In the Quiet (Eliza Henry Jones, Fourth Estate)

Cate Carlton, narrator of In the Quiet, is dead but not ready to move on. She can’t remember how she died and lingers in a dreamlike, in-between place—gone, yet somehow still anchored in this world. We accompany her as she observes those she must leave behind, including her teenage daughter Jessa; her twin sons Cameron, who is plagued with anxiety, and his brother Rafferty, who was born with ‘a hardness’ Cate calls ‘the quiet’; her husband Sebastian; and the horses she has so lovingly trained and cared for on her rural property. As Cate reflects on her past, piecing together scattered memories and evaluating her life, death and unfinished business, she learns that just as time moves at its own pace, so too does the resolution of grief. I sometimes found Cate’s hovering presence disconcerting; she sees everything, perhaps some intimate moments a mother or wife never should? This sad, gentle story explores love, grief and family; the nature of time and memory; the destructiveness of secrets; and the pain of letting go. It’s an impressive debut and should appeal to readers who enjoyed Tree Palace, The Railwayman’s Wife and Foal’s Bread.

Paula Grunseit is a freelance journalist, editor and reviewer

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Category: Reviews