The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins- Book review

Here is my review of The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins- gothic historical fiction.

Henry dreams of silence.

A world without the clattering of carriages through cobbled streets, the distant cries of drunken brawls, the relentless ticking of the clock. Then he meets a fascinating, mysterious gentleman who sells just that. Precious silk that can drown out the clamour of the world – and everything Henry is so desperate to escape. Summoned to Sir Edward’s secluded factory to try to cure his young daughter’s deafness, Henry is soon drawn deeper and deeper into the origins of this otherworldly gift: a gift that has travelled from ancient Mediterranean glades to English libraries. Ignoring repeated warnings from the girl’s secretive governess, he allows himself to fall under the spell of Sir Edward and his silk… but when he learns its true cost, will it be too late to turn back?

Review

Here is my review of this gothic historical fiction by Bridget Collins, The Silence Factory

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.

The writing in the book is gorgeous from  the surreal and unsettling feel of Teverton, the town forced by economic necessity to produce the magical cloth even though it is destroying their children to Sir Edward’s stately home equipped with a dour governess… Henry, is one of the point of view characters, a young man struggling with grief of losing his wife during childbirth leading to  his slow, destructive obsession with Sir Edward makes him at times an unsympathetic character. I enjoyed Henry’s story, his struggle with grief and the eventual resolution of his story. Sir Edward, is shadowy presence through the book and his manipulation of Henry’s emotions for his gain makes uncomfortable reading ( in a god way)

However, I did struggle with Sophia’s story and was found myself speed reading through these chapters ( even though these again are beautifully written. I’m not sure how this added to the overall story except to give us a history of these magical spiders and their webs.

This book depicts  a time when industrialists could control a town and its people with employment, a time of child labour and where women had no rights, – this isn’t a gothic love story!

Content Warning

References to death during childbirth ,descriptions of miscarriage, arachnophobes might struggle with this one

Perfect for Fans of

Gothic historical fiction with an edge