The Silence Between Us

She is formulating a theory that marriage is more about what is unsaid rather than what is acknowledged; the accumulation of years together paradoxically forging a reticence, a shyness, which prevents the acknowledgement of small shafts of tenderness. It is easier not to say, not to reveal. Instead, to button oneself up firmly, like someone strapped to a mizzen mast, defying the sea spray hurled in one's face and focusing instead on the determination to persist. Anna and Tom's marriage has been bent out of shape since their youngest son was diagnosed with the genetically inherited condition Spinal Muscular Atrophy as a baby. As Anna becomes increasingly introverted and focused on five-year-old Teddy, the needs of her older son and husband start to fall by the wayside. It is only when Tom finds himself drawn to colleague Eliza that they are forced to look at what is happening to their family and tell each other how they feel once and for all. Told through the eyes of each member of the Worth family, this wonderfully honest, heart-breaking and ultimately uplifting novel looks at the stress disability can place on relationships and the importance of communication.