A Time for Silence by Thorne Moore

In a gloomy corner of Wales a wreck of a cottage holds the secrets of Sarah's family. Keen to renovate her Grandmother's old home as a weekend retreat, Sarah isn't prepared for what she will find. Her grandmother Gwen was the epitome of dutiful housewife, Gwen's husband John was the pride of the village choir. As Sarah brings the cottage back to life, she hopes to recreate a sense of this unknown family. A mother playing the piano, children dutifully gathered around her knees. A father returning home after a hard day's work in the fields.

As Gwen's voice begins to be woven through the narrative, we soon gather that Sarah's nostalgia grates awkwardly against the truth. The family's quaint cottage was the site of a murder. Sarah's grandfather was shot in his own home. But who was the murderer, and why were they never caught? And why was this kept secret from Sarah for so long? 

Desperate to reveal the truth and keen to avoid confronting her coming wedding, Sarah launches a full-scale investigation. In much the same way, Gwen willfully ignores the dark truths in her own home, determined to show a united, honourable front to the world. Can Sarah solve this mystery alone? And is she ready for what it will reveal?

A Time for Silence is a gripping family drama published by Honno Welsh Women's Press, which strives to promote local female writing. My copy was given to me by my godmother, as Thorne Moore is an old friend of hers. Aware of her natural bias, it took me a few weeks to begin reading. But after a few short chapters I was hooked by the simplicity of the women's voices. 

Thorne Moore captures the importance of the everyday details, conversations and daydreams that make up our lives. Piece by piece, she builds these women's lives until they sneak into our affections. This is especially true for Gwen, a character whom I have next to nothing in common with. The most chilling part of Thorne Moore's skill is the way that she represents evil. Far from a distant, unknowable and easily hated quality, evil exists in the everyday. By documenting the growth of this within a seemingly perfect family, Thorne Moore emulates real life. 

The good news is that she sets this all in the past, soothing the reader with the brightness of Sarah's home improvements. This foray into family research ultimately strengthens Sarah, allowing her to approve the future having learnt from the past. But for me, this didn't lessen the important truth within the novel: that evil is most corrosive when it's buried in everyday, seemingly normal lives.

Video review: After My Own Heart by Sophia Blackwell

A Very British Coup by Chris Mullin

I've just finished this book and it's left me wanting more. I think this was Chris Mullin's intention. He's created a warped snapshot of what the 1980's could have been. A lefter than left-back Labour government have been flung into office in a landslide victory. Downing Street nervously prepares to welcome an unorthodox crowd. Plans to destroy all American bases on British soil, do away with Nuclear weapons and enforce public control of finance and media are soon rolled into action.

As quick as the new Prime Minister, ideological ex-steel worker Harry Perkins, is to react to this shock win; the 'Establishment' are faster. The city-slickened wheels gather pace and pressure builds from all sides as the the mighty banking, civil service, media, religious and military worlds oppose the government's plans. Once the post-election celebrations die down it's clear that the British public have no control over the information forming their opinions, and they soon turn against Perkins.

First published in 1982 but set in 1989, A Very British Coup feels somewhat topical in light of the Levinson Inquiry, public mistrust of the banks and politicians, unemployment, social inequality and public sector strikes. *insert intelligent comment here on it being set in a future which is now in the past* Depending on your level of cynicism, it could be described as a fantasy or satire. Perhaps it's a mix of the two. Mullin documents Perkin's rise to power but the voting public themselves barely make an appearance. Barring the Cabinet and the trade leaders, you'd be hard pressed to find many Labour voters.  This reiterates the sense that real political power is concentrated into an impenetrable world where a privileged minority control an unsuspecting majority.

The novel weaves between political worlds, circling back less frequently to Perkin's office as his influence dwindles. A frustrated love affair, infidelity and a traitor in the Cabinet combine to threaten his party's ideological fervor. Ultimately I wanted more from this book. The problem is, I still can't decide if was the whole point.