Andreas Campomar
Unhappy Families
The Rest is Silence
By Carla Guelfenbein (Translated by Katherine Silver)
Portobello Books 272pp £12.99
The Rest is Silence begins with a captivating premise. Tommy, a twelve-year-old trapped in the body of an eight-year-old due to a rare heart disease called hypoplastic left heart syndrome, hides beneath a table at a family wedding breakfast and records the adult conversations on his MP3 player. During his afternoon vigil, Tommy learns that his mother, Soledad (‘Solitude’ in Spanish), did not in fact die of an aneurysm but took her own life. From this moment, his cosseted life changes forever as he embarks on a quest to solve the mystery that surrounds her death.
While Tommy compiles his ‘Ten Discoveries About Mama’, his surgeon father, Juan, is preoccupied with a young patient who has a similar heart defect to his son’s. Meanwhile, Juan’s marriage to his second wife, Alma, comes under strain and the couple drift further apart. ‘Just like the white
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Are iPhones ruining children's lives? A prominent American psychologist thinks so.
@tiffanyjenkins is not so sure:
Tiffany Jenkins - The Smartphone Pandemic
Tiffany Jenkins: The Smartphone Pandemic - The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an...
literaryreview.co.uk
India's 'festival of democracy', or general election, begins next month. Like every good festival, it looks likely to have its fair share of murders and arrests.
@OwenBennettJon probes the state of democracy in India:
Owen Bennett-Jones - New Delhi Confidential
Owen Bennett-Jones: New Delhi Confidential - The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India by Alpa Shah
literaryreview.co.uk
Where is the world's newest narcostate and why is it thriving?
@AdamBrookesWord investigates Asia's meth mecca.
Adam Brookes - Meth Comes to Myanmar
Adam Brookes: Meth Comes to Myanmar - Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Outwitted the CIA by Patrick Winn
literaryreview.co.uk