Louise O’Neill has done it again with another clever and informative novel. O’Neill is the voice of the 21st century literature that everyone should be listening to. She cleverly weaves an engaging narrative with feminist insights and cultural critique in a seamless manner and makes for truly insightful and reflective reading.

Ten years after the murder of the young and beautiful Nessa Crowley at a party on Inisrun Island, a documentary crew arrives, and everyone is hopeful that they find evidence that will lead them to her killer. At that time, nobody was charged with the murder due to lack of evidence and it remained unsolved, but the islanders have always suspected Henry Kinsella and his wife Keelin by association who were hosts of the party at which Nessa’s body was found.

This book had me hooked turning the pages to find out if some of the islanders’ suspicions were actually true. The narrative shifts from the present day to the days leading up to the murder and we get further insights into the Kinsella's marriage, their family life and a history of Keelin Kinsella’s background along the way.

Loved this book, the well written narrative, the atmospheric backdrop of the Island and how a crime like this can have devastating effects on a small tight-knit community like Inisrun so much.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read all of Louise O Neillsnoveks and this confirms my view of her true versatility as an author. Once again writing adult fiction ( following the superb After Love), and once again tackling important subjects. This time it’s domestic abuse and coercive control set against a murder mystery backdrop.

Keelin and Henry Kinsells live a millionaire lifestyle on an Irish island but when a young woman is found dead at one of their parties their lives change forever. Told in past and present the mystery of what happened to Nessa Crowley is almost secondary to the horror of the relationship that Keelin lives with.

A really commercial read too.

‘After the Silence’ is the story of the Keelin Kinsella and her possible involvement in the murder of Nessa Crowley on an island off the coast of Ireland. 10 years after her death, a documentary team has arrived on the island to explore what happened as no-one was ever charged or found guilty of Nessa’s murder. This book is initially framed as a murder mystery but it soon becomes clear that Keelin is keeping more secrets than those around Nessa’s death and issues of domestic abuse and coercive control are examined throughout the story. I found ‘After the Silence’ engaging and I couldn’t put it down as it neared the end as I really wanted to know what really happened to Nessa. The issues of domestic abuse and coercive control are dealt with incredibly well and were clearly really well researched - chapter 51 in particular is very well written. The common thread in all of O’Neill’s work is that of writing about issues women face everyday and raising awareness of those - this book also completely delivers on that. Keelin’s husband Henry is the dominant force in her life and, as huge portions of the story are told from Keelin’s perspective, this is clearly portrayed in the book but for that reason, as a reader, I was left wanting more at the end in respect to the other relationships in her life. It is a compelling fast read but, be warned, it is not an easy light read.

Louise O’Neill has had me hooked since her first release ‘Only ever yours’ and her latest novel ‘After the silence’ lived up to all of my expectations and more.
The timeline does take a little getting used to but once I had the thread I couldn’t put it down. The story centers around the mysterious murder of Nessa Crowley; ten years on and a documentary team visits the isolated island of Inisrun to dig deeper into what actually happened on that dark and stormy night.
The facts: Nessa died during a wild party held by Henry and Keelin Kinsella. Nessa’s murderer was never convicted. Someone from the island knows the truth but is keeping their silence for now…
O’Neill is a master at creating steady pace and subtlety notes within her characters, which she uses to maximum effect in this novel. O’Neill brilliantly ties in feminist themes of the ‘ideal’ young beauty of Nessa opposed against the fading youth of Keelin and the way they are treated by those around them. As in her earlier works O’Neill handles difficult, true-to-life issues facing women everyday and doesn’t hide away from the impact that domestic violence has had on Keelin Kinsella within this read. It may be a dark and gritty read but I found it to be a refreshing twist on the psychological thriller genre where secrets run deep and silence is destructive.

This book was incredibly difficult to get into and even harder to follow. It was all over the place. I had high hopes but it was just a mess.
It really needs to flow better in order to keep the reader engaged.

This is a dark subject matter: murder and domestic abuse set in Ireland. A little heavy going for myself but there is a page turning quality to the writing. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

A very difficult book to get into. Unlikable characters and a story that fitted about all over the place. It became very predictable.

Louise O’Neill has called this novel her favourite novel to date. I agree. Set on Inisrún, an island off the beautiful West Cork coast, a pair of Australian documentary makers have arrived to re-visit an unsolved crime & stoke up memories of a tragedy that occurred 10 years ago.

Following the death of 21 year old Nessa Crowley at a house party, suspicion is directed immediately at Henry Kinsella, the ‘blow-in English millionaire who lives on the island with wife Keelin (an islander) & son Alex. The crime received huge media attention at the time with Henry implicated as chief suspect. With no concrete evidence against him, he’s never charged. Yet the islanders are convinced of his guilt and ostracise Henry & Keelin. With a new documentary now being made, old tensions come to the surface.

While Keelin was physically abused by her first husband, Henry also abused Keelin by coercive control. He dictated her freedom, her diet, her choice of clothes, to the extent that she was totally dependent upon him. The slow realisation that this abuse was taking place was quite chilling. While the wounds from coercive control leaves no visible scars, it’s no less devastating or destructive. O’Neill, who’s adroit at dealing with the big issues, details the long lasting effects of emotional and sexual manipulation by showing that violence does not have to be just physical.

This is a very, very good novel. Tension builds steadily leading up to Nessa’s death as the story is told from the POV of a variety of voices. It’s grittier and less clichéd than many other books of this current genre, (think The Guest List). Ultimately the story reveals how we can become prisoners of the lies we tell and the secrets we keep. I really enjoyed this book & wish Louise every success with it.

Many thanks to @netgalley & @quercusbooks for this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

‘After the Silence’ is set on the island of Inisrun, off the coast of west Cork. Wealthy incomer, Henry Kinsella, marries island girl Keelin who is on the re-bound from a disastrous first marriage and scarred by domestic abuse. However, as the author takes us back and forth in time, we understand that the Kinsellas live in the shadow of death. A decade earlier beautiful student Nessa Crowley was found, murdered, at one of their extravagant parties.
Tuning in to the radio, some time later, Keelin hears a discussion about the crime; a guest speaker argues that, ‘The relationship between the islands and the mainland has always been a metaphor of Ireland’s relationship with England, this uneasy symbiosis where the oppressed still relies on its oppressor for trade, employment opportunities et cetera…’ Whilst this purely political angle can be argued, this does not seem to be O’Neill’s primary intention. The Ireland/England analogy is equally apposite in her portrayal of domestic abuse. The real strength of this novel is the convincing way in which the author portrays the coercive control in which Henry specialises, just as damaging and far more insidious than the physical abuse Keelin received at the hands of her first husband.
However, there are elements of this novel which do not work so well. The arrival of the documentary makers on the island adds very little, working as a clumsy narrative device that allows other voices to be heard, and as another link in the chain of domestic abuse. The depiction of the Crowley girls relies on clichés and anyone reading the novel with a view to solving the crime will not take too long to do so. I very much admired O’Neill’s dissection of the crime of rape in ‘Asking For It’; however, I remain to be convinced that the subject of domestic violence has been best served by its murder mystery overlay in ‘After the Silence’.
My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

A beautifully written, incredibly atmospheric story of murder, domestic abuse and secrets. The story was powerful and engrossing, with highly believable characters and some difficult scenes. A brilliant, superior thriller.

An island. No one can get off or on on this particular night. The next morning one of their young women is dead. Who killed her and why? The killer is never found.
Roll on many years and a film crew have come to the island to find out more. Cue nervous people, buried secrets and a host of trying to get them off the scent.

Everyone has a theory and everyone has a grudge it would appear.As everyone is interviewed, considered, discussed and explored, threads unravel and tempers rise.

A good who done it with a lot to consider and it's both gripping and fascinating in equal measure. I love these cold case and documentary style mysteries and this is really well written.

As well as a murder mystery, this book is at its core a heartrending examination of domestic abuse and it’s effects on the victim, the family and the wider community. Young, beautiful Nessa is killed at a party at the home of wealthy, controlling Henry Kinsella, and his wife Keelin. Whilst the mystery of the death unfolds, so does the coercive control to which Keelin is subjected in every hour of every day. The writing is fluid and expressive, and the the addition of phrases in the Irish language give it character and setting. The sometimes dreamlike writing cleverly overlays the stream of darkness underneath, with the story always having flow and momentum. The ending wasn’t a total surprise and the device of using different voices from different times could be a little confusing, but this book will get the reader hooked and eager to keep turning the pages right until the end.

A documentary team arrive on a small island with a close knit community who are still reeling from the unsolved murder of a beautiful young woman hoping to solve the mystery surrounding her death. A compelling story that examines the different methods in domestic abuse with a real surprise ending.

Very confusing and the time jumps should have been labelled better. I would've expected smoother transitions to which the book is extremley lacking. Very disappointed.

I found this a sad story of a life damaged by circumstances. In my view the main character is a weak woman who has allowed the men in her life to orchestrate her lifestyle. I found the unidentified different time zones annoying and unclear. These made the story awkward to follow as the characters are the same but the main character's disinclination to stand up for her herself continued through the whole story.
The end of the book reveals the culprit which was not a surprise.
I am sorry to say that I found this book a disappointment.

So I was expecting an exciting Lucy Foley-esque type thriller on a remote island. I got so much more than that. In the end, discovering Nessa's killer wasn't the main thing on my mind. Once again Louise O'Neill had me intrigued by the portrayal and treatment of women, the way they perceive and treat each other and how men also view them. I finished this book about 20 minutes ago but I can guarantee I will think about it for a long time to come. It was haunting. Brilliant book.

Many thanks to @netgalley for the advance copy of this book. I loved it.

Ten years ago, Nessa Crowley was found dead after a party on Inisruin an island off the west coast of Ireland;. Although the murderer had to be someone on the island, no one was ever charged, Now ten years later two film makers arrive on the island to make a documentary about what happened. Keelan is not happy about this as her husband was the chief suspect. She and her family are hiding something and she fears it may be uncovered .

I've read a number of books on this sort of thing over the past year or so. This one doesn't particularly stand out from the crowd, although i did enjoy the use of the Irish language throughout and thought this added to the atmosphere. The depiction of the storm on the night of Nessa's death was also excellent.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC>

‘After the Silence’ is the fifth novel from bestselling Irish author Louise O’Neill. In her previous novels, O’Neill has explored the topics of rape culture and consent, focussing on the sexual politics within a relationship. On the surface, ‘After the Silence’ is a departure from these earlier themes, as the storyline focuses on the murder of twenty-one year old Nessa Crowley, at a party ten years previously. Her murder was never solved but the Kinsella family have been under suspicion ever since. Now, two documentary makers have arrived on the island of Inisrún to uncover the truth. Henry Kinsella is determined to use this documentary to prove his innocence, while his wife Keelin is terrified that the truth will be revealed. Although Keelin was born on the island and therefore a local, Henry is considered a ‘blown-in’ and he has always had a fractured relationship with the islanders, since Nessa’s murder this relationship has deteriorated further and now the couple are treated like pariahs.

As always, in her novels, O’Neill’s strength lies in how she draws the interactions between her characters – in particular between Keelin and her husband. Keelin has a history of abusive relationships and it is quickly evident that nothing has changed for the better. This time around however, the abuse is not overtly violence but rather more subtle and insidious as Henry asserts his dominance and control over every aspect of Keelin’s life – diet, clothing choice, makeup, exercise, friendships etc. Their relationship is brilliantly written and utterly chilling.

Weaving a path between the night of the party, and present to reveal the truth of Nessa’s murder, O’Neill has written a delightfully twisty tale where alliances clash and the reader is torn between support Keelin and irritating at her passiveness.

So, I have read the past three releases from Louise O’Neill and I have enjoyed them all – actually enjoyed seems like a weird word to use because the subject matters of her books are never easy. However, I have read them and got what I needed as a reader from them. Her latest book After the Silence is on another level to her first three. It is, by far, her best yet.

It centres on the murder of a beautiful young girl on a small island off Ireland. Those who live in Inisrun know the small town mentality. Everyone knows everyone’s business. And when Tessa Crowley is murdered the islanders all know who is to blame.

It is with the appearance of a documentary film team that the old murder case gets brought back into the minds of the islanders – though it has never really left their consciousness – but it leaves people uneasy. In particular, Keelin Kinsella whose husband is was the prime suspect.

After the Silence is a brilliant psychological mystery. The interplay between interviews, different voices and flashbacks to the past let the reader try and piece together what happened. At each point your mind changes over who is responsible and you flip-flop mercilessly as O’Neill leads you along the story. It is one of the best mystery stories that I have read in a long time and it was one that I didn’t feel frustrated with because it gave me enough clues that I could figure things out but without the answers being too obvious but equally still left me needing to turn the page because I knew that there was much more to discover.

Furthermore, in O’Neill’s typical style, she uses her writing to look at more difficult issues. In this case – domestic violence. So even without the mystery element you have a novel that packs a massive punch.

I am so genuinely impressed by After the Silence. Louise O’Neill is going from strength to strength.

After the Silence by Louise O’Neill is available from 03rd September 2020.

For more information regarding Louise O’Neill (@oneilllo) please visit her Twitter page.

For more information regarding Quercus (@QuercusBooks) please visit their Twitter page.