THE SILENT TREATMENT

In this debut novel, a man looks back at his relationship with his wife and tries to figure out where it went wrong in hopes that there’s still time to make things right.

When Frank’s wife, Maggie, collapses in their home, she ends up in a medically induced coma with an unclear prognosis. The nurse on duty tells Frank to talk to her—it’s good for patients to hear their loved ones’ voices. The only problem? Frank hasn’t spoken to Maggie in six months. Although Maggie has pleaded with him to speak to her, Frank has been unable to say a single word. And now, as his time might be running out, Frank attempts to tell Maggie what happened—starting with recounting the story of their entire 40-year relationship. Frank recalls the good times (their charming meet-cute at a bar, their early dates, their travels) as well as the hard times (years of loss and infertility). And then the arrival of their daughter, Eleanor, which changed everything. The story is as much about Frank's and Maggie’s difficult individual relationships with Eleanor as she grows up and begins to pull away from them as it is about their relationship with each other. Although the story is largely told from Frank’s point of view as he talks directly to Maggie, the reader also sees Maggie’s journal entries, meant for Frank to read. Greaves writes their distinct voices expressively and assuredly, making both characters come alive. Their struggle to help their daughter as she flounders is both realistic and moving, and it’s almost impossible not to like Frank and Maggie as they do everything they can to save her.

A sometimes-hopeful, often heartbreaking look at the difficult and beautiful moments of parenting and marriage.