Review: The Silent Children

Title: The Silent Children

Author: Amna K. Boheim

Rating: 3.8 stars

3.8 stars (which is almost 4).

First of all, thank you to NetGalley, Troubador Publishing Ltd and author Amna K. Boheim for sending me the ebook in exchange for a honest review.

This is Ms. Boheim first novel and it’s a great one once it finds its rhythm.

The book took a little to find its footing, the first third drags a little, but once it did, it became a fast and very pleasant read. This is a horror storywhere some of the horrors are supernatural, others sadly all too real. The story is told through two timelines – one beginning in the 1930s and other in 2004. The first narrative is in the 3rd person while the second one is in 1st, which gives the book a good pace, for me at least.

The characters and relationships are interesting. I wish I had learned more about Vivienne and her relationship with Annabel, I was left with the impression that there was something more behind the surface of their friendship.

The one character I had trouble with was Max, the narrator of the 2004 part of the book. He was likable but I had a hard time picturing him the way the author intended – a thirty-something successful man. Try as I might, I kept picturing him as a young man, probably just out of his adolescence. I don’t know if it was his feelings towards his mother, or his relationship with Vivienne that clouded the image I made of him, but I couldn’t see him as mature as he was supposed to be. That didn’t spoiled my enjoyment, though. At some point I didn’t care about that anymore, I was too engrossed in the story.

The twists presented were not hard to guess, and nothing important was left unexplained.

This was an enjoyable read, more than I expected, and I’m looking forward to reading more from Ms. Boheim.

***

Review originally posted on GoodReads. Link here.