Silver

by Scott Cairns

London, 1911 - The death of Avery Silver, an unremarkable, elderly gentleman should not cause a stir but when his daughter , Imogen, identifies his body a shocking secret is brought to light that not only disrupts her life but also makes her question her own identity. Silver is the story of one man's struggle to come to terms with being born in the wrong body. It is the story of how his daughter, a woman who, when faced with the question of her own heritage, finds some extraordinary answers. It is a novel about identity and love, exploring themes of gender, position, class and sexuality.

Genres: Historical, Fiction

362 pages, Paperback

First published August 14, 2012

Reviews

[Jemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good attempt at a tricky subject and the first half feels very real. The second half, however, is wooly and there are a number of unaddressed or inadequately addressed plot holes. Plus, this suffers from the lack of an editor (the curse of self-publishing)with some grammar and spelling mistakes. The spelling mistakes are usually a valid word but clearly the wrong word, which are the hardest to root out as spellcheckers don't recognise them. I don't mind this so much but I know this is a bete noire for many people. On one occasion though this has a bearing on the story, when the wrong character name is used for Silver when addressing Miss Evesham's father. You'll see what I mean when you read it and read it you should as it is still much better than much of the output of the publishing houses.

[Tadhg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this; it dove straight into the plot and jumping back and forth in time worked well as the different POV. I appreciated the language/pronouns used for Avery throughout and the shocked reaction of Imogen. The introduction of Elizabeth's POV was a bit jarring but once her role became clear and the fact that although the chapters were nominally POVs, they weren't first-person, her chapters advanced the plot well.
Still have questions, but we shouldn't expect stories of people's lives to wrap up neatly

[Chris Bullock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enthralling book, written very much in the style of the period. I enjoyed this from start to finish, the only minor complaint is that here and there words have been missed out. It could therefore benefit from a good proof read, however it does not detract from the story line or the style which was hugely enjoyable.

[Sarah Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Don't pay attention to what others tell you. Judge everything and everyone for yourself". So this intriguing book starts and to honour its premise, that is where this review will end. I urge you to read it and judge for yourself. #9 2015

[Bib · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well written long book. The story reminds me of Jackie Kay's Trumpet.

[Louise Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing debut novel. Read it!