The Silence Between Breaths By Cath Staincliffe

The Silence Between Breaths by Cath Staincliffe is another book that I bought online from Bookdepository as I was impressed with its ratings of 4.2 on Goodreads. If you are a fan of thrillers, you may be disappointed with this novel as the build up to the action is rather slow. It is a powerful and thought-provoking read and really pulled at my heartstrings.

The Silence Between Breaths by Cath Staincliffe

It’s a tale of how an act of terrorism on a train affects the lives of the passengers as well as the family of the suicide bomber. The novel is basically a story in two acts: before the act of terror and the aftermath.

We are introduced to several passengers on a train from Manchester to London. Holly has just landed her dream job and is going to London to do some shopping. Jeff is on his way to his first interview after months of unemployment. Nick, his wife Lisa and two young kids Evie and Eddie are heading to London to attend the wedding of Lisa’s sister. Elderly lesbian couple Meg and Diana and their dog are off to start a walking holiday. Middle-aged Caroline is on her way to meet up with an old friend, needing a break from family pressures from her teenage children and her mother who is suffering from dementia. An unhappy Rhona is on her way to a recruitment fair with her colleagues Felicity and Agata. Onboard customer service assistant Naz dreams of running his own restaurant as he collects rubbish from the passengers.

Little do they know their lives are about to change for every one of them in the most devastating way. For in the middle of the carriage sits Saheel, carrying a deadly rucksack.

Back home Saheel’s 13-year-old sister Kulsoom is working on a school art project. Her laptop crashes so she decides to use Saheel’s.She discovers what Saheel is planning to carry out a suicide bombing in a prepared video. Failing to contact anyone in her family she calls the police, hoping they can stop him in time.

Saheel succeeds in carrying out his mission, causing many deaths and serious injuries amidst massive devastation.

The rest of the book deals with the aftermath of how the survivors and their families as well as the families of those who perished attempt to cope and to pick up the pieces. Saheel’s family, heartbroken and devastated, have to be uprooted from their lives and relocated.

The overwhelming message of The Silence Between Breaths is that isolation is dangerous and making connections is the way to salvation. The book ends with a reunion, emphasising that interdependence will provide the strength for them to face the future.