A decade previously the glamorous Kinsella family threw one of their infamous debauched parties as a storm whipped across the small island on which they live. The next day Nessa Crowley, one of the islands beloved 'Crowley Girls' is found dead in their grounds. The crime was never solved, although the islanders have no doubt that the Kinsella family are to blame. In the present day, a pair of Australian filmmakers have arrived to produce a documentary that digs into what really happened on that fateful night. Henry Kinsella wants to use the opportunity as a chance to assert his innocence and reclaim his position as the island's benefactor. Keelin is terrified of what emotions the filmmakers will stir up amongst the islanders.

So much more than a murder mystery, this is a dark book, with a heart as black as the beautiful cover design. As the story moves between the present day and the past, interviews with the islanders and Keelin Kinsella's warring loyalties between the island, her husband and her son the tone grows steadily darker. There are no sudden or jarring reveals, but information about the night in question and the Kinsella family is slowly and naturally revealed. This creates an incredibly nuanced book about coercion and control, sacrifice and denial, pride and shame and all the little secrets that exist within the family dynamic. A bigger picture is also created, one that highlights domestic abuse and all the complicated forms that it can take. It is chilling and affecting and I loved every minute of the book.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

*received an arc from Quercus Books for an honest review*

Louise O’Neill knows how to write a book that gets under your skin. Like her previous books, After The Silence holds you in a tight grip so you feel that you can’t stop reading even when at times you feel like you need to take a breath.

After The Silence unravels the story of what happened one fateful night when a young woman is murdered, but no one knows who did it. You enter this murder mystery, but like with so much of O’Neill’s work, the plot isn’t necessarily what hooks you. Instead, she uses the setting and the characters to demonstrate domestic abuse and coercive control.

There are so many moments when reading that you know something is so terribly wrong, and the book hones in on themes of beauty, ageing, youth, marriage, and more. It’s chilling, and not because of the murder.

Disturbing and totally compelling, After the Silence is a truly gripping book.

On the night of Keelin and Henry Kinsella's party a storm is brewing. In the morning, the body of Nessa Crowley is discovered but her murder remains a mystery. When a pair of documentary makers decides to make this their new feature will the truth be unearthed. This was a great read and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Mmm well there was nothing new in the story . I was a bit curious as to whodunnit and the film crew arriving did add a little bit of interest but that’s as far as it goes I’m afraid . A lot of Irish phrases and words which anybody except the Irish could understand so I had to guess some of it . All in all nothing new in this book , not much suspense and a bit of coercive control was thrown into the mix too , sorry this books not for me

I have read all of Louise O'Neill's books so I was very happy to be approved for this one too, and I loved it. It's full of all the excellent writing and gut punches I've grown to expect.

I've been a fan of Louise O'Neill from "Only Ever Yours", so I was surprised that her new book for adults was a thriller. Having read "After The Silence", I now see that this was a brilliant move for her. Many of the themes she has explored in earlier novels are still aparant here - gaslighting, domestic abuse, bodies in pain and the darker side of sexual relationship - but the backdrop of the mystery surrounding the unsolved murder of the young woman becomes a perfect vehicle for many of O'Neills existing concerns, while still being an entertaining story in itself.

The novel is told mostly through the lens of a documentary investigating a murder ten years previous to the events of the novel,on the island where the crime was committed. Neasa Crowley was young and clever and beautiful, and she has since turned into a myth for the islanders who refuse to forget what happened to her at a party at the Kinsella's house. The prime suspects were Henry Kinsella and his wife Keelin, who was considered one of the islanders until she married the wealthy English man who set up the arts retreat on Inishrun. The Kinsella's become gracious hosts to the filmmakers, eager to tell their side of the story, but it isn't long until cracks begin forming in the story and the facade of their perfect lives.

It's hard not to draw parallels between this novel and a famous true case of a woman in West Cork in the 90's, and it's interesting to think about how both communities were left reeling after the event and at the thought of a killer being among them. O'Neill's setting the story on an island makes it feel all the more claustrophobic, even more so as the story doesn't take place in in the weeks surrounding the murder but at a distance, relying on memory and long held grudges rather than evidance. Ideas of cultural memory and collective trauma are prominent in the novel, particularly at times when the named narrators give way to a haunting, collective "we" instead of "I", the island as one speaking against the murderer, the invader. There are also parallels to be drawn between Inishrun and Ireland versus the more cosmopolitan yet seemingly dangerous mainland vs colonial England, that imbalance in power between places and people, even down to the relationship between Henry and Keelin.

O'Neill seems to have an ideal genre and one I hope she returns to again. While it's hard to imagine any book having the same impact as "Asking For It", I think this may be her most accomplished novel to date.

Amazingly entrenched in Irish culture, island life and the Irish language: Gaeilge. As a non gaeilgor but with a smattering of the language , it was great to see so much of it used so casually and naturally in this book.
The story of The Crowley girls and the shocking death of one of them weaves throughout the story, becoming more and more central to an emotionally tight plot. Domestic violence and coercive control are strong themes in this story and many events are shocking and chilling. The isolation of the island and the isolation of being controlled are central to the plot. An amazing story, deep character development and an insight to tight knit Island communities deliver a compulsive read.
Thanks to:#NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant psychological thriller which keeps you guessing to the very last page..
Nessie Crowley was murdered during a birthday party and no one has been convicted of her murder.
Ten years on a documentary is being made to try and uncover what exactly happened and this opening up a lot of old scores and issues.
Keelin Kinsella and her husband are the prime suspects and have lived and been vilified by the local islanders where they live.
Through out the twists and turns of the story one feels they have uncovered the perpetrator just to turn the next page and be lead up another avenue.
Also underlining the plot is the subject of domestic violence and abuse which Keelin encountered in her first marriage.

It took me a long time to read this book because I had a feeling of dread the whole way through. It was a good story with some excellent characters, well depicted. The story line was very relevant but difficult to read at times..
A very topical subject.

This was a very good book, full of detail and back story. By the end I felt I really knew Keelin. I was kept guessing all the way through, never sure who actually committed the murder, but this story is so much more than finding out who did it. You get completely immersed in poor Keelin’s life. My opinion of Henry changed through the book and I began to soften to him in the end, but overall I didn’t like the way he treated Keelin. I would definitely recommend this book. Thank you #netgalley

This certainly feels dark and atmospheric. You can almost feel the spray from the sea that surrounds the island. Feel the gale force winds whirl your hair around you as you read. Fantastic!

Story moves slowly with switches from character to character. I do love a good Louise O'Neill book. The tense just builds and builds until .... well, you just have to read it. It's awesome!

It is ten years since Nessa Crowley was brutally murdered on a small island off the coast of West Cork. Kileen, and her husband Henry, have had to live with the suspicion that one or the other of them was the murderer. But who did kill Nessa?
The author creates great suspense as she alternates between the past and the present with a cast of flawed characters.
This is a story full of shadows and how those shadows just won't let you go. Masterfully gripping and beautifully told.

Ever since I saw the early proofs of After The Silence, with its promise of an obsessive love, murderous tale, I knew that it was going to be the book for me. The wait to read it increased my book anticipation and I was not dissapointed, not even a tiny bit. It was everything I thought it would be and more. The first thing I like to mention about a book are the characters, after all without them would there be a story to be told? After The Silence begins with an introduction to Keelin , her son Alex and her second husband Henry who live on the Irish island of Inisrun, where a prolific death occurred, one where the perpetrator was never found and still haunts the residents. After 10 years the case has peaked the interest of an Australian film team, one that hopes to uncover the truth. The point of view of this novel is from Keelin's point of view, one that it is filled with tension and a family life filled with it, especially as her narcissistic and emotionally manipulative husband Henry has always been suspected of the death of Crowley girl Nessa. Keelin is a character that has had a traumatic past, which we get to understand throughout the pages of this novel. Through interviews with the film production crew you become to understand her, as well as the members of her family and the dynamic. So for me the characters are a yes with their own independent historical events, characteristics and identity while still interlocking into one another's stories.

The web that Louise spins, one that grips the reader is very much psychological thrilling. The use of themes that is further explained in her acknowledgements shows the extent to which Louise fell down the rabbit hole of research to create a twistingly believable storyline with subtle darkness bubbling to the surface. The sequence of events that domino off each other, mixed with memory flashbacks to Keelin's past which fill in the reader how she came to being where she is in her life now. We see first hand the relationship Keelin has with her son and husband, this adds to the intoxicating factor of the novel - I was captivated, I also found myself disliking a character or two which in turn caused me to shout, SHOUT at these fictional characters! The tied together web of deceit, obsession and jealousy spiked my interest immediately and it kept drawing me in further with every single chapter, an atmosphere that resembles that of a true crime dramatization with a psychological undercurrent that will give you goosebumps.

Overall, After The Silence was a million percent worth the wait to be able to read it, this may be Louise's first psychological thriller but I really hope that it isn't her last!

Everyone knew the Crowley girls on Insurin. Three sisters who were inseperable. Keelin and Henry Kinsella are the rich couple who the big house and retreat on the island. When the body of Nessa, the oldest Crowley girl, is found dead on the grounds of the Kinsella's house questions are soon asked. Was Nessa murdered and if so who did it? As a storm had shut off the island from the mainland everyone one the island is a suspect.

On the tenth anniversary of Nessa's death Jake and Noah, two film makers, turn up to make a documentary about the unsolved death. The questions and interviews begin to reveal more about the islanders and the secrets they keep. Will they discoverwhat really happened to Nessa?

A great read, thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I really thought this would work for me but sadly it didn't.
Firstly I can't stand it when books end chapters with leading lines such as 'if only they knew' or 'the truth was much worse' or 'the secret will come out' etc. Especially if the pay off is no where near as interesting as promised.
Because with this book the actual reveal was not worth the build up at all!

The premise was good, a documentary being made about a cold crime, but I just didn't buy into the set up - rich, designer clad, family on a poor windswept island - and none of the characters were really likeable so I didn't really care who did it and because there were only three suspects it wasn't really much of a whodunnit anyway.

The psychological aspect was probably the most interesting, a drip feed reveal of emotional abuse, but I've probably read better books on this subject.

Also the title makes no sense? And it jumped about so much the timelines and perspectives were a little confusing.

Liz Nugent's Skin Deep is an absolutely excellent novel about the psychological trauma resulting from the insular upbringing on a tiny Irish island but After the Silence wasn't.

Sorry but thanks for the ARC.

This is the first novel I've read by Louise O'Neil, although everything she has written so far has intrigued me from its premise. After reading 'After the Silence' I am now going to make it my mission to read her entire back-list as she is an astonishingly good writer and I could not put this book down. This is a psychological thriller which offers the reader the requisite twists and turns but is so cleverly layered that it leaves the reader with much to think about and as such it would be a great choice for a book group. O'Neil's characterisation is excellent, her remote island setting rich and atmospheric (as well as chillingly claustrophobic) and the overall conclusion sad but satisfying. Very good, this is strongly recommended.

As ever with Louise O’Neill, After the Silence is beautifully written. It offers a compelling storyline up as a moral compass the reader can use to judge not just the way our society is evolving, but also our own place on the myriad spectrums in play. For example, while all domestic violence is abhorrent, not all of it ‘violent’ in the conventional sense. Does this make it any less despicable?

It could hardly be an Irish novel without taking a deep dive into family and what counts as loyalty in that arena. How far would you go for your nearest and dearest? Now imagine you’re from a small Irish island community and ask yourself again. How far do you expect them to go for you?

The settings here are guidebook perfect and the language peppered with Gaelic in a way I found beautifully judged. I felt I knew the areas around the cottage at Misty Hill and Hawthorn House so well I could hear and smell the sea by the end.

This isn’t the easiest of reads, but it is certain to be a bestseller. I’d be surprised if it’s not already in production as a Netflix original.

Will thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me see an advanced copy.

I do love a good psychological thriller and After the Silence by Irish author Louise O’Neill is definitely that. Set on a small Irish island called Inisrun, off the coast of Cork, our narrator Keelin Kinsella is a local island girl. Ten years ago, another local (and very popular) girl, Nessa Crowley was murdered at Keelin’s birthday party. No one was ever arrested for the crime. Now two Australian documentary makers want to try and discover what really happened…

A little back story... The affluent and powerful Kinsella family own hotels and decide to build Misty Hill – an artists’ retreat – on Inisrun island, which changes the whole dynamic of the place and causes unrest amongst the locals. Local girl Keelin ends up marrying one of Kinsella family – Henry – causing her to be shunned by her fellow locals for siding with the enemy.

Henry and Keelin have a daughter, Evie together; a total daddy’s girl, Keelin’s relationship with her is fractured. Keelin also has a son, Alex from her first husband, but Henry embraces him as his own. Keelin’s first husband was abusive to her, and she had to leave the marriage to save her life.

The locals have made no secret of the fact they think Keelin and Henry – especially Henry – were involved in Nessa’s death, so the couple have been living in the shadow of these accusations for ten years. Henry sees the documentary as a chance to clear their name, so agrees to be interviewed for it.

Noah and Jake are the documentary makers and start methodically interviewing everyone who knew Nessa. This means nuggets of information are slowly revealed as After the Silence enticingly drip-feeds you its story.

A key theme in the book is domestic abuse – from physical to psychological control and gaslighting. This can make for some hard-to-read sections, but it captures the awfulness of the situation. Keelin’s relationships with both her husbands are explored and she is such a complex, interesting character. She hasn’t had the best opportunities in life and is ultimately, just trying to survive. She also – tantalisingly – has a lot of secrets, that she keeps you hanging on for until the end.

Very atmospheric, After the Silence is a psychological thriller but with a slow, steady pace that thrums through it, making sure your attention is held, those secrets keep tumbling out and those pages keep turning.

This was a difficult story to get into. The story tells of the claustrophobic atmosphere of the islanders and between the Kinsellas. Their relationship is one of control and abuse and I guess she only stayed because of the lifestyle provided. The story centres around a cold case murder and it unfolds as two Australians arrive to make a documentary on the island. I am not sure it was fair to call this a mystery.

I have read two other books by Louise O'Neill and so I generally know what I'm getting into when I pick one up and begin reading. This, like the others I've read, was not an easy read, but it is compelling and thought-provoking.

This book revolves around the murder of one of the Crowley girls while at a party on the Kinsella estate. The Kinsellas are a wealthy family on a small close-knit island called Inisrun, where everyone knows everyone. They seem to have it all, yet they are not liked by others on the island, in part because the locals believe Henry was responsible for the murder but has never been charged. Two documentary film-makers have arrived on the island to make a film about the death of the girl with the view that they may find out additional evidence that didn't come to light at the time.

There is a real sense of claustrophobia, not just from the fact of island life, but also due to the relationship between Keelin and her husband Henry Kinsella which is controlling and stifling. Keelin was married before to a physically abusive man and left with her son Alex to escape the violence. She remarries Henry and despite all he is able to give her in terms of wealth and lifestyle, he is abusive in a different way, using psychological methods to control her. Louise O'Neill shines the spotlight once again on these types of relationships which makes it often an uncomfortable read.

The murderer is revealed at the end, but this book is so much more than a crime novel.