I won’t deny it, I am so far behind with my book reviews that I won’t do them all but this one stood out as a book I needed to review.
Thanks to Netgalley UK for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Silence Project is written from the point of view of Emilia Morris. On her 12th birthday her mother, Rachel decided to move into a tent at the bottom of the garden. She also commits to never speak a word ever again. As word spreads about the silent woman who listens and doesn’t speak, other women come to join her and before long a community is built up. But, only 8 years later many of these followers decide to silence themselves forever in an event which shakes the world and pushes Emilia into the spotlight as the surviving daughter.
After the big event, the community continues to grow and evolve and become a global group and so everyone seems to know or have something to say about Rachel, except her daughter, Emilia. Until now. Now she has decided to speak out and tell her story.
One of the first things that stood out to me about this book was that it is written in the 1st and 2nd tense which is a rarity in books. This is written in memoir format as if the events which took place were real and even refers to diaries of Emilia’s which of course don’t exist. The rare but effective use of the 2nd person is often used to emphasise a point or remind the reader of something that if this were real they would most likely know about.
Emilia’s account is raw, emotional and completely from the heart as she regales us with the tales of her mother as well as Emilia’s life and how she was affected. She also includes letters written by other important characters in the story such as her father and her best friend, two people who were always around during the time in which Rachel’s cult was created and grew.
This is a story of how one person’s beliefs and legacy can get out of hand. Although referred to as a community the word cult very much springs to mind and this novel highlights the dangers of a cult. It also shows the aftermath of Rachel and others big event and how the cult grows under new leadership, often twisting and changing Rachel’s written word to adapt to the way they want to run it.
In Harry Potter, Voldemort said “There is no good and evil. There is only power, and those too weak to seek it” and the power struggle is very much rife in this book. When Rachel starts her vow of silence it is more an inner power, but as the community/ cult grows those who seek more power are often the ones willing to put others in harm’s way to achieve it.
The activities in which the cult take part in especially post Rachel could often be seen as controversial as well as another way to seek power elsewhere and this book is sure to shock you at the lengths some members go to, in order to achieve this power.
The format in which Carole writes makes the story become almost too real at times and it is easy to become infuriated that people would do this, until you remember it is all fiction. Surely the sign of a fantastic writer. The pacing is perfect and I never found myself bored, in fact the theme combined with the format and narrative gripped me throughout.
If you are looking for a controversial, emotional read about cults and the dangers of them I would highly recommend this book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – A gripping read which will have you hooked until the end.
Silence Project is out now and you can get it from the amazon link below
Are you into reading books about cults? Which is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below.
Much love ❤️
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