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When We Were Silent
When We Were Silent: A Novel | Fiona McPhillips
3 posts | 6 read | 4 to read
An outsider threatens to expose the secrets at an elite private school in this suspenseful debut novel for readers of My Dark Vanessa and Dare Me Louise Manson is the newest student at Highfield Manor, Dublins most exclusive private school. It seems nearly perfect: the high arched window alcoves and tall granite pillars, the overspill of lilac at the front gate and the immaculate playing fields, the giggling students, the dusty, oak-lined library, and the dark, festering secret she has come to expose. At first, Lous working-class status makes her the consummate outsider, though all that changes when she is befriended by the beautiful and wealthy Shauna Power. But Lou finds out that even Shauna is caught up in Highfields web, and her time there ends with a lifeless body sprawled at her feet. Thirty years later, Lou has rebuilt her life after the harrowing events of the so-called Highfield Affair, when she gets a shocking phone call. Ronan Power, Shaunas brother, is a high-profile lawyer bringing a lawsuit against the school. And he needs Lou to testify. Now with a daughter and career to protect, the last thing Lou wants is for Highfield Manor to be back in her life. But to finally free herself and others, she has to confront her past, go to battle once more, and discover, for once and for all, what really happened at Highfield. Powerful and compelling, When We Were Silent is an unputdownable, thrilling story of exploitation, privilege, and retribution.
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Lesliereadsalot
When We Were Silent: A Novel | Fiona McPhillips
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Mehso-so

The narrator goes back and forth between her life now and thirty years ago when she was a student at an elite private high school. The swim coach then was one bad dude, getting up to all sorts of bad dude things with the students. And now there‘s another swim coach up to the same shenanigans. It took 2/3 of the book to get to what happened “that fateful night”. Just happy to get to the end!

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Mpcacher
When We Were Silent: A Novel | Fiona McPhillips
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Pickpick

This is a story about an abusive, but successful, coach at a private school, who gets away with it because even when someone reports him, they are not believed. It was somewhat depressing because we know this this happens in real life and explains why so many victims remain silent. So although I found the book frustrating at times, it was still entertaining and a story that needs to be told. Thanks to Edelweiss+ for the digital ARC. 3.75/5

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TorieStorieS
When We Were Silent: A Novel | Fiona McPhillips
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Mehso-so

Well-performed, this debut #audiobook makes for a compelling listen. Told in past and present, Louise has had a complicated history with the elite school she briefly attended. She only went there with her own agenda, and though she‘s determined to get justice and expose secrets, her own feelings start to intrude. The modern storyline involving the school feels a bit weaker than the past one but the plot holds some real surprises too!