The Silence Between Breaths

Goodreads Description

Eight people, one deadly secret. Passengers boarding the 10:35 train from Manchester, Piccadilly to London, Euston are bound for work, assignations, reunions, holidays or new starts, with no idea that their journey is about to be brutally curtailed. Holly has just landed her dream job, which should make life a lot easier than it has been, and Jeff is heading for his first ever work interview after months of unemployment. They end up sitting next to each other. On board customer service assistant Naz dreams of better things as he collects rubbish from the passengers. And among the others travelling are Nick with his young family who are driving him crazy; pensioner Meg and her partner setting off on a walking holiday and facing an uncertain future; Caroline, run ragged by the competing demands of her stroppy teenage children and her demented mother; and Rhona, unhappy at work and desperate to get home to her small daughter. And in the middle of the carriage sits Saheel, carrying a deadly rucksack . . .

My Review

A rather difficult book to review based on the subject matter that it covers. It's tough to say that I enjoyed a book about terrorism and the devastation that it causes.

At the end of the day, this is a well written and rather gripping read. The book isn't very long and I finished it in just under a day, which is testimony to the fact that I did enjoy it. It's a very relevant and topical read, and after waking up on Sunday morning to news about further terror attacks in London, the topic and message of this book is very apt.

I must be honest and say that I found this a rather depressing and upsetting book. I have very strong feelings about the terror that has been unleashed on our world in recent times, and I simply cannot accept the number of senseless murders, the devastation to families and the pure evil that is now part of our world because of these terrorists. I cannot understand how these things can be done in the name of religion. This means that a book like this one was always going to be difficult for me to read. My blood boils when I consider this subject matter.

Having said that, the author did a good job of introducing the characters to us, of making us feel something for them and then of creating an upsetting although somewhat predictable ending. Overall, this is a good read that remains topical in the world we live in today. It's received many great reviews, and many readers have loved it, probably due to its relevance. I thought it was good, but I can't rave about it for the reasons that I set out above. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the author tries to justify terrorism or terror attacks, because she doesn't, but I'm just not sure that a book about a devastating terror attack is what I want to be reading in current times. It was a good, straight forward story that is bound to get your blood pumping and your emotions flowing.

For me, I think that I'll rather leave my reading about terror attacks to the news reports. Sadly, we seem to have plenty to read in that regard. But if you are after a relevant, moving, emotional and slightly upsetting read, then you may "enjoy" this one.

My Rating: * * *

Publication Date: September 2016

Genre: Literary Fiction

Format: Trade paperback

Source: My own purchased copy.