When We Were Silent: A Novel

Thirty years ago, Louise Manson became a new student at Highfield Manor, an exclusive private school in Dublin. She’s working class, so she doesn’t quite fit in with the other students. That is, until she befriends Shauna, one of the most popular girls in school. What Shauna doesn’t know is that Louise came to Highfield to expose a secret, which is going to end horribly. Now, it’s happening again at Highfield and Louise has been called to testify. She’ll have to confront her past and force everyone to remember the consequences of When We Were Silent.

I would classify this as more of a drama than a thriller. It’s pretty clear from the beginning how everything is going to go. However, this doesn’t make it less compelling. I wish that narratives like these were just monster stories we use to scare or warn each other. Unfortunately, it’s all too familiar and happening all over the world. This story is pretty powerful and contains a lot of depictions of sexual abuse, so be aware of that going in. It’s hard to recommend based on the subject material, but there is some sense of justice here which leads to hope.