A BBC RADIO 2 BOOKCLUB PICK
‘Engrossing and original, political and unpredictable, The Silence Project will get people talking’ – Bernardine Evaristo

Monster. Martyr. Mother.

On Emilia Morris’s thirteenth birthday, her mother Rachel moves into a tent at the bottom of their garden. From that day on, she never says another word. Inspired by her vow of silence, other women join her and together they build the Community. Eight years later, Rachel and thousands of her followers around the world burn themselves to death.

In the aftermath of what comes to be known as the Event, the Community’s global influence quickly grows. As a result, the whole world has an opinion about Rachel – whether they see her as a callous monster or a heroic martyr – but Emilia has never voiced hers publicly. Until now.

When she publishes her own account of her mother’s life in a memoir called The Silence Project, Emilia also decides to reveal just how sinister the Community has become. In the process, she steps out of Rachel’s shadow once and for all, so that her own voice may finally be heard.

Carole Hailey completed an MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London and a PhD in Creative Writing at Swansea University before being selected by the London Library as a 2020/21 Emerging Writer. ‘The Silence Project’ was chosen for the Radio 2 Book Club hosted by Zoe Ball on her Breakfast Show and on BBC Sounds. It was published In February 2023 by Corvus, an imprint of Atlantic Books, and is their 2023 Lead Debut. ‘The Silence Project’ was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award