Silence Is A Sense by Layla Al Ammar

I received a proof of Silence Is A Sense by Kuwaiti novelist Layla Al Ammar from Borough Press - a massive thank you to them as it brightened up my week. It was one of the books I was very excited about for 2021, and I devoured it in two days 😍 Al Ammar is also the author of The Pact We Made, which I loved too. Silence Is A Sense is out on 4th March 2021.

The novel is in first person narrative - our protagonist is a young Syrian woman who has arrived to the UK as a refugee on her own, and has been placed in what appears to be a high rise tower in a council estate. We do not know her name and she is now mute. She often stands on her balcony or by her living room window and observes the going-ons in the other flats, mentally taking notes of everything.

As well as studying online for a degree, she writes a column for a news outlet under the pen name “The Voiceless.” Her editor constantly tries to deter her from writing about her political views and wants her to instead write stories about her journey to England, and her trauma. Our protagonist tries her hardest to stay hidden, but unfolding events in the local community turn her into an important witness.

The chapters move between the present time, her experiences during the early stages of the revolution and war in Syria, and her journey to the UK. The protagonist also shares her own writing with us. I found it really interesting how the people she engaged with via her writing were so adamant on her talking about her trauma. Through the novel we learn how silence can both protect and harm.

Emotional and gripping, I could not put it down. Elements of the novel reminded me of Ghassan Kanafani’s work. I am excited for the release of this novel and positive it will be enjoyed by many.