Eva’s lonely childhood has given her an intuitive connection with kids and teenagers. She is a gifted child psychiatrist. Single, she dreams of having her own children, and she yearns for love. The future seems bright when she meets Lyman. They build a family. They share adventures. They meet life’s challenges as team. They navigate a bout of Lyman’s depression; treatment works.
They share rich, fulfilling years while their careers develop, and their children grow up.
When their sons enter adulthood and their daughter is a teenager, they plan an entire summer as a family. But Lyman abruptly stops both therapy and medication. He spirals into a dark and irritable isolation that none of them can penetrate.
After his brutal suicide, Eva is left to cope and to guide her children through the trauma, as they each rebuild their lives
This is a beautifully written literary family drama that explores some very realistic and heartbreaking themes, including mental health, depression, suicide, grief, and the lasting impact they have on an entire family. The story is so immersive, authentic, and relatable that it felt like I was reading about real-life characters, and I was really invested in them.
I loved the structure, starting with protagonist Eva in 2018 as she reflects on a major regret and then to the mid-1970s when she first met her husband, Lyman. The story then works its way through the decades, allowing you to understand their relationship dynamic and how it changes. Eva’s role as a mother, both to her children (especially as she attempts to shelter them from their father’s moods and depression) and as a mother figure to her own husband through her constant worry about his mental health, is very pronounced. The beauty of Vermont’s mountains, lakes, and forests takes center stage in several scenes, and I loved how they become places of connection and comfort for Eva, Lyman, and their children.
Eva is a really compelling protagonist—the neglect she experienced as a child inspired her to become a child psychiatrist, and although she’s such a strong-willed woman, her childhood trauma resurfaces when she’s most distressed over her husband’s mental health crisis. The whole story is told from her 3rd-person POV, beginning as she prepares to leave the family home she’s lived in for decades and looks back on her marriage, still wondering if she could have prevented Lyman’s death. It’s an immediate reminder that these types of tragedies never leave us, no matter how much time goes by, and if you’ve lost someone too soon, it will definitely strike a chord. 🥹
I love how the story then jumps back to the beginning of Eva’s life in Vermont in 1975, where she later meets Professor Lyman Willis—and their relationship development is so believable and relatable. It unfolds slowly through shared conversations and their mutual love of Vermont’s wilderness. There are signs right away that Lyman’s a closed-off man and is obsessively committed to his work—almost to the point that he doesn’t seem interested in Eva at all. I was a bit frustrated with Eva as she seemed oblivious to his red flags, but it’s very realistic for a relationship of that era, when women were conditioned to not question things as much and when mental health was hardly discussed.
The story then jumps to the 1980s, where they’re married, spend a working year in Malawi, and begin raising their children, Gabe, Ezra, and Olivia. Without giving too much away, Lyman’s depression emerges in the late 1980s, and he responds well to treatment. For many people, depression is a lifelong struggle, especially when it’s generational—and as the story unfolds, Eva learns things about Lyman and his family that she wishes she’d known earlier—all so realistic that it may hit home for readers.
As Eva’s children grow up, the story effectively shows how Lyman’s depression touches every member of the family. Even though I knew what was coming, I still wasn’t prepared for the emotional climax—it’s heartbreaking, and because I’d already been on such an emotional journey with Eva by that point, I felt all her shock, panic, anger, and need to be strong for her kids. Some scenes are so honestly written that it’s impossible to read them without getting emotional. And if you’ve experienced depression or have watched someone you love struggle with it, so many scenes in this book will feel painfully familiar.
Even though this isn’t an easy read, it’s very difficult to put down. The short chapters, immersive writing, and authentic characters make it very easy to finish over a weekend. The story has reflective conclusion that will leave you thinking about the characters and everything you’ve read long afterward. The book is a great book club option, as there’s so much to discuss about how the story depicts grief, mental illness, family dynamics, regret, and healing. I highly recommend reading the author’s note, where she explains how her years working as a therapist helping families through difficult situations inspired her to write this book with the hope that it would offer insight and comfort. If any of this sounds even remotely intriguing, or you think this story may be helpful to you in any way, definitely add this one to your TBR!
Narrator Performance
In The Shadow Of Silence is read by seasoned voice actor Rebecca Avery. She does a fantastic job of conveying how Eva’s voice evolves over the decades. At the start in 2018, she gives Eva an older, reflective voice tinged with a bit of regret, drawing you in as she looks back on Lyman’s death. When the story jumps back to 1975, Avery completely shifts her portrayal of Eva, giving her a youthful, energetic voice that captures a young woman in her 20s who’s just moved to Vermont to begin her career and hopes to find someone to share her life with.
The romance between Eva and Lyman is a major highlight. As Eva tries to figure out whether Lyman has feelings for her, you can hear the uncertainty and anxiety in her inner thoughts, and it comes across as very authentic and relatable. Their shared conversations and walks through Vermont’s wilderness are narrated with very natural pacing and expression, and it feels like listening to a real slow-burn romance unfold.
As the years pass and Lyman’s depression emerges, Avery gives a dynamic performance of him. When he’s first dealing with depression, he’s given a quieter, heavier tone, but after the treatment begins working, he sounds more like the kind, thoughtful man from earlier on. When his depression resurfaces and he tries to come off his medication, the interactions between Eva and Lyman are especially captivating—you can literally feel the tension between them, and Avery emphasizes Eva’s unconditional love, frustration, and exhaustion so authentically that you’ll really feel empathy for her. When Eva interacts with her children, Avery shifts her tone to sound warm and reassuring, making it clear how much Eva wants to protect them and believes she can handle everything on her own. When tragedy strikes and Eva receives the shocking news and deals with everything that follows, the scenes are delivered with such emotional intensity that you’ll need to have some tissues nearby. 😭
In the epilogue, back in 2018 when Eva comes out of reflection to interact with her grown children and ponders her future, Avery’s delivery beautifully conveys that although Eva’s regret is not completely gone, she’s found acceptance and is ready to let her children live their own lives. The optimistic voice she’s given in the last scenes shows how she’s embracing new goals for herself and leaves listeners on an uplifting note after such an emotional roller coaster.
If you enjoy emotional family dramas with relatable characters and meaningful themes, add this to your listening list ASAP! Avery’s performance will stay with you long after you’ve finished listening!
Narrator Performance
In The Shadow Of Silence is read by seasoned voice actor Rebecca Avery. She does a fantastic job of conveying how Eva’s voice evolves over the decades. At the start in 2018, she gives Eva an older, reflective voice tinged with a bit of regret, drawing you in as she looks back on Lyman’s death. When the story jumps back to 1975, Avery completely shifts her portrayal of Eva, giving her a youthful, energetic voice that captures a young woman in her 20s who’s just moved to Vermont to begin her career and hopes to find someone to share her life with.
The romance between Eva and Lyman is a major highlight. As Eva tries to figure out whether Lyman has feelings for her, you can hear the uncertainty and anxiety in her inner thoughts, and it comes across as very authentic and relatable. Their shared conversations and walks through Vermont’s wilderness are narrated with very natural pacing and expression, and it feels like listening to a real slow-burn romance unfold.
As the years pass and Lyman’s depression emerges, Avery gives a dynamic performance of him. When he’s first dealing with depression, he’s given a quieter, heavier tone, but after the treatment begins working, he sounds more like the kind, thoughtful man from earlier on. When his depression resurfaces and he tries to come off his medication, the interactions between Eva and Lyman are especially captivating—you can literally feel the tension between them, and Avery emphasizes Eva’s unconditional love, frustration, and exhaustion so authentically that you’ll really feel empathy for her. When Eva interacts with her children, Avery shifts her tone to sound warm and reassuring, making it clear how much Eva wants to protect them and believes she can handle everything on her own. When tragedy strikes and Eva receives the shocking news and deals with everything that follows, the scenes are delivered with such emotional intensity that you’ll need to have some tissues nearby. 😭
In the epilogue, back in 2018 when Eva comes out of reflection to interact with her grown children and ponders her future, Avery’s delivery beautifully conveys that although Eva’s regret is not completely gone, she’s found acceptance and is ready to let her children live their own lives. The optimistic voice she’s given in the last scenes shows how she’s embracing new goals for herself and leaves listeners on an uplifting note after such an emotional roller coaster.
If you enjoy emotional family dramas with relatable characters and meaningful themes, add this to your listening list ASAP! Avery’s performance will stay with you long after you’ve finished listening!
In The Shadow Of Silence is read by seasoned voice actor Rebecca Avery. She does a fantastic job of conveying how Eva’s voice evolves over the decades. At the start in 2018, she gives Eva an older, reflective voice tinged with a bit of regret, drawing you in as she looks back on Lyman’s death. When the story jumps back to 1975, Avery completely shifts her portrayal of Eva, giving her a youthful, energetic voice that captures a young woman in her 20s who’s just moved to Vermont to begin her career and hopes to find someone to share her life with.
The romance between Eva and Lyman is a major highlight. As Eva tries to figure out whether Lyman has feelings for her, you can hear the uncertainty and anxiety in her inner thoughts, and it comes across as very authentic and relatable. Their shared conversations and walks through Vermont’s wilderness are narrated with very natural pacing and expression, and it feels like listening to a real slow-burn romance unfold.
As the years pass and Lyman’s depression emerges, Avery gives a dynamic performance of him. When he’s first dealing with depression, he’s given a quieter, heavier tone, but after the treatment begins working, he sounds more like the kind, thoughtful man from earlier on. When his depression resurfaces and he tries to come off his medication, the interactions between Eva and Lyman are especially captivating—you can literally feel the tension between them, and Avery emphasizes Eva’s unconditional love, frustration, and exhaustion so authentically that you’ll really feel empathy for her. When Eva interacts with her children, Avery shifts her tone to sound warm and reassuring, making it clear how much Eva wants to protect them and believes she can handle everything on her own. When tragedy strikes and Eva receives the shocking news and deals with everything that follows, the scenes are delivered with such emotional intensity that you’ll need to have some tissues nearby. 😭
In the epilogue, back in 2018 when Eva comes out of reflection to interact with her grown children and ponders her future, Avery’s delivery beautifully conveys that although Eva’s regret is not completely gone, she’s found acceptance and is ready to let her children live their own lives. The optimistic voice she’s given in the last scenes shows how she’s embracing new goals for herself and leaves listeners on an uplifting note after such an emotional roller coaster.
If you enjoy emotional family dramas with relatable characters and meaningful themes, add this to your listening list ASAP! Avery’s performance will stay with you long after you’ve finished listening!
