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The Silent Period
Not yet published
Expected 24 Feb 26A world–weary, disillusioned young woman grapples with the complexities of communication in this arresting novel from Italy’s “new Sally Rooney” (Corriere della Sera).
Cristina Martino is 28 and adrift. Underemployed at a university library, she still lives at home with her parents in Turin, in the shadow of her married, affable older sister Elena. One night, as she listlessly scrolls through Instagram, Cristina decides to delete her social media profiles.
What is at first a digital detox becomes an act of self– Cristina ceases to speak. While continuing her daily life, she deprives herself of words and gestures, at first maintaining only essential communication through writing and, finally, eliminating even that. When Cristina disappears completely, Elena desperately tries to find her, and, in the process, discovers a world much quieter and stranger than she ever imagined.
Blending sparse prose, bilious wit, and unexpected tenderness, Manfredi probes at the condition of solitude—whether chosen or suffered, salvific or fatal—and the ineffability of existence. A slender novel of big ideas, The Silent Period is an indictment of modern hypocrisy and a testament to our need for genuine human connection.
Cristina Martino is 28 and adrift. Underemployed at a university library, she still lives at home with her parents in Turin, in the shadow of her married, affable older sister Elena. One night, as she listlessly scrolls through Instagram, Cristina decides to delete her social media profiles.
What is at first a digital detox becomes an act of self– Cristina ceases to speak. While continuing her daily life, she deprives herself of words and gestures, at first maintaining only essential communication through writing and, finally, eliminating even that. When Cristina disappears completely, Elena desperately tries to find her, and, in the process, discovers a world much quieter and stranger than she ever imagined.
Blending sparse prose, bilious wit, and unexpected tenderness, Manfredi probes at the condition of solitude—whether chosen or suffered, salvific or fatal—and the ineffability of existence. A slender novel of big ideas, The Silent Period is an indictment of modern hypocrisy and a testament to our need for genuine human connection.
256 pages, Paperback
Expected publication February 24, 2026
9 people are currently reading
4830 people want to read
About the author
Francesca Manfredi
12 books46 followersFrancesca Manfredi è una scrittrice italiana. Nel 2015 è stata tra gli autori della serie teatrale 6Bianca realizzata dal Teatro Stabile di Torino. Tiene corsi di narrazione alla Scuola Holden di Torino, fondata nel 1994 da Alessandro Baricco. È rappresentata da Andrew Wylie, un famoso agente letterario statunitense, che ha conosciuto in occasione di una lezione da lui tenuta presso la Scuola Holden. Alcuni suoi lavori sono stati pubblicati su Linus (periodico) e sul Corriere della Sera. Afferma di essere stata influenzata dal minimalismo di Raymond Carver.
La sua prima raccolta di racconti Un buon posto dove stare ha vinto il Premio Campiello nella sezione Opera Prima 2017. Nel 2019 pubblica il suo primo romanzo, L'impero della polvere, edito da La nave di Teseo.
La sua prima raccolta di racconti Un buon posto dove stare ha vinto il Premio Campiello nella sezione Opera Prima 2017. Nel 2019 pubblica il suo primo romanzo, L'impero della polvere, edito da La nave di Teseo.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 9, 2025
No, non ci siamo. Seconda chance che le dò, ovviamente ultima, non me ne voglia (come se qui sopra leggesse qualcuno, ormai è diventato il mio quaderno degli appunti personali, scrivo per ricordare, scrivo per come sto in quel momento, non leggo quasi più i commenti, essere qui sopra e pensare serva a qualcosa è come essere ricchi con i soldi del Monopoli).
La protagonista di questo romanzo vince la palma d'oro come protagonista più antipatica, più assurda, più vittima - in buona compagnia, diciamo pari merito, con quell'altra simpatica della protagonista di quel libro assurdo che è l'oblio della Moshfegh (pun intended) - della storia. Il racconto di questa pseudo esperienza è banale, piatto, senza mai un guizzo e lo è pure la scrittura che non mi ha mai dato un motivo per andare avanti. Ma io sono testarda e sono arrivata alla fine e l'ultima parte è ancora più irritante della prima: il cambio di persona, una sorta di spiegazione, un po' di pietismo, un po' di buonismo, insomma un'insalata mista e scondita.
Peccato. Peccato davvero perché l'idea era buona: prima scompaio dai social, poi smetto di parlare, perché le parole servono a poco e tanto continuiamo solo a fraintenderci e a ferirci, e poi, piano piano, scompaio del tutto. Mi piaceva l'idea del silenzio, i silenzi si imparano, io ho imparato tardi e solo quando le persone valgono poco, l'idea di scomparire piano piano dai contatti inutili e anche dagli amici - che poi tanto amici non sono per davvero - e anche l'idea del non scrivere più (qui, da nessuna parte, mai più aprire un file per raccontare, è un'idea con cui gioco da un bel po'). C'erano tutte le premesse e poi, invece, quello che ne è uscito è un mezzo disastro, una scrittura piatta, una fine incerta.
Forse le belle idee dovrebbero rimanere solo nella nostra testa, come quel bicchiere di birra che ho bevuto a Manchester l'altra sera, era così stonato, così fuori luogo, come me in quel pub seduta a un tavolo da sola mentre un tizio cercava di raccontarmi cose.
La protagonista di questo romanzo vince la palma d'oro come protagonista più antipatica, più assurda, più vittima - in buona compagnia, diciamo pari merito, con quell'altra simpatica della protagonista di quel libro assurdo che è l'oblio della Moshfegh (pun intended) - della storia. Il racconto di questa pseudo esperienza è banale, piatto, senza mai un guizzo e lo è pure la scrittura che non mi ha mai dato un motivo per andare avanti. Ma io sono testarda e sono arrivata alla fine e l'ultima parte è ancora più irritante della prima: il cambio di persona, una sorta di spiegazione, un po' di pietismo, un po' di buonismo, insomma un'insalata mista e scondita.
Peccato. Peccato davvero perché l'idea era buona: prima scompaio dai social, poi smetto di parlare, perché le parole servono a poco e tanto continuiamo solo a fraintenderci e a ferirci, e poi, piano piano, scompaio del tutto. Mi piaceva l'idea del silenzio, i silenzi si imparano, io ho imparato tardi e solo quando le persone valgono poco, l'idea di scomparire piano piano dai contatti inutili e anche dagli amici - che poi tanto amici non sono per davvero - e anche l'idea del non scrivere più (qui, da nessuna parte, mai più aprire un file per raccontare, è un'idea con cui gioco da un bel po'). C'erano tutte le premesse e poi, invece, quello che ne è uscito è un mezzo disastro, una scrittura piatta, una fine incerta.
Forse le belle idee dovrebbero rimanere solo nella nostra testa, come quel bicchiere di birra che ho bevuto a Manchester l'altra sera, era così stonato, così fuori luogo, come me in quel pub seduta a un tavolo da sola mentre un tizio cercava di raccontarmi cose.
May 15, 2024
Un romanzo contemporaneo italiano che fa riflettere tantissimo sulla comunicazione e sul mondo dei social.
Una lettura davvero molto interessante dal punto di vista socio-culturale e psicologico. Nonostante sia un libro abbastanza breve perché sotto le 300 pagine va letto con calma, metabolizzando informazioni e pensieri che ne scaturiscono. La tematica è molto attuale, com’è anche attualissimo il contesto in cui si svolge la storia. La storia, i suoi sviluppi, i risvolti finali, è stato tutto molto ben ragionato e tutt’altro che banale, con un finale che ha saputo stupirmi perché esce completamente dai binari della prevedibilità. Anche lo stile di scrittura mi è piaciuto. 4,5★
Una lettura davvero molto interessante dal punto di vista socio-culturale e psicologico. Nonostante sia un libro abbastanza breve perché sotto le 300 pagine va letto con calma, metabolizzando informazioni e pensieri che ne scaturiscono. La tematica è molto attuale, com’è anche attualissimo il contesto in cui si svolge la storia. La storia, i suoi sviluppi, i risvolti finali, è stato tutto molto ben ragionato e tutt’altro che banale, con un finale che ha saputo stupirmi perché esce completamente dai binari della prevedibilità. Anche lo stile di scrittura mi è piaciuto. 4,5★
January 5, 2026
this book is what finally convinced me to delete instagram off my phone LOL. this feels like the 2026 version of my year of rest and relaxation, rather than sally rooney as the synopsis says. compulsively readable and relatable. really loved the tone and the style, and i flew through the book.
while our narrator goes from simply deleting social media to the more extreme vow of complete silence, the message is clear: we weren’t built for all the noise that crowds our lives. what would it be like to stop contributing to the noise? would you still be human? what are the limits of our connection with each other? i also loved how this ended, with the switch in POV.
this was a great start to my 2026 reading. really digs in to a lot of things i think we’re all grappling with recently and has set the scene for what i’m hoping will be a more quiet, analog year. 4.5⭐️
thank you to ww norton and netgalley for the digital copy!
while our narrator goes from simply deleting social media to the more extreme vow of complete silence, the message is clear: we weren’t built for all the noise that crowds our lives. what would it be like to stop contributing to the noise? would you still be human? what are the limits of our connection with each other? i also loved how this ended, with the switch in POV.
this was a great start to my 2026 reading. really digs in to a lot of things i think we’re all grappling with recently and has set the scene for what i’m hoping will be a more quiet, analog year. 4.5⭐️
thank you to ww norton and netgalley for the digital copy!
March 25, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️,5/5
un libro che ho trovato estremamente attuale, mi sono ritrovata molto nella protagonista Cristina, la quale deciderà di iniziare questo suo “percorso” eliminandosi inizialmente da qualsiasi social, per poi proseguire smettendo completamente di parlare.
Un messaggio forte e potente quello che ci viene “lanciato” che ci porterà a riflettere sulla solitudine e il “vuoto” comunicativo delle nostre vite.
un libro che ho trovato estremamente attuale, mi sono ritrovata molto nella protagonista Cristina, la quale deciderà di iniziare questo suo “percorso” eliminandosi inizialmente da qualsiasi social, per poi proseguire smettendo completamente di parlare.
Un messaggio forte e potente quello che ci viene “lanciato” che ci porterà a riflettere sulla solitudine e il “vuoto” comunicativo delle nostre vite.
February 14, 2026
I ended up giving The Silent Period about 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. The writing itself was technically excellent — really sharp, precise prose that felt carefully constructed and thoughtful all the way through. Francesca Manfredi clearly knew exactly what she was doing stylistically, and I appreciated that level of craft.
That said, the pacing was slow. Like… noticeably slow. It often felt like a chore to get through, even when I could see what the book was trying to build emotionally. I respected it more than I actually enjoyed reading it, if that makes sense.
Nicol Zanzarella’s narration was strong and expressive, and she handled the tone of the story well, which definitely helped keep me engaged during the quieter stretches.
Overall, I was glad I experienced it, even if it tested my patience at times. Thank you to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.
That said, the pacing was slow. Like… noticeably slow. It often felt like a chore to get through, even when I could see what the book was trying to build emotionally. I respected it more than I actually enjoyed reading it, if that makes sense.
Nicol Zanzarella’s narration was strong and expressive, and she handled the tone of the story well, which definitely helped keep me engaged during the quieter stretches.
Overall, I was glad I experienced it, even if it tested my patience at times. Thank you to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.
December 2, 2025
I received "The Silent Period" by Francesca Manfredi (translatedby Ekin Oklap) as an Advanced Reading Copy from BookBrowse. It was hard to finish, but I did. this book was just not for me. I didn't like any of the characters, most especially Cristina. The premise was different, but more might have been done to make it more interesting. I can see it being interpreted in different ways. I chose to see it as a journey through mental illness. That was the only way I could accept Cristina's ambivalence to the worry she caused her family and friends.
I didn't like this book, but I hope it is a good read for others.
I didn't like this book, but I hope it is a good read for others.
February 11, 2024
Un voto che non è un voto. Una ricerca che non è ricerca. Una pausa dalle comunicazioni che, paradossalmente, prende e comunica. Perché il silenzio dice sempre qualcosa, anche quando non vuol dire nulla.
In un mondo social che ci spinge sempre su schieramenti opposti, in cui bisogna sempre prendere posizione ed esprimere la propria opinione su tutto ecco un testo liberatorio che accarezza le nostre fragilità e mette a tacere il nostro costante bisogno di approvazione.
In un mondo social che ci spinge sempre su schieramenti opposti, in cui bisogna sempre prendere posizione ed esprimere la propria opinione su tutto ecco un testo liberatorio che accarezza le nostre fragilità e mette a tacere il nostro costante bisogno di approvazione.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
My Rating : ⭐⭐⭐
The ending was both interesting and upsetting. I wish there was more on this book in English so that I can see other people's interpretations on this read. I’ve never claimed to be the brightest, and I often miss some nuances in writings like this, so I’d love to see what other people thought of this book (in English).
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was definitely intrigued by the concept of this book. A girl, close to my age, deciding one day to stop speaking, a vow of silence, and much of her book is her battling with the reason behind this choice, and the consequences of it. On the surface it’s a very interesting plot, but for this one central theme it was really dragged out and slow. Much of the book is our main character monologuing to the reader about works, speech, society, death, etc. This really leads me to believe this book is not just this surface level plot of a girl deciding not to speak, but really a look into the mind of someone with severe mental illness, and we see how her choice not only harms her, but the people she “loves”
What I Loved:
I loved that some parts were very deep, analyzing the society we live in today, with social media and how we act outside of it. Mainly the fact that our words have lost a lot of their meaning and depth.
What I Didn’t Love:
For a book about a woman taking a personal vow of silence, she sure does yap a lot on the page. There are whole chapters, not even broken up into easier to digest paragraphs, or her just monologing, not to anyone, just to the reader. This takes up about 90% of the book. There’s a whole chapter about her fish that felt so unnecessary.
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
While there were a lot of amazingly deep moments of introspection and social commentary in this book, a lot of the writing was drawn out well past necessary. I think this book would have been amazing if it were 100 pages shorter and some of the extra gunk was cut.
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐
I HATED our main character. She was sick, and not in the loveable manic pixie dream girl way, but in the -you’re an awful fucking person- way. She would lie about trauma to push people away, used people to her benefit and offered nothing good in return. She was entirely selfish and rude. She made this choice of not speaking, which benefited her NON, and in turn hurt literally everyone in her life and didn’t even feel bad about it. Only painted herself as a victim to a situation she herself caused.
I loved the side characters, her friend, her boyfriend, her sister; You can really see how much they all love her, and do their best to respect her choice. Yet our MC does not budge and only pushes them all further away.
The ending was both interesting and upsetting. I wish there was more on this book in English so that I can see other people's interpretations on this read. I’ve never claimed to be the brightest, and I often miss some nuances in writings like this, so I’d love to see what other people thought of this book (in English).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2025
I knew The Silent Period was going to be different, and that was part of the appeal. Although I could not relate to the first page of the "Reptile" opening chapter about suicide seeming pure or promising or appealing in any way (a knife looking better against one's skin instead of a loaf of bread), this short chapter's second page presented more of a universal thought: what would life be like without social media? The author touches upon the eyeball-roll boredom of posed photos with people more concerned with a photo of themselves in a place rather than enjoying the location itself. I found myself continuing to be interested in the story of Cristina (the 28-year-old, first-person narrator) with "September," chapter two. Common, everyday settings and activities versus Kafka-ish dreams of becoming a reptile make the book more universally appealing.
I found myself wondering as I read if the author was trying to document depression begins to take over a person's life and ultimately silences them, either literally or figuratively. It did seem like a search for meaning in one's life, the struggles many people have with varying degrees of depression, and shallow relationships with few truly concerned friends or family members were all a part of this book. Interestingly, however, even the protagonist does not know what to call her decision/lifestyle change, saying only "I started this 'thing' (I don't know what to call it: a journey?..." (p. 190).
Something that I understood in Part One of THE SILENT PERIOD was the attempt of friends like Daniele to stay in touch with Cristina through letters. Since I have made this attempt with a couple of special friends who had seemed quite different and somehow troubled during our last time together, I know the sadness of not being able to help a dear friend, of not knowing what was happening, and as time passed, not knowing if a friend was even still alive.
Part two of the book has some interesting observations in the form of a social media chat group. For example, "...I think that intelligence and common sense can also be measured through the ways we choose not to say anything." And, of course, just like often happens in real life, a sarcastic troll has to interrupt with a comment; in this case it is:"The real news is to find a woman who can be quiet for longer than a minute. hahahahaha."
Not really a 4 star for me, but I feel it deserves to be rounded up rather than rounded down. I appreciated the reading experience. Thank you to BookBrowse and W.W.Norton Publishers for my ARC.
I found myself wondering as I read if the author was trying to document depression begins to take over a person's life and ultimately silences them, either literally or figuratively. It did seem like a search for meaning in one's life, the struggles many people have with varying degrees of depression, and shallow relationships with few truly concerned friends or family members were all a part of this book. Interestingly, however, even the protagonist does not know what to call her decision/lifestyle change, saying only "I started this 'thing' (I don't know what to call it: a journey?..." (p. 190).
Something that I understood in Part One of THE SILENT PERIOD was the attempt of friends like Daniele to stay in touch with Cristina through letters. Since I have made this attempt with a couple of special friends who had seemed quite different and somehow troubled during our last time together, I know the sadness of not being able to help a dear friend, of not knowing what was happening, and as time passed, not knowing if a friend was even still alive.
Part two of the book has some interesting observations in the form of a social media chat group. For example, "...I think that intelligence and common sense can also be measured through the ways we choose not to say anything." And, of course, just like often happens in real life, a sarcastic troll has to interrupt with a comment; in this case it is:"The real news is to find a woman who can be quiet for longer than a minute. hahahahaha."
Not really a 4 star for me, but I feel it deserves to be rounded up rather than rounded down. I appreciated the reading experience. Thank you to BookBrowse and W.W.Norton Publishers for my ARC.
January 18, 2026
I’ll be honest, I had no idea what to expect from this, but The Silent Period definitely felt like a book I didn’t know I needed but I’m so glad I read. It’s not really a plot-forward book but more quietly unhinged and deeply dialed in to the exhaustion of being chronically online all the time.
Cristina, 28 and drifting, starts with a simple, relatable act: deleting Instagram. I’ve been there, you’ve been there, my husband is still there. From there, the novel slips into something far more extreme as her digital detox turns into a vow of complete silence. What makes this so compelling is how natural the progression feels. Manfredi captures that low-grade burnout so many of us live with: the sense that the noise never stops, that language itself has become overused, flattened, transactional. The question at the heart of the book isn’t just what happens if you stop speaking, but what happens if you stop contributing to the noise at all?
The prose is sparse but sharp, often funny in a dry way, and compulsively readable despite (or because of) how interior it is. I flew through this, not because a lot happens, but because every page feels tuned into something deeply familiar: the limits of connection, the performance of selfhood, and the strange violence of constant visibility. The translation by Ekin Oklap deserves praise here—the voice feels clean, precise, and quietly devastating. The shift toward the end was especially effective, reframing Cristina’s silence and asking harder questions about how we interpret withdrawal, autonomy, and disappearance. Is silence resistance? Is it self-erasure? Can opting out ever be neutral?
This probably won’t work for readers looking for tidy answers or big emotional payoffs, but as a slim novel of ideas, it really lands. It’s thought-provoking, unsettling, and oddly tender, and considering I say the words “I want to throw my phone in a river and never speak to another person again” at least once a week, I loved this. The Silent Period feels like an early thesis for a more quiet, analog year—and a sharp indictment of how loud modern life has become.
A big thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for this eARC!
Cristina, 28 and drifting, starts with a simple, relatable act: deleting Instagram. I’ve been there, you’ve been there, my husband is still there. From there, the novel slips into something far more extreme as her digital detox turns into a vow of complete silence. What makes this so compelling is how natural the progression feels. Manfredi captures that low-grade burnout so many of us live with: the sense that the noise never stops, that language itself has become overused, flattened, transactional. The question at the heart of the book isn’t just what happens if you stop speaking, but what happens if you stop contributing to the noise at all?
The prose is sparse but sharp, often funny in a dry way, and compulsively readable despite (or because of) how interior it is. I flew through this, not because a lot happens, but because every page feels tuned into something deeply familiar: the limits of connection, the performance of selfhood, and the strange violence of constant visibility. The translation by Ekin Oklap deserves praise here—the voice feels clean, precise, and quietly devastating. The shift toward the end was especially effective, reframing Cristina’s silence and asking harder questions about how we interpret withdrawal, autonomy, and disappearance. Is silence resistance? Is it self-erasure? Can opting out ever be neutral?
This probably won’t work for readers looking for tidy answers or big emotional payoffs, but as a slim novel of ideas, it really lands. It’s thought-provoking, unsettling, and oddly tender, and considering I say the words “I want to throw my phone in a river and never speak to another person again” at least once a week, I loved this. The Silent Period feels like an early thesis for a more quiet, analog year—and a sharp indictment of how loud modern life has become.
A big thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for this eARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
As a person who enjoys the “art of talking” - meaning I always got Cs in conduct in grade school - reading about the “art of silence” seemed like a conundrum. But as I soon learned in this book the value of words can be inflated.
Christina Martino is a young Italian woman living in Turin. She’s settled for a library job rather than pursuing one in archeology. Her favorite word is “ineffable” - “ too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words”. And her conundrum is her desire to no longer be - modern society is just too noisy and overwhelming. After reading a study on suicide, something she cannot contemplate doing but desires, she decides to become silent. She starts with eliminating social media before embracing silence. The book describes in part the journey from not speaking to eliminating all words, gestures and even human contact in an effect to lose herself completely. In Part 2 of the book, we get another perspective of Christina’s decision.
This is a character driven novel driven by Christina’s thoughts and actions. The author pursues the idea of a character searching for self fulfillment but believing she’s not contributing much. She struck me as depressed but the author did not pursue that aspect. Instead the construct is if I lose myself completely from everything and everyone will the world be a better place? What you learn is that connectedness is hard wired into humans. As Christina pursues perfection in silence she loses friends and family who all want to be near her.
I think the premise of the book was interesting. My experience with solitude comes from my Catholic background where people enter certain religious orders seeking to grow closer to God by losing themselves to self through prayer and meditation. Christina is trying to lose herself but her motivation is to no longer exist - which is a selfish motivation in my estimation. So I was glad the author put in Part 2. I think though the author wants us to draw our own conclusions.
I would add this book is beautifully written. I kept on reading even as Christina was annoying me because of the writing - it just compelled you not to give up. Keep reading, which I’m glad I did.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and W.W. Norton and Company for allowing me to read this ARC.
#thesilentperiod
#francescamanfredi
#wwnortonandsons
Christina Martino is a young Italian woman living in Turin. She’s settled for a library job rather than pursuing one in archeology. Her favorite word is “ineffable” - “ too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words”. And her conundrum is her desire to no longer be - modern society is just too noisy and overwhelming. After reading a study on suicide, something she cannot contemplate doing but desires, she decides to become silent. She starts with eliminating social media before embracing silence. The book describes in part the journey from not speaking to eliminating all words, gestures and even human contact in an effect to lose herself completely. In Part 2 of the book, we get another perspective of Christina’s decision.
This is a character driven novel driven by Christina’s thoughts and actions. The author pursues the idea of a character searching for self fulfillment but believing she’s not contributing much. She struck me as depressed but the author did not pursue that aspect. Instead the construct is if I lose myself completely from everything and everyone will the world be a better place? What you learn is that connectedness is hard wired into humans. As Christina pursues perfection in silence she loses friends and family who all want to be near her.
I think the premise of the book was interesting. My experience with solitude comes from my Catholic background where people enter certain religious orders seeking to grow closer to God by losing themselves to self through prayer and meditation. Christina is trying to lose herself but her motivation is to no longer exist - which is a selfish motivation in my estimation. So I was glad the author put in Part 2. I think though the author wants us to draw our own conclusions.
I would add this book is beautifully written. I kept on reading even as Christina was annoying me because of the writing - it just compelled you not to give up. Keep reading, which I’m glad I did.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and W.W. Norton and Company for allowing me to read this ARC.
#thesilentperiod
#francescamanfredi
#wwnortonandsons
December 9, 2025
This is one of the best translations I’ve read. Oklap’s Italian to English is nuanced and seamless. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the story itself as much as the translation.
In the story, twenty-eight year old Cristina longs for solitude and silence. After quitting social media, she is still tired of sharing information about herself with others, even verbally, so she decides to stop talking for good. She carefully plans her silence by explaining to her best friend, making up a story about laryngitis to her boss at work, scaring off her boyfriend, and preparing her parents.
It’s an interesting premise, but unfortunately, I found it mostly dull and depressing. I was never truly clear on Cristina’s why. Maybe if I could relate more to that I would have connected more. Told through Christina’s POV, long passages of banal narration of her actions, thoughts as she putters around her apartment, and observations of those around her create a flat narrative arc. She accomplishes her goal of displeasing others, becoming invisible and silent. To those who care about her, she seems to be self annihilating.
I would add Silent Period to a growing list of books about women who self-destruct, who transform into weaker versions of themselves. I would recommend it to those who enjoyed My Year of Rest and Relaxation and The Coin.
Thank you to BookBrowse and Norton for the advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
In the story, twenty-eight year old Cristina longs for solitude and silence. After quitting social media, she is still tired of sharing information about herself with others, even verbally, so she decides to stop talking for good. She carefully plans her silence by explaining to her best friend, making up a story about laryngitis to her boss at work, scaring off her boyfriend, and preparing her parents.
It’s an interesting premise, but unfortunately, I found it mostly dull and depressing. I was never truly clear on Cristina’s why. Maybe if I could relate more to that I would have connected more. Told through Christina’s POV, long passages of banal narration of her actions, thoughts as she putters around her apartment, and observations of those around her create a flat narrative arc. She accomplishes her goal of displeasing others, becoming invisible and silent. To those who care about her, she seems to be self annihilating.
I would add Silent Period to a growing list of books about women who self-destruct, who transform into weaker versions of themselves. I would recommend it to those who enjoyed My Year of Rest and Relaxation and The Coin.
Thank you to BookBrowse and Norton for the advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What a beautiful novel. The premise is simple enough: our narrator, a 28-year-old PhD with no prospects and a generally misanthropic view of life, decides to delete her social media apps and go silent. Why does she do it? How does it affect her world? Her decision and the social movement she sparks speak volumes about how important communication is to humanity and how fatigued the digital age of algorithms and apps has left us.
The pacing of the first part of the novel was a little off, but the second part of the novel with the narrator’s sister was phenomenal. I felt that it really helped land the ending and it is the reason this was a 4+ star read for me. This was vaguely reminiscent of Han Kang’s GREEK LESSONS to me, and I found it was beautifully reflective and its cast of characters were interesting foils for one another.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
The pacing of the first part of the novel was a little off, but the second part of the novel with the narrator’s sister was phenomenal. I felt that it really helped land the ending and it is the reason this was a 4+ star read for me. This was vaguely reminiscent of Han Kang’s GREEK LESSONS to me, and I found it was beautifully reflective and its cast of characters were interesting foils for one another.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
June 6, 2024
La prima parte del libro ti fa immergere in quello che è il pensiero e la vita della protagonista, prima e dopo la sua scelta. Può risultare un po monotona ma personalmente a me è piaciuto questo fatto di non far succedere niente di esorbitante, lasciando che la protagonista si prenda il suo tempo per raccontare il suo silenzio.
La seconda parte è più la conseguenza di quello che lei ha scelto. Personalmente la più interessante e forse l'unica pecca è che avrei preferito un maggior approfondimento su come i social hanno reagito a questo, nonostante sia approfondito abbastanza.
Un libro che va letto ma con la consapevolezza dell' esistenza di altre forme di pensiero, senza essere giudicanti e pregiudicati.
La seconda parte è più la conseguenza di quello che lei ha scelto. Personalmente la più interessante e forse l'unica pecca è che avrei preferito un maggior approfondimento su come i social hanno reagito a questo, nonostante sia approfondito abbastanza.
Un libro che va letto ma con la consapevolezza dell' esistenza di altre forme di pensiero, senza essere giudicanti e pregiudicati.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
If you enjoyed “My Year of Rest and Relaxation,” The Silent Period will appeal to you. This was a really interesting book where our main character takes a vow of silence. This has rippling affects that we see play out. I thought this book had a lot to say about the power of speech, social media, and mutism. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending, but I think it makes sense and would probably have worked better for me if I had been reading with my eyeballs as opposed to audio. The translation was excellent and the prose was beautiful. The audio narrator had a great voice. Overall I enjoyed this, I will be curious how others react to it as well. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.
December 1, 2025
Absolutely Brilliant
I was fortunate to have received an advanced reader copy of this book. I absolutely loved it. The subject matter is incredibly interesting and thought provoking. It explores the choices we make in so many different ways - mainly about how we communicate with ourselves and others, verbally, in writing and by remaining silent. I savored almost every sentence - the writing and translation are beyond brilliant, and I found myself re-reading many paragraphs to savor every word. I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. A true gift to any serious reader, especially those who cherish translated works of fiction.
I was fortunate to have received an advanced reader copy of this book. I absolutely loved it. The subject matter is incredibly interesting and thought provoking. It explores the choices we make in so many different ways - mainly about how we communicate with ourselves and others, verbally, in writing and by remaining silent. I savored almost every sentence - the writing and translation are beyond brilliant, and I found myself re-reading many paragraphs to savor every word. I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. A true gift to any serious reader, especially those who cherish translated works of fiction.
February 7, 2025
Sono un po' combattuta, parte davvero bene ma poi si sfilaccia e sembra non soddisfare le premesse iniziali. Prima parte nettamente superiore alla seconda che invece sembra un po' posticcia e che in realtà non aggiunge niente.
Mi ha ricordato un po' troppo Crisalide di Anna Metcalfe che a sua volta mi ricordava La Vegetariana di Han Kang, per questo forse non l'ho trovato particolarmente originale, come se fosse un po' derivativo e per questo a tratti mi ha annoiata.
Però comunque in qualche modo mi è piaciuto.
Mi ha ricordato un po' troppo Crisalide di Anna Metcalfe che a sua volta mi ricordava La Vegetariana di Han Kang, per questo forse non l'ho trovato particolarmente originale, come se fosse un po' derivativo e per questo a tratti mi ha annoiata.
Però comunque in qualche modo mi è piaciuto.
January 2, 2025
Resto dell’opinione che Manfredi abbia raggiunto (per ora) la vetta più alta con i racconti e che dovrebbe tornare a lavorare su una bella raccolta. Non capisco proprio perché i racconti in Italia debbano essere solo un trampolino di lancio mentre in altri stati ci sono autori che vivono esclusivamente di raccolte.
Ciò detto, questo romanzo è sicuramente molto più interessante e maturo rispetto al precedente, con una buone intuizioni ed echi postmoderni degni di nota.
4-/5
Ciò detto, questo romanzo è sicuramente molto più interessante e maturo rispetto al precedente, con una buone intuizioni ed echi postmoderni degni di nota.
4-/5
March 19, 2024
Francesca Manfredi ha una magnifica prosa, la storia che racconta è di estrema attualità.
May 19, 2024
Un bel racconto che fa riflettere sul senso della valanga di parole vuote che ogni giorno ci circondano anche attraverso i social...un pochino estremo ma fa riflettere
January 1, 2025
Un bel libro, la protagonista è matta come me. I capitoli finali potevano essere scritti in una maniera diversa, più lineare e personale.
November 17, 2025
What happens when we choose to be silent? This book follows a young woman as she chooses then lives silence. Realistic rendering of what might happen.
Review of advance copy
I gave this book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it for the most part. There were some very slow moments, but then it would pick back up to regain my interest.
December 20, 2025
Boring
December 26, 2025
2.5 stars
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
interesting but very strange book where your mileage may vary. I liked it quite a bit but felt that it fell short of greatness by not pulling together well enough. 3.5, rounded up. tysm for the arc.
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