The Rest is Silence
Published on 9. February 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
978-1-918031-06-5 (ISBN)
Description
The Rest is Silence follows the story of Muriel Mead, an introspective schoolgirl who disappears from a village lane on the eve of World War II.
Was she a victim or simply a young woman determined to live on her own terms?
Told across companion narratives, The Rest is Silence presents the radically different accounts of two women bound to Muriel by memory, longing, and loss. As each narrator searches for answers, their stories reveal not a neat singular truth but a fractured mosaic-coloured by their own convictions about choice, possibility, and the nature of knowing.
The Rest is Silence offers a thoughtfully crafted meditation about the stories we tell, the silences we keep, and what it means to live out of step with the mainstream.
Was she a victim or simply a young woman determined to live on her own terms?
Told across companion narratives, The Rest is Silence presents the radically different accounts of two women bound to Muriel by memory, longing, and loss. As each narrator searches for answers, their stories reveal not a neat singular truth but a fractured mosaic-coloured by their own convictions about choice, possibility, and the nature of knowing.
The Rest is Silence offers a thoughtfully crafted meditation about the stories we tell, the silences we keep, and what it means to live out of step with the mainstream.
Reviews / Votes
'Reading The Rest of Silence is like spending time with several of your favourite authors, all within one novel. The mystery element in a wartime Cotswold village is utterly intriguing, the patterns of life and the personalities observed with the eye of an Elizabeth Taylor or a Josephine Tey. The twenty-first century resolution is a convincing and beautifully-weighted exploration of women's lives and their possibilities. Very highly recommended.'Shona McLean, author
More details
Person
Over a long working life Barbara Whitfield has variously stuffed envelopes, sold fish, books and coffee, carried out research for the OED and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, and edited non-fiction. She also completed a doctorate in Spanish Art History. She lives on a smallholding between the hills and the sea, in West Wales where she has learnt to re-roof a house, dig ditches, grow vegetables and write novels. Her debut, The Rest is Silence, was shortlisted for the JBA Debut Novel Award 2023 and ranked in the top 6% for the Bridport First Novel Award the same year.