Title: The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
A lifetime together.
Six months of silence.
One last chance.
By all appearances, Frank and Maggie share a happy, loving marriage. But for the past six months, they have not spoken. Not a sentence, not a single word. Maggie isn’t sure what, exactly, provoked Frank’s silence, though she has a few ideas.
Day after day, they have eaten meals together and slept in the same bed in an increasingly uncomfortable silence that has become, for Maggie, deafening.
Then Frank finds Maggie collapsed in the kitchen, unconscious, an empty package of sleeping pills on the table. Rushed to the hospital, she is placed in a medically induced coma while the doctors assess the damage.
If she regains consciousness, Maggie may never be the same. Though he is overwhelmed at the thought of losing his wife, will Frank be able to find his voice once again—and explain his withdrawal—or is it too late?
Review:
The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves is a marvelous debut that is quite poignant.
After forty years of marriage, Frank Hobbs has inexplicably been unable to talk to his wife Maggie for the past six months. Frank is shaken and terrified after finding her unconscious and fighting for her life. After doctors place her in a medically induced coma, Frank remains at Maggie’s side where he talks to her and gradually works up the courage to explain his silence. What does the future hold for this grieving couple?
Frank loves Maggie with all of his heart and he will do anything within his power to make her happy. Their marriage has been through many ups and down, but the last several years have been difficult. Frank’s devotion has never wavered but he fears Maggie’s reaction to the secret he has been keeping for the last six months.
Most of the time, Maggie is upbeat and gregarious but she does go through deep depression off and on throughout their years together. Although she deeply loves Frank, she finds it virtually impossible to discuss her problems with him. Maggie is bewildered by his six months’ long silence and she is desperate when she puts her plan in motion to end her pain.
At Maggie’s side, Frank talks to her about their years together and what she means to him. His memories about their life together are mostly happy but at a certain point, they are powerless to help someone whom they love dearly. Frank is shocked when he learns that Maggie has also been keeping secrets from him but his feelings for her never waver. How will Frank go on if the doctor’s predictions about Maggie’s recovery come to pass?
The Silent Treatment is a heartwarming and sometimes bittersweet novel about love, marriage and family. Frank is emotionally reserved but deeply devoted to his wife. Maggie is adept at hiding her fears and secrets from Frank and he is stunned by her revelations. Abbie Greaves skillfully keeps the reason for Frank’s silence cleverly under wraps until the novel’s deeply affecting yet highly satisfying conclusion. A unique and heartfelt debut that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend.
