Blog tour: The Silence In Between

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Welcome to the blog tour for The Silence In Between by Josie Ferguson!

More about the book…

The Silence in Between is a historical novel based in Berlin in 1961 and during the Second World War.

Lisette lives in East Berlin but brings her new-born baby to a hospital in West Berlin. Under doctor's orders, she goes home to rest, leaving the baby in the care of the hospital. But overnight the border between East and West closes, slicing the city - and the world - in two. With a city in chaos and armed guards ordered to shoot anyone who tries to cross, her situation is desperate.

Lisette's teenage daughter, Elly, has always struggled to understand the distance between herself and her mother. Both live for music but while Elly hears notes surrounding every person she meets, for her mother - once a talented pianist - the world has gone silent. Perhaps Elly can do something to bridge the gap between them.

What begins as the flicker of an idea turns into a daring plan to escape East Berlin, find her baby brother, and bring him home.... them from their private pains. Is it that simple?

More about the author…

Born in Sweden, to a family of writers and readers, Josie Ferguson moved to Scotland when she was two.

She returned to Sweden in her twenties, where she completed a vocational degree in Clinical Psychology (MSc). Upon graduating, she moved to London to pursue a career in publishing, something she had dreamed about since delving into fictional worlds as a child, hidden under the duvet with a torch.

She later moved to Asia in search of an adventure and a bit more sun and currently works as a freelance book editor in Singapore, where she lives with her husband and two young children.

While training to become a clinical psychologist, Josie learned about the complexity of human nature, something she explores as a writer.

She believes books about the past can change the future and she aspires to write as many as possible. The Silence in Between is her debut.

My impressions…

The Berlin Wall and what came before, during and after its erection are all part of the school curriculum in Italy, so the historical aspect of this debut was known to me. Berlin being one of my favourite places in the world, I have also explored the city’s history during several trips.

And yet, and yet… the story of Lisette and her family has still managed to break my heart and leave me stunned that such cruelty could be possible. I mean, it is possible, and it has happened. This is fiction, but it is based on the stories of so many (too many) women.

Wonderfully evocative, the prose is almost too beautiful to believe that it describes things that nobody should ever witness or experience. The sections that describe Elly’s form of synaesthesia, that makes her associate music to people, are so striking that you can even start hearing the music herself.

Music plays a big role in this novel, but so does silence. In this historical context, they could be compared to acts of resistance versus the inaction – whether caused by fear or ignorance – that sent so many people to a terrible end.

A wonderful, if tough, read. Highly recommended.

Three words to describe it. Heart-wrenching. Eye-opening. Inspiring.

Do I like the cover? Yes, it’s striking.

Have I read any other books by the same author? No, this is a wonderful debut.

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