maggie. Their love story draws you in and you really feel the emotions from both Frank and Maggie's perspective. However, I did find the book to very slow to get going and I didn't really enjoy the way the story was told as Frank reliving their whole relationship. For me there was too much detail and not enough action. The change of narrative half way through to show Maggie's perspective did bring about a well needed change of pace but a fairly predictable ending.

A love story.
Ms Greaves describes the nightmarish scenarios so well, I lived them along with Frank. And the lifetime of politeness they live, as a family, as overprotective parents of Eleanor. Each in their own world, but only apparently letting the others into it a very little.
Not exactly an easy r

A gorgeous story with wonderful characterisation and an intriguing hook. An emotional and exhausting read, but brilliantly done.

Abbie Greaves creates a story within a story - we are posed with the question of why this couple haven't spoken in months, and the characters' storytelling will give us our answer. For the first half, Abbie shows and tells, through the husband's storytelling. He's not a natural talker, and struggles to express himself, but must find his voice and speak the truth. It's powerful, experiencing this once-emotionally detached man, find a way to express his fears and feelings. He was the true star of the show.

The pace is brilliant - I was desperate to know what had gone on in Frank and Maggie's marriage, and thought I would want to rush through to find out how it all comes to a head. However, Abbie's incredible story telling (through Frank), had me savouring every word. I loved the stories of them as young adults falling in love, and could relate to the struggles of becoming a 'proper adult', and deciding what you really want in life.

The latter half of the novel switches to storytelling through diary entries/notes. These are from Maggie's point of view for the first time. Whilst we already have a sense of their relationship by this point, it still offers new insight into the marriage and more shocking revelations - there are always two sides to every story. I did prefer Frank's half, but it didn't lose momentum at all here.

As it comes to an end, there isn't a shocking twist, instead it's more devastating revelations for the couple and decisions about moving forward. As I said, it was an emotionally exhausting read, but very well done and I would recommend it to everyone who loves a novel with strong character-focus.

This is essentially a love story between Frank and Maggie -told mainly from Frank's perspective.-and how even though you can love someone so much -circumstances can tear you apart.
I so wanted to love this book and I am not entirely sure why I didn't.
I kept waiting for the big reveal -only to find it was what I had guessed all along .
A good but not great read for me.

Thankyou NetGalley for a ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a stunning debut novel. It is the heartbreakingly sincere inside story of a marriage told by one partner in an attempt to reach the other who is in a coma. There is irony here, in that lack of communication was the cause of the event that led to the coma. Many of the experiences that a long marriage may encounter - honesty, difficulty in conceiving, parenting, mental health, and communication difficulties - are all laid bare within the context of enduring love. It was emotionally exhausting to read as I felt so invested in the characters and I was hoping for a happy ending.

The Silent Treatment blew me away. It was a slow burner which I was desperate to speed through but fortunately the book didn't allow that. I liked the two perspectives and the plot but mostly I adored Frank. At points the novel almost felt like an autobiography, I felt so strongly that we were really getting to know Eleanor. A perfect book.