A Small Silence

* Lead title for Autumn 2019 * Focused national media campaign to accompany launch * A powerful and ambitious novel, reminiscent of the alienated men of the existentialist novels of Ayi Kwei Armah's The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born and Albert Camus' The Outsider. * Deals thoughtfully with mental illness and the effects of trauma * A nuanced and insightful portrayal of the crisis of masculinity * Tackles issues of class and social inequality, and is peopled by carefully-drawn characters with flawed and affecting personalities

A layered and beautiful exploration of trauma and its aftermath, and a testament to the enduring power of human connection.

Prof is an ex-prisoner, activist and retired academic who resolves to live a life of darkness after his release from prison. He holes up in his apartment, pushing away friends and family, and embraces his status as an urban legend in the neighbourhood until a knock at the door shakes his existence.

His visitor is Desire, an orphan and final-year student who has grown up idolising Prof, following a fateful encounter in her hometown of Maroko, Nigeria, as a child.

Tentatively, the two begin to form a bond as she returns every night at 9pm to see him. However, the darkness of the room becomes a steady torment that threatens to drive Desire away for good.

A Small Silence is a layered and beautiful exploration of trauma and its aftermath, and a testament to the enduring power of human connection.