Book Synopsis :
Henry dreams of silence.
A world without the clattering of carriages through cobbled streets, the distant cries of drunken brawls, the relentless ticking of the clock.
Then he meets a fascinating, mysterious gentleman who sells just that. Precious silk that can drown out the clamour of the world – and everything Henry is so desperate to escape.
Summoned to Sir Edward’s secluded factory to try to cure his young daughter’s deafness, Henry is soon drawn deeper and deeper into the origins of this otherworldly gift: a gift that has travelled from ancient Mediterranean glades to English libraries.
Ignoring repeated warnings from the girl’s secretive governess, he allows himself to fall under the spell of Sir Edward and his silk… but when he learns its true cost, will it be too late to turn back?
From the #1 bestselling author of THE BINDING, this is an enthralling story about complicity, desire and corruption – a novel to lose yourself in.
My Review:
The Silence Factory is a dark, gothic and unsettling read which I wouldn’t recommend if you’re not a fan of spiders!
The story of told in two timelines, the earlier timeline follows Sophia as she follows her husband on an expedition while she later follows Henry as he starts working for Sir Edward the owner of a mysterious factory. Of the two timelines much preferred Sophia’s as I found her to be a much more sympathetic character who I often wished I could reach into the book and hug. She represents the typical Victorian lady controlled and repressed by her husband who I often wanted to throttle because of his demeaning attitude towards her. Through her timeline we learn more about the attitude of a British explorer at the time and their attitudes towards other cultures which made my blood boil at times. It was fascinating to learn more about the Greek island she finds herself living on and learning more about the special spiders. Her relationship with Hera was also fascinating to explore and I loved watching her find freedom through her friendship with her. Henry on the other I wasn’t so quick to warm to as I found him incredibly gullible and needy which made him a bit annoying. He seemed easily drawn into Sir Edward’s world and a bit obsessed with the spiders as well as Sir Edward himself. His inability to see the truth of what was happening was a little frustrating at times particularly as it’s obvious to the reader early on that not everything is as it seems.
I thought this was a bit of a slow burn but I didn’t mind as I was enjoying learning more about the characters and exploring their worlds with them. The mystery surrounding the spiders was very intriguing to learn about and I loved discovering more about the spider silk- especially what it was capable of. The later timeline is set in an alternate Victorian period though it keeps some of the same characteristics namely the work houses and the horrendous working conditions in factories. It was heartbreaking to see how the workers had been affected by working at the factory and how it changed their lives.
The ending was brilliant and I found I couldn’t put the book down in the last few chapters. There were a few surprises that I hadn’t expected and, although I wish we could have followed Sophia’s story further, I was satisfied with how everything was tied up. This is the third book I’ve read by this author and I’m excited to read more from her in the future.
Huge thanks to Indie Thinking and the Borough Press for sending me a copy of this book.
About The Author:
Bridget Collins was born in 1981 in Kent, England. She always wanted to be an actor, and trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art after studying English at King’s College, Cambridge, but after she graduated from drama school she found herself starting to write a novel as a way to distract herself when she wasn’t working – and discovered that she loved it… Her first published novel, The Traitor Game, won the Branford Boase Award and was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. Since then she has published six more novels for teenagers. The Binding, her first adult novel, was published in January 2019, went straight to no. 2 in the Sunday Times bestseller list, was the bestselling adult debut hardback that year, and reached no. 1 on its paperback release. Her second adult novel, The Betrayals, was also a Sunday Times bestseller.
The Silence Factory will be published in May 2024.
Photos: copyright Symon Hamer
Over The Rainbow Blog 