The Guardian: Top 10 Books on Silence

I wrote an article for The Guardian, entitled ‘Top 10 books about silence’. As an avid reader, this was great fun, if a little difficult! I chose works by authors including Carson McCullers, Sara Barnard and Ian McEwan.

But the more I researched, the more it became apparent that there are so many novels, poems and plays that use silence to brilliant effect. I only wish I could have chosen more.

Here’s the opening: ‘Silence in a book is a funny old thing. Too much of it and the reader may well want their money back. Too little and what’s left of suspense, mystery, drama? In literature as in life, there is much to learn from what is left unsaid.

For writers, silence is a gift. Whether it comes in the form of characters confined to silence or those committed to muting voices that are deemed dangerously other, there are few authors who haven’t at some point grappled with the question of how best to represent, well, nothing.’

If that has whet the appetite, then you can read my piece in full here.

The Silent Treatment can be bought from The Guardian Bookshop here.