Nessa Crowley's murderer has been protected by silence for ten years.
Until a team of documentary makers decide to find out the truth.
On the day of Henry and Keelin Kinsella's wild party at their big house a violent storm engulfed the island of Inisrun, cutting it off from the mainland. When morning broke Nessa Crowley's lifeless body lay in the garden, her last breath silenced by the music and the thunder. The killer couldn't have escaped Inisrun, but on-one was charged with the murder. The mystery that surrounded the death of Nessa remained hidden. But the islanders knew who to blame for the crime that changed them forever. Ten years later a documentary crew arrives, there to lift the lid off the Kinsella's carefully constructed lives, determined to find evidence that will prove Henry's guilt and Keelin's complicity in the murder of beautiful Nessa. In this bold, brilliant, disturbing new novel Louise O'Neill shows that deadly secrets are devastating to those who hold them close.
My Review:
Rating: 3/5 stars.
Firstly I'd like to thank Tandem Collective UK, Riverrun, Louise O'Neill and NetGalley for a hardback copy of After the Silence for an honest review!
I didn't expect this book to take me two weeks to read. I also stopped to read a book I was more interested in (ACOWAR, can't really blame me there). I just felt the pacing was very slow throughout the book. I wasn't very interested after reading 40 pages but I thought I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and see what happens. This book was 'advertised' as a thriller and well it isn't a thriller. It's more crime fiction/murder mystery than a thriller. I wasn't really satisfied with the ending either. It did clear up some issues that were raised earlier in the book but still I wanted a real 'twist' that had me shocked. This ending just had me disappointed. I don't think this book needs to be as long as it is. By the last 10 chapters I was just reading to get it finished rather than wanting to read it.
Having said all of this, I do think that Louise O'Neill dealt very well with the topic of domestic violence and all the different ways this can occur. She wrote Henry really well because I really didn't like him at all. The Tandem Collective question cards really got me thinking and I thought they were very well thought out. I really feel sorry for Keelin. She is very trapped in a marriage that will destroy her inside out. I also enjoyed the setting and how Irish culture is so prominent in the book. If you enjoy drawn out murder mysteries then you will love this book. Sadly, it wasn't really for me.
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