My Daughter's Silence: A page-turning, heartbreaking novel from Irish novelist Caroline Finnerty

by Caroline Finnerty, Caroline Lennon (Reader)

Audio CD

Published April 16, 2025

About the author

Thank you for visiting my author page. I am an Irish author living on the banks of the Grand Canal in Co. Kildare with my husband and our four young children. My books have been described as emotional tearjerkers and always have a big dilemma at their heart. I love to explore the different sides of human behaviour and why we do what we do. My 5th book THE LAST DAYS OF US will be published by Boldwood in June 2021. You can find out more about me on my website www.carolinefinnerty.ie or contact me on Facebook (carolinefinnertywriter) or Twitter (@cfinnertywriter).

Reviews

[Victoria]

Disclaimer: This review is not meant to put down the author. Every book resonates differently with readers, and this one just wasn't for me.

Every once in a while, I come across a book that leaves me wondering why I just put myself through that. Unfortunately, My Daughter’s Silence is one of them. What promised to be a gripping mother-daughter mystery set against the backdrop of an elite school mystery turned out to be one of the most tedious reading experiences I’ve had in a while.

Let’s start with the pacing. It was painfully slow. The book drags through endless descriptions of poverty and internal monologues, with barely any real action. The mother and daughter barely communicate, and instead of tension building through dialogue or meaningful moments, we get page after page of repetitive thoughts. By the halfway mark, I found myself skimming, just trying to get to something that would justify the 59 chapters of nothingness. Spoiler: Nothing did.

The plot itself was all over the place with no clear direction. Instead of a carefully woven mystery, it felt like the story was meandering with no real sense of urgency. And the ending was disappointing. It lacked impact, leaving me wondering why I had invested all that time in the first place.

But the biggest missed opportunity was the daughter’s mental state. This should have been the emotional core of the book, the thing that gave it depth. Instead, it was rushed through, never fully explored, and we’re left without truly understanding or caring about her struggles.

At its core, My Daughter’s Silence had potential. There was something there that could have worked. But between the slow pacing, lack of emotion, repetitive storytelling, and an underwhelming conclusion, it felt unfinished and, frankly, frustrating. If you’re looking for a mystery that keeps you on edge, this isn’t it. However, if you go in expecting a slow-burn mother-daughter story, it might be worth a read. Just don’t expect high stakes or heart-racing moments.

[Helen]

This author is a new one for
Me and one I will definitely look to read more of in the future. This was a story of a single mum and her daughter and of a mums desire to strive to do the very best for her daughter and to meet all of her needs as well as she possibly can but at what cost and what consequences will this all end up coming to.

This was an emotional and heartfelt read that really tares at your heartstrings and am sure a lot of readers who are mums reading this will be able to relate even more deeply to the story.

I won’t say anymore than that as it is hard to review without giving spoilers.

[Melissa Woods]

This book follows a mother and daughter who have been through a difficult patch whilst trying to make people believe that the daughter wasn’t involved.

This story is testing the limits of what to believe and the need to believe that cause issues between the mother and daughter, other people and the people who the. Other works with.

Trust is brought to life when the situation becomes too much to bear and lives are put at risk.

[Carol Drinkwater]

Brilliant from the beginning until the end, a great story with everything brought to a satisfactory conclusion.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book.