What do you think?
Rate this book
In the Quiet
A moving, sweet and uplifting novel of love, grief and the heartache of letting go, from a wonderful new Australian author.Cate Carlton has recently died, yet she is able to linger on, watching her three young children and her husband as they come to terms with their life without her on their rural horse property. As the months pass and her children grow, they cope in different ways, drawn closer and pulled apart by their shared loss. And all Cate can do is watch on helplessly, seeing their grief, how much they miss her and how - heartbreakingly - they begin to heal. Gradually unfolding to reveal Cate's life, her marriage, and the unhappy secret she shared with one of her children, In the Quiet is compelling, simple, tender, true - heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure. 'In the Quiet is an accomplished first book from an exciting new talent. I fell in love with it slowly , over the course of many chapters. It's a quiet book (appropriately named) and an utterly lovely one.' Readings 'Uplifting and heartwarming ... a beautiful depiction of Australian rural life' Better Reading 'This hearttugging first novel is a beautifully paced mixture of romance, family saga and mystery' Adelaide Advertiser 'A glorious book that will make you cry, guaranteed. But it's also uplifting and tender. A surprise find.' Canberra Times 'You will weep, and marvel, and pass this book on, and on, to your friends.' Nikki Gemmell Shortlisted for the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction 2015
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 22, 2015
135 people are currently reading
1863 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
March 2, 2017
I didn't want to finish this book because I didn't want to leave these characters behind. I fell in love with this family, not because there was anything particularly extraordinary about them but because they were an ordinary family, like people we all might know and I was heartbroken for them as they grieved the loss of their mother and wife. Their story is told in an extraordinarily beautiful way by Cate who watches her husband and three children as they try to cope with losing her. This shouldn't put you off. It's not a ghost story and wasn't eerie in any way . I found it to be a lovely and touching way to tell the story . Cate lets us know what they are saying and thinking and doing and gives us an in depth perspective of who they are as individuals and what they are going through as she holds their lifetime memories. My Goodreads friend Connie recently told me when we both lost our mothers that it's so hard to lose a mother because she holds all of your memories. This is what I thought of as I read.
Cate watches her daughter Jessa, her twin sons Rafferty and Cameron and her husband Bass as they grieve and struggle with their everyday lives on their small farm in Australia. There are so many poignant scenes - Rafferty holding his brother to calm anxiety attack as his mother would , Jessa wanting to "mark the day " as her mother would when Cam makes the Athletics team and the times that they murmur "mom". I was especially touched by Jessa's connection to the horses that Cate raised, in particular Opal. These people are not perfect but this is not a dysfunctional family. This is a family in grief.
It's not just the story of those she leaves behind, but Cate's as well. Reflections on her childhood, her closeness with her mother, her distant father and her ambivalent relationship with her sister, her friendships are part of the narrative. She too is grieving for her family, and for her own loss, missing being alive. This could have been too sweet, too maudlin, too melodramatic but it was none of those things . It felt real. Eliza Henry-Jones gives an intimate look at these characters and makes it so easy to connect with them and feel what they are going through. Having worked as a grief counselor, she has an amazing understanding of these characters and beautifully conveys it to the reader. The title and the cover are lovely and became meaningful after I finished the book. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel . I can hardly wait for her next .
I received an advanced copy of this book from HarperCollins through Edelweiss.
Cate watches her daughter Jessa, her twin sons Rafferty and Cameron and her husband Bass as they grieve and struggle with their everyday lives on their small farm in Australia. There are so many poignant scenes - Rafferty holding his brother to calm anxiety attack as his mother would , Jessa wanting to "mark the day " as her mother would when Cam makes the Athletics team and the times that they murmur "mom". I was especially touched by Jessa's connection to the horses that Cate raised, in particular Opal. These people are not perfect but this is not a dysfunctional family. This is a family in grief.
It's not just the story of those she leaves behind, but Cate's as well. Reflections on her childhood, her closeness with her mother, her distant father and her ambivalent relationship with her sister, her friendships are part of the narrative. She too is grieving for her family, and for her own loss, missing being alive. This could have been too sweet, too maudlin, too melodramatic but it was none of those things . It felt real. Eliza Henry-Jones gives an intimate look at these characters and makes it so easy to connect with them and feel what they are going through. Having worked as a grief counselor, she has an amazing understanding of these characters and beautifully conveys it to the reader. The title and the cover are lovely and became meaningful after I finished the book. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel . I can hardly wait for her next .
I received an advanced copy of this book from HarperCollins through Edelweiss.
January 30, 2018
I was consumed by this novel – fully engaged, filled with awe, devoted to the story and its characters, and moved beyond belief. It was not the least bit odd to me that the narrator was on “the other side of the veil” and observing her family in their struggles to adjust to her no longer being with them.
Their failures and successes were observed and reported with love. Yet, more than that, there was the detachment of no longer being “in the world” – and the contrast brought each family member’s experiences into sharper focus, with brighter colours, more pungent scents, and enhanced flavours.
The writing in this book is extraordinarily sophisticated and remarkable. The insights are stunning, and the perceptions of the characters framed in brilliant individuality. What’s more, the wisdom and maturity of this book falls gently, like petals from a jacaranda tree at the end of its annual cycle.
There were many moments while reading this book that I was compelled to sit back and breathe it in, to listen to the echoes inside myself that responded to the sounds and sights and smells captured within the pages. I recommend reading this book if you are looking for an exceptional reading experience that will touch your heart and soul.
This was a Traveling Sisters Group read with lots of terrific discussion. For the Group reviews and many more, visit https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
Their failures and successes were observed and reported with love. Yet, more than that, there was the detachment of no longer being “in the world” – and the contrast brought each family member’s experiences into sharper focus, with brighter colours, more pungent scents, and enhanced flavours.
The writing in this book is extraordinarily sophisticated and remarkable. The insights are stunning, and the perceptions of the characters framed in brilliant individuality. What’s more, the wisdom and maturity of this book falls gently, like petals from a jacaranda tree at the end of its annual cycle.
There were many moments while reading this book that I was compelled to sit back and breathe it in, to listen to the echoes inside myself that responded to the sounds and sights and smells captured within the pages. I recommend reading this book if you are looking for an exceptional reading experience that will touch your heart and soul.
This was a Traveling Sisters Group read with lots of terrific discussion. For the Group reviews and many more, visit https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
April 11, 2017
!! NOW AVAILABLE !!
”I don’t know how I died. That’s strange, isn’t it? To be dead and know that but to not know how it happened. To not know my last memory. It’s not something that I ever considered when I was alive. I can see and I can hear. And when I remember back to other times and other places, I see and hear them as though I’m reliving them. But when I remember, I miss things that are happening now. I miss chunks of time. I try not to remember. I try not to think. I watch and I listen and I hope to not miss any more time. Because time is all I have now. And how quickly it disappears.”
Cate is the narrator, her words begin this touching, lovely story. Heartbreaking, yes, but there’s this strong bond of family, of love, that ever so slowly, and with such quiet strength, gently speaks to the eternal bond of families, the grief of loss and the life that follows after. Love. Hope.
Cate Carlton, wife and mother, in life married to Bass, the only man she ever loved, mother to twin boys Rafferty and Cameron, and to daughter Jessa. She loved, loves her horses, especially her horse Opal. Their farm is in the countryside, in rural Victoria, with assorted farm animals in addition to the horses.
Hovering over her family, Cate finds herself watching Jessa ride her horse, or the family’s attempts to find Opal, who has been missing since the day she died. Watching all the members of the family, friends, watching their grief, watching them stumble through the days, months as time passes in random patches of time. Alternating those with moments of remembering the years when the children were oh-so-young, and life was filled with small, but incessant energy draining moments. Moments like when she first brought Bass home the first time.
”When I brought Bass home to meet my parents and Beatrice, it was autumn. We kicked our way through crunchy leaves and breathed steam as we waited on the doorstep.”
This simply is a story of a family, their love, their grief, and perhaps about our memories and the way they haunt us. The importance, perhaps, of staying in the moment long enough to form those memories, and also to cherish those memories. How our memories can pull us back to another place, another time.
My goodreads friend Angela and wrote a lovely review which convinced me to read this. Many thanks, Angela! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
When I read Angela’s review, what stayed with me most of all was the comment that was made to her, that “it's so hard to lose a mother because she holds all of your memories.” Which, of course, reminded me of my mother, and of these lyrics.
Sometimes when you're doin' simple things around the house
Maybe you'll think of me and smile
You know I'm tied to you like the buttons on your blouse
Keep me in your heart for a while
Hold me in your thoughts
Take me to your dreams
Touch me as I fall into view
When the winter comes
Keep the fires lit
And I will be right next to you
- Warren Zevon Keep Me in Your Heart
Recommended
US & Canada Pub Date: 11 Apr 2017
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Harper-Collins AU
”I don’t know how I died. That’s strange, isn’t it? To be dead and know that but to not know how it happened. To not know my last memory. It’s not something that I ever considered when I was alive. I can see and I can hear. And when I remember back to other times and other places, I see and hear them as though I’m reliving them. But when I remember, I miss things that are happening now. I miss chunks of time. I try not to remember. I try not to think. I watch and I listen and I hope to not miss any more time. Because time is all I have now. And how quickly it disappears.”
Cate is the narrator, her words begin this touching, lovely story. Heartbreaking, yes, but there’s this strong bond of family, of love, that ever so slowly, and with such quiet strength, gently speaks to the eternal bond of families, the grief of loss and the life that follows after. Love. Hope.
Cate Carlton, wife and mother, in life married to Bass, the only man she ever loved, mother to twin boys Rafferty and Cameron, and to daughter Jessa. She loved, loves her horses, especially her horse Opal. Their farm is in the countryside, in rural Victoria, with assorted farm animals in addition to the horses.
Hovering over her family, Cate finds herself watching Jessa ride her horse, or the family’s attempts to find Opal, who has been missing since the day she died. Watching all the members of the family, friends, watching their grief, watching them stumble through the days, months as time passes in random patches of time. Alternating those with moments of remembering the years when the children were oh-so-young, and life was filled with small, but incessant energy draining moments. Moments like when she first brought Bass home the first time.
”When I brought Bass home to meet my parents and Beatrice, it was autumn. We kicked our way through crunchy leaves and breathed steam as we waited on the doorstep.”
This simply is a story of a family, their love, their grief, and perhaps about our memories and the way they haunt us. The importance, perhaps, of staying in the moment long enough to form those memories, and also to cherish those memories. How our memories can pull us back to another place, another time.
My goodreads friend Angela and wrote a lovely review which convinced me to read this. Many thanks, Angela! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
When I read Angela’s review, what stayed with me most of all was the comment that was made to her, that “it's so hard to lose a mother because she holds all of your memories.” Which, of course, reminded me of my mother, and of these lyrics.
Sometimes when you're doin' simple things around the house
Maybe you'll think of me and smile
You know I'm tied to you like the buttons on your blouse
Keep me in your heart for a while
Hold me in your thoughts
Take me to your dreams
Touch me as I fall into view
When the winter comes
Keep the fires lit
And I will be right next to you
- Warren Zevon Keep Me in Your Heart
Recommended
US & Canada Pub Date: 11 Apr 2017
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Harper-Collins AU
January 28, 2018
5 still, emotive stars to In the Quiet 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 and straight to the huggable books shelf!
How to begin to do justice to a book you know you will never forget? One that is written immaculately, with precision and flow, and more importantly, unwavering sentiment. I finished this book a week ago, and I haven’t let go of this book, or even more so, it hasn’t let go of me. I created a huggable book shelf for books that get under my skin, ones that captivate my heart with deep connection. A Huggable Book is beyond a favorite.
Kate was the mother and narrator, and she had passed away. She had a bird’s-eye view into her family after her death, and she witnessed the aftermath of them trying to pick up the pieces and put themselves back together. In their imperfections and infinite losses, I found these characters to be loveable and remarkable. And the horses! How could I forget the central role that one of my favorite creatures played in the story? Horses are connected to this family, as well as to their immense loss and emotion, and it’s fitting because of how intuitive and feeling horses are.
If you read even one book I’ve loved, let it be this one. If you enjoy stories of families, emotion-filled characters, and smooth writing, READ THIS BOOK.
As an aside, Eliza Henry-Jones was in her early 20s when she wrote In the Quiet, her debut. I am in awe of her talent, her ability to connect, and her skill in describing loss and bereavement. I will read anything she writes.
In the Quiet was a Traveling Sister read, and books like this are my favorite to read with my sisters. We got to connect, and that’s what this book was all about. 💗 Please see Norma and Brenda’s blog for Traveling Sister reviews: https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
How to begin to do justice to a book you know you will never forget? One that is written immaculately, with precision and flow, and more importantly, unwavering sentiment. I finished this book a week ago, and I haven’t let go of this book, or even more so, it hasn’t let go of me. I created a huggable book shelf for books that get under my skin, ones that captivate my heart with deep connection. A Huggable Book is beyond a favorite.
Kate was the mother and narrator, and she had passed away. She had a bird’s-eye view into her family after her death, and she witnessed the aftermath of them trying to pick up the pieces and put themselves back together. In their imperfections and infinite losses, I found these characters to be loveable and remarkable. And the horses! How could I forget the central role that one of my favorite creatures played in the story? Horses are connected to this family, as well as to their immense loss and emotion, and it’s fitting because of how intuitive and feeling horses are.
If you read even one book I’ve loved, let it be this one. If you enjoy stories of families, emotion-filled characters, and smooth writing, READ THIS BOOK.
As an aside, Eliza Henry-Jones was in her early 20s when she wrote In the Quiet, her debut. I am in awe of her talent, her ability to connect, and her skill in describing loss and bereavement. I will read anything she writes.
In the Quiet was a Traveling Sister read, and books like this are my favorite to read with my sisters. We got to connect, and that’s what this book was all about. 💗 Please see Norma and Brenda’s blog for Traveling Sister reviews: https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
January 28, 2018
5 Stars with Absolutely All the FEELS!!!
Bass Carlton and his 3 children, Rafferty, Cameron and Jessa, recently lost their mother Cate. Cate was young, beautiful, full of life. Cate lingers on them from the great beyond, unable to let go. She does so as they learn to come to terms with what has happened - each in their own way.
Bass, her husband has yet to process it. He has always been a great loving father. Yet he relied heavily on his wife Cate for so many things and now he is lost. Rafferty and Cameron are seventeen year-old twins. Rafferty is sold, the rock of the family. He holds everyone and everything together. Yet no one ever takes care of Rafferty and he never lets on that he needs it. Cameron can’t deal. He struggles with anxiety, so much so that it isolates him. One day however, Cameron does something no one ever would have expected. He starts running and he doesn’t stop. Jessa loves the horses. She doesn’t care about her school work, and is rude to everyone around her, but the horses? Well, they have become her only source of comfort after losing her mother.
Cate’s sister Bea has always been on the periphery. Always an outsider. She wants desperately to connect to the family. Especially now - and Cate wants it for her too. Laura “Loz” - Cate’s best friend has always been there for her, and after her death Loz takes over caring for the family and the horses. If it weren’t for her, things would fall apart. Henry, Loz’s nephew is one of Jessa’s best friends, but he wants more. Yet Jessa pushes him away, just like she pushes everyone away. Throughout, Cate watches them, seeing how their lives progress and desperately wanting to help, yearning to get involved, to be there, yet she can not.
“In the Quiet” is a beautifully written novel that captured my heart. The flow of the novel is so perfect and natural - this book eased into my mind in a way I have never experienced before. It is lovely and soulful and it makes your heart ache and your breath catch. Even though this features someone looking on from “beyond” that should not stop you from reading it - it doesn’t have that supernatural/fantastical feel. It is simply beautiful. Reading this novel you will feel every emotion possible - it really does have “all the feels.” Read it - you will feel it too.
This was a Traveling Sister Read. It included: Brenda, Norma, Jennifer and Jaline. I would never have chosen to read this book had Norma and Brenda not chosen this as a sister read. I am beyond grateful. It is one of my top reads for 2018. Reading this with my sisters was one of the best experiences! Thanks sisters.
For Full Traveling Sister Group Reviews, please see Brenda and Norma’s Fabulous Blog: https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
Published on Goodreads, Amazon and Twitter on 1.28.18.
Bass Carlton and his 3 children, Rafferty, Cameron and Jessa, recently lost their mother Cate. Cate was young, beautiful, full of life. Cate lingers on them from the great beyond, unable to let go. She does so as they learn to come to terms with what has happened - each in their own way.
Bass, her husband has yet to process it. He has always been a great loving father. Yet he relied heavily on his wife Cate for so many things and now he is lost. Rafferty and Cameron are seventeen year-old twins. Rafferty is sold, the rock of the family. He holds everyone and everything together. Yet no one ever takes care of Rafferty and he never lets on that he needs it. Cameron can’t deal. He struggles with anxiety, so much so that it isolates him. One day however, Cameron does something no one ever would have expected. He starts running and he doesn’t stop. Jessa loves the horses. She doesn’t care about her school work, and is rude to everyone around her, but the horses? Well, they have become her only source of comfort after losing her mother.
Cate’s sister Bea has always been on the periphery. Always an outsider. She wants desperately to connect to the family. Especially now - and Cate wants it for her too. Laura “Loz” - Cate’s best friend has always been there for her, and after her death Loz takes over caring for the family and the horses. If it weren’t for her, things would fall apart. Henry, Loz’s nephew is one of Jessa’s best friends, but he wants more. Yet Jessa pushes him away, just like she pushes everyone away. Throughout, Cate watches them, seeing how their lives progress and desperately wanting to help, yearning to get involved, to be there, yet she can not.
“In the Quiet” is a beautifully written novel that captured my heart. The flow of the novel is so perfect and natural - this book eased into my mind in a way I have never experienced before. It is lovely and soulful and it makes your heart ache and your breath catch. Even though this features someone looking on from “beyond” that should not stop you from reading it - it doesn’t have that supernatural/fantastical feel. It is simply beautiful. Reading this novel you will feel every emotion possible - it really does have “all the feels.” Read it - you will feel it too.
This was a Traveling Sister Read. It included: Brenda, Norma, Jennifer and Jaline. I would never have chosen to read this book had Norma and Brenda not chosen this as a sister read. I am beyond grateful. It is one of my top reads for 2018. Reading this with my sisters was one of the best experiences! Thanks sisters.
For Full Traveling Sister Group Reviews, please see Brenda and Norma’s Fabulous Blog: https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
Published on Goodreads, Amazon and Twitter on 1.28.18.
March 22, 2017
The second book in as many months that I have read narrated by a woman, a mother, a wife, that has passed on to the great beyond. Would probably have passed on this if my good friend, Angela hadn't given this five stars. Which would have been a shame because this was simply a beautiful story.
Cate, not yet forty, has died, she doesn't remember how and hopes to find out as she watches her family try to come to terms with her death. She is able to see certain things, she has no control over what, or when. Time skips and jumps and in between we learn her back story and that of her family. Jesse, Rafferty, and Cameron, her children, her sister Bea, her friend Laura and her husband, all grieve in different ways, one has a big secret that is eating at him, and one feels responsible for her death.
Although there are moments of sadness this is a life affirming book, how they learn to go on wonderfully portrayed. Such great characters, I cared about each of them immensely. A quiet, meditative story, I appreciated the gentle way this story was rendered, with compassion and love. A sentimental story for sure but not written in a maudlin or dramatic way. The different ways they grieve but come together as a family, not without difficulties, but a new way to see their family as a whole. As I said, simply beautiful and touching.
ARC from publisher.
Publishes April 11th.
Cate, not yet forty, has died, she doesn't remember how and hopes to find out as she watches her family try to come to terms with her death. She is able to see certain things, she has no control over what, or when. Time skips and jumps and in between we learn her back story and that of her family. Jesse, Rafferty, and Cameron, her children, her sister Bea, her friend Laura and her husband, all grieve in different ways, one has a big secret that is eating at him, and one feels responsible for her death.
Although there are moments of sadness this is a life affirming book, how they learn to go on wonderfully portrayed. Such great characters, I cared about each of them immensely. A quiet, meditative story, I appreciated the gentle way this story was rendered, with compassion and love. A sentimental story for sure but not written in a maudlin or dramatic way. The different ways they grieve but come together as a family, not without difficulties, but a new way to see their family as a whole. As I said, simply beautiful and touching.
ARC from publisher.
Publishes April 11th.
March 7, 2018
*5 Flourishing Coulee Stars* for IN THE QUIET from all the Traveling Sisters!
IN THE QUIET by ELIZA HENRY-JONES is an emotional, captivating, moving, and such a beautifully written novel that captured our attention and our hearts right from the very start. We all absolutely fell in love right away with how this story was delivered and how well this story was written. For some of us, me included it quickly went into our 2018 favourite reads shelf!
We all fell in love with this family and each of the characters who are all dealing with the death of our narrator Cate. There were so many emotions explored here within the pages of this book and we felt so many of them and that led to such an enduring and wonderful discussion for all of us. We won’t soon forget our discussion or this novel!
We loved all the different relationships explored here with the different characters and the ones that really stood out for us were between the sisters, Cate and Bea and Laura and Sylvia.
ELIZA HENRY-JONES delivers an extremely impressive, well-written, and touching story here with enduring and real characters that were easily relatable and to love. Even the horses were a special edition to this story and found that the connection that the family had with the horses and to them to be extremely fitting to the whole story in general.
ELIZA HENRY-JONES does such a great job creating the different types of characters within this family giving each of them their own conflict and voice that allowed us to feel multiple emotions for each of them. We loved how intuitive Cate was and how well her thoughts on each of the family members reverberated out of the pages and into us the readers. Raff and Cam tugged at our heartstrings and we loved their gentle relationship.
What an emotional and powerful end for such a beautifully written book that flowed so perfectly that we all won’t soon forget! Would highly recommend!!
This was an absolutely wonderful book to have shared and discussed with our Traveling Sisters and I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience! Thank you ladies!!
All of our Traveling Sisters Review can be found on our blog:
https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
IN THE QUIET by ELIZA HENRY-JONES is an emotional, captivating, moving, and such a beautifully written novel that captured our attention and our hearts right from the very start. We all absolutely fell in love right away with how this story was delivered and how well this story was written. For some of us, me included it quickly went into our 2018 favourite reads shelf!
We all fell in love with this family and each of the characters who are all dealing with the death of our narrator Cate. There were so many emotions explored here within the pages of this book and we felt so many of them and that led to such an enduring and wonderful discussion for all of us. We won’t soon forget our discussion or this novel!
We loved all the different relationships explored here with the different characters and the ones that really stood out for us were between the sisters, Cate and Bea and Laura and Sylvia.
ELIZA HENRY-JONES delivers an extremely impressive, well-written, and touching story here with enduring and real characters that were easily relatable and to love. Even the horses were a special edition to this story and found that the connection that the family had with the horses and to them to be extremely fitting to the whole story in general.
ELIZA HENRY-JONES does such a great job creating the different types of characters within this family giving each of them their own conflict and voice that allowed us to feel multiple emotions for each of them. We loved how intuitive Cate was and how well her thoughts on each of the family members reverberated out of the pages and into us the readers. Raff and Cam tugged at our heartstrings and we loved their gentle relationship.
What an emotional and powerful end for such a beautifully written book that flowed so perfectly that we all won’t soon forget! Would highly recommend!!
This was an absolutely wonderful book to have shared and discussed with our Traveling Sisters and I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience! Thank you ladies!!
All of our Traveling Sisters Review can be found on our blog:
https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
September 20, 2016
Sebastian (Bass) Carlton and his three children, twins Rafferty (Raff) and Cameron plus younger sibling, thirteen year old Jessa were all mired in grief. Their wife and mother, Cate had recently passed away – it was totally unexpected and she was far too young in her mid-thirties. Living on a rural property, the family had been happy – Cate working the horses with Jessa and Raff both seeming to follow in her footsteps. But the loss of Cate meant the family faltered in their grief, unsure of what was going to happen in their lives.
As the family struggled with anger, loss, grief and heartbreak each member tried to cope in different ways. Bass was drinking more; while Jessa tried to bury herself in the horses – riding Pebbles in search of Opal. The twins found other ways to cope, showing an outward strength, but breaking apart inside. All the while Cate watched while her loved ones came apart – her knowledge of being dead was there, but how it happened escaped her. Cate’s devastation was threaded with a sense of hopelessness – there was nothing she could do except watch…
In the Quiet by Aussie author Eliza Henry-Jones is this author’s debut novel, and wow! what a beautiful, heartfelt and touching story it is! Narrated in Cate’s voice, it is unusual – but it most definitely works. A book about grief in all its forms, In the Quiet is a beautiful story and one I highly recommend. Thanks to my goodreads friend who recommending it to me :)
As the family struggled with anger, loss, grief and heartbreak each member tried to cope in different ways. Bass was drinking more; while Jessa tried to bury herself in the horses – riding Pebbles in search of Opal. The twins found other ways to cope, showing an outward strength, but breaking apart inside. All the while Cate watched while her loved ones came apart – her knowledge of being dead was there, but how it happened escaped her. Cate’s devastation was threaded with a sense of hopelessness – there was nothing she could do except watch…
In the Quiet by Aussie author Eliza Henry-Jones is this author’s debut novel, and wow! what a beautiful, heartfelt and touching story it is! Narrated in Cate’s voice, it is unusual – but it most definitely works. A book about grief in all its forms, In the Quiet is a beautiful story and one I highly recommend. Thanks to my goodreads friend who recommending it to me :)
May 26, 2017
I haven't read many afterlife type books and probably would have skipped this one but thanks to Bianca I picked up this book on her recommendation. This book has a gentle quietness, the slow unravelling of the grief left behind, you see the family floundering and plodding along making domestic mistakes only a mum knows how to do, it's clear how grief has seeeped deeply into this family and you feel a sense of uneasy despair for them all. The emotion pulls you in and you just want to scoop this family up and take care of them, nurture them. As a mother the same age as Cate the mum in this book this feels particularly poignant and devastating. The writing in this book is tender and beautiful and if you like quiet thoughtful books that deals with the topic of grief told in a unique way this is highly recommended and this author is one to watch out for. Outstanding debut!
February 1, 2018
In The Quiet is a lovely, unique debut novel from Eliza Henry Jones.
It deals with grief, family, and moving on with life.
I was reticent to read it, as the synopsis stated that the narrator was a recently deceased mother of three, and I don’t “do” afterlife etc. But I’m so glad I did because this was astoundingly beautiful, heartbreaking and full of hope at the same time.
Eliza Henry Jones is incredibly insightful, despite her young age. Her background in psychology and grief counselling has given this novel a very authentic feel.
The novel is set on a horse farm in rural Victoria, Australia. The Carltons are reeling because of Cate’s sudden death. The husband, Bass, and their twin teenage boys, Rafferty and Cameron, and their sister, Jessa, are in shock and are stumbling through the everyday minutia of life. They’re helped by good friends, Laura and Steve, and Cate’s sister, Beatrice, who themselves have been affected by Cate’s untimely death.
In the Quiet is deliciously slow-burning. I cried quite a bit in the beginning, as the family’s sorrow was palpable and Cate’s need to be there and do all the many things a mum and wife does was absolutely heartbreaking.
Slowly, the pain subsides, everyone learns to deal with life, to make plans and build new relations. Living has a way of creeping in, although the pain is still there.
I liked so many things about this novel. The writing is excellent and a bit different. I thought it was interesting that there were no chapters, although there were paragraph breaks between what could have been chapters.
I was very impressed with this novel; it's real, relatable and very gentle.The title is absolutely perfect.
This was a quietly beautiful, unassuming, slowly unravelling novel, which will make you ponder about life and your own relationships.
In The Quiet is a very impressive debut novel. A very impressive novel. Period.
I’ve received this novel via NetGalley. Many thanks to HarperCollins Australia for the opportunity to read and review this beautiful novel.
Cover: 5 stars - perfectly matched to the feel and subject of the novel.
It deals with grief, family, and moving on with life.
I was reticent to read it, as the synopsis stated that the narrator was a recently deceased mother of three, and I don’t “do” afterlife etc. But I’m so glad I did because this was astoundingly beautiful, heartbreaking and full of hope at the same time.
Eliza Henry Jones is incredibly insightful, despite her young age. Her background in psychology and grief counselling has given this novel a very authentic feel.
The novel is set on a horse farm in rural Victoria, Australia. The Carltons are reeling because of Cate’s sudden death. The husband, Bass, and their twin teenage boys, Rafferty and Cameron, and their sister, Jessa, are in shock and are stumbling through the everyday minutia of life. They’re helped by good friends, Laura and Steve, and Cate’s sister, Beatrice, who themselves have been affected by Cate’s untimely death.
In the Quiet is deliciously slow-burning. I cried quite a bit in the beginning, as the family’s sorrow was palpable and Cate’s need to be there and do all the many things a mum and wife does was absolutely heartbreaking.
Slowly, the pain subsides, everyone learns to deal with life, to make plans and build new relations. Living has a way of creeping in, although the pain is still there.
I liked so many things about this novel. The writing is excellent and a bit different. I thought it was interesting that there were no chapters, although there were paragraph breaks between what could have been chapters.
I was very impressed with this novel; it's real, relatable and very gentle.The title is absolutely perfect.
This was a quietly beautiful, unassuming, slowly unravelling novel, which will make you ponder about life and your own relationships.
In The Quiet is a very impressive debut novel. A very impressive novel. Period.
I’ve received this novel via NetGalley. Many thanks to HarperCollins Australia for the opportunity to read and review this beautiful novel.
Cover: 5 stars - perfectly matched to the feel and subject of the novel.
September 11, 2017
Losing someone close to you is never easy, especially when it occurs suddenly and that's exactly what happened when Sebastian (Bass) Carlton's wife Cate died. Overcome with grief for his wife, Bass didn't know how he was going to move forward or manage without his wife. Bass was left to raise their three young children as well as run the country property.
Although Cate has passed away, she looks out over her family and she can see how they struggle from one day to the next without her. Picking up on their sadness is one thing, but not being able to help them is a whole different story.
Narrated in Cate's voice, In the Quiet was a surprisingly wonderful read for me. A well written story that was deeply moving. A compelling story about loss, love and grief. Highly recommended.
Although Cate has passed away, she looks out over her family and she can see how they struggle from one day to the next without her. Picking up on their sadness is one thing, but not being able to help them is a whole different story.
Narrated in Cate's voice, In the Quiet was a surprisingly wonderful read for me. A well written story that was deeply moving. A compelling story about loss, love and grief. Highly recommended.
April 16, 2017
This is a beautiful book about grief and loss. The novel is narrated by Cate, a mother of three teenagers who has died suddenly and unexpectedly. She knows she is dead but can't remember how she died and is able to see her family from beyond, dipping into and out of their lives. She sees the seasons change as her husband Bass, daughter Jessa and twin boys Cam and Raff try to come to terms with her loss and struggle on as a family without her.
Henry-Jones has written this novel in such depth that we come to know each member of the family so well and understand their flaws and anxieties. As Cate watches their daily lives, their setbacks and triumphs, she also remembers their early lives together and reflects on her own family, her mother and father, her sister Bea who is trying to help but doesn't really know how and her best friend Laura, who shares her love of horses. This is not by any means a depressing book, but a very real one about an ordinary family coping with premature loss of a wife and mother. A truly wonderful debut book.
Henry-Jones has written this novel in such depth that we come to know each member of the family so well and understand their flaws and anxieties. As Cate watches their daily lives, their setbacks and triumphs, she also remembers their early lives together and reflects on her own family, her mother and father, her sister Bea who is trying to help but doesn't really know how and her best friend Laura, who shares her love of horses. This is not by any means a depressing book, but a very real one about an ordinary family coping with premature loss of a wife and mother. A truly wonderful debut book.
August 12, 2015
Eliza Henry-Jones is a brand new Australian author to watch out for! This book just oozes raw emotion.
Cate Carlton is dead, she knows she has died but can't remember how. She also doesn't know how long she has been dead for.
She knows she is dead because she has been watching her family...yet they can't see her. Watching as they each struggle with their grief, in their own ways.
She watches as her husband Bass and their 14 year old daughter Jessa, and their twin teenage boys Rafferty and Cameron try to maintain a stoic outer presence, when all the while they are crumbling...just barely holding it together.
Cate tries to gauge time by noticing what her family are doing, what clothes they are wearing. The straw colour of the dry grass in the paddock suggests it might be summer, but in the next moment it appears to be cold because her daughter is wearing the beanie that Cate's mother knitted for her when she was a girl and the horses have their winter blankets on.
Then she is watching another scene where the Jacaranda is in flower, then another where her rose bush has just a couple of buds on it.
Time confuses her as she watches her family stumble numbly through motions of day to day living which they are ill equipped to manage without her.
The story is told in the first person by Cate, who has died and is now observing her family from a point we imagine to be somewhere in the ethers over an uncertain period of time, as they try to move through a type of grief which none of them could ever have imagined having to navigate. They have no navigational skills to help guide them through this sudden and unexpected pain and longing.
Cate doesn't remember how she died and it is nagging at her to find out. She follows her husband and children in their daily movements in an effort to discover what happened to her.
She also watches her sister Beatrice and her friend Laura in the hope of discovering some clue.
As the story unfolds we learn little bits of information from each of these people and start to piece things together.
However, we have to go through the pain and grief with each of them in order to unravel the mystery of Cate's shocking and untimely death.
This is a brilliant debut novel from this author, a very compelling story which is hard to put down.
The premise of this story is both fascinating and intriguing in its suggestion of possibilities...or even plausibility...if you like.
Yet....if such a scenario were ever possible to describe, then Eliza Henry-Jones has done a fantastic job of doing just that.
Her powers of intuiting and transcribing such grief and fragile emotions, as experienced by these individuals at the loss of their wife and mother, is enough to transport the reader to that very place.
This is not a fluffy read by any means, this book is about grief, in many forms and guises, and its often unpredictable visitations. It is also about love, learning to love and learning to love again. Its about the healing power of love.
This is intense and powerful writing that reads like a personal account of a family's journey through many levels of grief, and how they come out the other side of it.
Reading this book made me think that grief is just like a Season, sometimes long and hard, sometimes not so much, but always necessary for growth. A hard winter might stunt our growth somewhat, but the spring will always follow.
Quotes I liked from this book:
"Grief, I suppose, is something you think you understand once you have seen its colours, its shapes. But the thing about grief is that it is forever changing. A swell, subsiding."
"Because grief paints itself differently for every person."
I will be looking forward to future books from this author and would have no hesitation in recommending this one to readers of any genre.
A very well deserved 5★s
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy to read and review.
November 23, 2016
Cate, mother of Jessa, Rafferty and Cameron, wife of Bass, rider of Opal the horse, is dead. She is dead, but she remains, unseen, watching over her family as they navigate life without her.
This is a lovely, gentle look at grief and life after loss. The story is told through Cate's eyes, as she watches her family in a series of mostly short scenes (no chapter breaks or divisions), as well as earlier recollections. It is tender without being sappy, it shows rather than tells. It brings you to the Australian country, with an understated romance that comes with the presence of horses. It depicts so well the complex interactions of teenage siblings and peers, and the piercing profundity of the heart at that age.
I was dumbstruck to learn that Eliza Henry-Jones was born in 1990! The maturity that saturates her writing goes far beyond her years. A beautiful and quiet debut.
Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins Australia for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a lovely, gentle look at grief and life after loss. The story is told through Cate's eyes, as she watches her family in a series of mostly short scenes (no chapter breaks or divisions), as well as earlier recollections. It is tender without being sappy, it shows rather than tells. It brings you to the Australian country, with an understated romance that comes with the presence of horses. It depicts so well the complex interactions of teenage siblings and peers, and the piercing profundity of the heart at that age.
I was dumbstruck to learn that Eliza Henry-Jones was born in 1990! The maturity that saturates her writing goes far beyond her years. A beautiful and quiet debut.
Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins Australia for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 8, 2016
It is slightly unnerving to consider the possibility of being able to watch over your loved ones as they deal with the aftermath of your death. An emerging voice in Australian fiction, Eliza Henry-Jones allows her reader to experience life after death in an accessible way through her debut novel, In the Quiet. Readers will find it hard pressed not to connect to Henry-Jones voice, I know my connection was immediate. Her prose is both refined and observant, as she explores a family’s heartache at the loss of their beloved wife and mother. At the front and centre of this moving story is the first person narrative of mother and wife Cate Carlton. Despite the novel being told from Cate’s eyes as she floats in the afterlife, this is a novel that is grounded in the here and now, exploring the raw emotions experienced by the grieving Carlton family.
In the Quiet is a very impressive debut novel. I found it a deeply compelling and contemplative piece of fiction. Henry-Jones takes an interesting scenario, a woman watching over her family after death and turns it into an exceptional novel with strong emotional pull. The way in each character is portrayed in this novel by Henry-Jones is what makes this novel a standout read. Henry-Jones has a sixth sense when it comes to her characters, she knows how each one thinks, acts and feels, getting inside their hearts and minds. I found the prose in this book admirable, Henry-Jones is able to seamlessly alternate perspectives between teenage girl Jessica, switch to husband Bass and move to the main protagonist Cate. Each of the characters featured in In The Quiet left an imprint on my consciousness, long after closing the book. Another winning feature of In the Quiet is the country based setting, which held strong appeal to me. The Carlton family lives on a farm in rural Victoria. Animals, in particular horses, feature heavily in the novel. Henry-Jones examines how horses in particular can play a part in the grieving and healing process after loss. Although the subject matter may appear bleak, I found In the Quiet uplifting and the messages of hope were loud and clear.
In the Quiet is a reflective piece of Australian literature, it is a coming of age novel as well as a heartfelt exploration of the main themes of family, love, loss, grief, hope and second chances. It kept the pages turning for me as I desperately wanted to solve the central mystery of what happened to Cate. I also wanted to discover if Cate would ever move on from her place of limbo in the afterlife. I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to be introduced to the works of Eliza Henry-Jones, an author I firmly believe to be a very talented and fresh voice in Australian fiction.
*This review also appears on my blog https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com...
In the Quiet is a very impressive debut novel. I found it a deeply compelling and contemplative piece of fiction. Henry-Jones takes an interesting scenario, a woman watching over her family after death and turns it into an exceptional novel with strong emotional pull. The way in each character is portrayed in this novel by Henry-Jones is what makes this novel a standout read. Henry-Jones has a sixth sense when it comes to her characters, she knows how each one thinks, acts and feels, getting inside their hearts and minds. I found the prose in this book admirable, Henry-Jones is able to seamlessly alternate perspectives between teenage girl Jessica, switch to husband Bass and move to the main protagonist Cate. Each of the characters featured in In The Quiet left an imprint on my consciousness, long after closing the book. Another winning feature of In the Quiet is the country based setting, which held strong appeal to me. The Carlton family lives on a farm in rural Victoria. Animals, in particular horses, feature heavily in the novel. Henry-Jones examines how horses in particular can play a part in the grieving and healing process after loss. Although the subject matter may appear bleak, I found In the Quiet uplifting and the messages of hope were loud and clear.
In the Quiet is a reflective piece of Australian literature, it is a coming of age novel as well as a heartfelt exploration of the main themes of family, love, loss, grief, hope and second chances. It kept the pages turning for me as I desperately wanted to solve the central mystery of what happened to Cate. I also wanted to discover if Cate would ever move on from her place of limbo in the afterlife. I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to be introduced to the works of Eliza Henry-Jones, an author I firmly believe to be a very talented and fresh voice in Australian fiction.
*This review also appears on my blog https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com...
November 4, 2018
It's incredible to me that In The Quiet was a debut novel for Eliza Henry-Jones. I missed the buzz three years ago when she first published this novel but it was always my intention to read it. Whilst my intentions don't always equate to my actions, in this case I'm super happy they did. I'm certain this one will end up being one of my favourite reads of the year.
This lady can write and she writes beautifully. Her story was perfectly paced. It was peopled with characters so typical of rural Australia. The language she used so true to life. Her portrayal of country Australia superb. Her depiction of grief palpable and moving.
At the heart of this family story was Cate Carlton - wife, mother, daughter, sister, best friend. Cate's the narrator and within the first paragraph we learn she is recently deceased. I wondered if this was going to be a ghost story but it wasn't, not really. Through Cates eyes and ears we looked in upon her family in the here and now. Her family struggling in the wake of her unexpected death in her thirties. Their coping mechanisms, their anger, despondency, sadness, guilt - the whole melting pot of emotions - blended with snippets of her memories. Together they combined to create a perfect montage of a family in grief.
Eliza Henry-Jones is not the only author to capture the essence of country Australia but she does it with the best of them. Though set in a fictional town, everything about Garra and these characters was familiar to me. The language felt genuine to the point I could easily recognise these people. All the tiny details came together perfectly, especially the way she captured the Aussie male. Their coarse language, the way they hang it on each other. Their seeming inability to show their emotions or speak about things most important to them (at least not without a few beers under the belt). Henry-Jones showed true Aussie mateship. Blokes and boys, there for each other in the moments that matter most.
Everytime I think my review is complete I recall other elements I really must mention. You should know it wasn't all grief. Animals and farm life were a huge part of the story. There was young love, new love and importantly, moments of joy and hope and healing. If, like me, you've been "meaning to" read this, or if it's buried somewhere deep within your TBR I can only urge you to find a reason to bring it forward. If it's not already on your list I highly recommend adding it. I'm convinced it would not disappoint.
This lady can write and she writes beautifully. Her story was perfectly paced. It was peopled with characters so typical of rural Australia. The language she used so true to life. Her portrayal of country Australia superb. Her depiction of grief palpable and moving.
"Grief, I suppose, is something you think you understand once you've seen its colours, it's shape. But the thing about grief is that it is forever changing. A swell, subsiding. The waves, their curl and height and depth, each different."
At the heart of this family story was Cate Carlton - wife, mother, daughter, sister, best friend. Cate's the narrator and within the first paragraph we learn she is recently deceased. I wondered if this was going to be a ghost story but it wasn't, not really. Through Cates eyes and ears we looked in upon her family in the here and now. Her family struggling in the wake of her unexpected death in her thirties. Their coping mechanisms, their anger, despondency, sadness, guilt - the whole melting pot of emotions - blended with snippets of her memories. Together they combined to create a perfect montage of a family in grief.
Eliza Henry-Jones is not the only author to capture the essence of country Australia but she does it with the best of them. Though set in a fictional town, everything about Garra and these characters was familiar to me. The language felt genuine to the point I could easily recognise these people. All the tiny details came together perfectly, especially the way she captured the Aussie male. Their coarse language, the way they hang it on each other. Their seeming inability to show their emotions or speak about things most important to them (at least not without a few beers under the belt). Henry-Jones showed true Aussie mateship. Blokes and boys, there for each other in the moments that matter most.
Everytime I think my review is complete I recall other elements I really must mention. You should know it wasn't all grief. Animals and farm life were a huge part of the story. There was young love, new love and importantly, moments of joy and hope and healing. If, like me, you've been "meaning to" read this, or if it's buried somewhere deep within your TBR I can only urge you to find a reason to bring it forward. If it's not already on your list I highly recommend adding it. I'm convinced it would not disappoint.
June 18, 2023
3.5★
This debut novel from Eliza Henry-Jones is a gentle, moving read. Told entirely from the point of view of Cate, the deceased wife and mother, the author's background in grief counselling informs a realistic and touching story of a family working through an unexpected loss.
At the outset, Cate knows she has died, but doesn't know why or how. Her ability to remember her past is not the same as in life - it's more random and not something she can control. She silently observes her family and friends in a series of chronological vignettes in the period after her death. Cate never judges them, although she occasionally wishes she could assert some influence over their thoughts and actions. As the book progresses and the story moves closer to revealing something of the circumstances surrounding Cate's death, I began to feel a real sense of disquiet. I had my own ideas of what might have happened, but was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.
Although I enjoyed reading this book and was able to get swept up in the emotion of it, overall it was just a bit too passive for me to get excited about, but that won't stop me from seeking out more by this author.
This debut novel from Eliza Henry-Jones is a gentle, moving read. Told entirely from the point of view of Cate, the deceased wife and mother, the author's background in grief counselling informs a realistic and touching story of a family working through an unexpected loss.
At the outset, Cate knows she has died, but doesn't know why or how. Her ability to remember her past is not the same as in life - it's more random and not something she can control. She silently observes her family and friends in a series of chronological vignettes in the period after her death. Cate never judges them, although she occasionally wishes she could assert some influence over their thoughts and actions. As the book progresses and the story moves closer to revealing something of the circumstances surrounding Cate's death, I began to feel a real sense of disquiet. I had my own ideas of what might have happened, but was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.
Although I enjoyed reading this book and was able to get swept up in the emotion of it, overall it was just a bit too passive for me to get excited about, but that won't stop me from seeking out more by this author.
March 17, 2018
Cate has died. She is not sure how she died but she is able to hear and see her family members (husband Bass, 13-year-old daughter Jessa and 16-year-old twin sons Cameron and Rafferty) coping with their grief of her passing. Cate’s observations are interspersed with sections that fill in background information about her marriage and relationship with family and friends. Set in a small Australian farm, Henry-Jones’ debut novel is tenderly rendered.
Cate’s own loss is palpable. Her close friend and neighbor (Laura) and her sister (Bea) step in to help her family. In time, thankfully, each member starts to heal in his or her own way. Cate’s gratitude is mingled with sadness: ‘I try not to think about Laura oiling Bass’s boots; try not to think about Bea buying my daughter dresses. Try not to notice the great hole that opens up in me as people step into the absence I’ve left behind.’ Touching and understandable.
The author does a good job capturing the pain of Cate’s children: Jessa’s extreme irritability and anger (depression actually); Cameron’s anxiety and night terrors; Rafferty’s smoking and starring into space. The latter says, “None of us are very happy. That’s what happens when your mother dies.” Along with Cate, I find comfort when they seek a positive outlet for their sadness. Rafferty plays the guitar; Cameron runs for the school team; Jessa rides her horses.
The prose style strikes me as straightforward and casual. Phrases, rather than whole sentences, seem to dominate the writing. Perhaps, they convey the fragmentary nature of Cate's memories. It is prose that is immediate but not elegant. In terms of the storyline, I wonder if the family has closure on Cate’s death. From listening to the conversations of her family, Cate hopes to find out how she died. If I had followed the story correctly, I learned what medical condition Cate had but not the actual circumstances that led to her sudden departure. I wonder, too, if the handling of jessa's horse (Opal's fate) bordered on the excessive.
In The Quiet is well received by several of my GR friends and it has obvious merits. Henry-Jones lays bare the gentle heart of a woman who loves her husband and children. This love lives on even after life is no more. This, to me, is the strength of this novel.
Cate’s own loss is palpable. Her close friend and neighbor (Laura) and her sister (Bea) step in to help her family. In time, thankfully, each member starts to heal in his or her own way. Cate’s gratitude is mingled with sadness: ‘I try not to think about Laura oiling Bass’s boots; try not to think about Bea buying my daughter dresses. Try not to notice the great hole that opens up in me as people step into the absence I’ve left behind.’ Touching and understandable.
The author does a good job capturing the pain of Cate’s children: Jessa’s extreme irritability and anger (depression actually); Cameron’s anxiety and night terrors; Rafferty’s smoking and starring into space. The latter says, “None of us are very happy. That’s what happens when your mother dies.” Along with Cate, I find comfort when they seek a positive outlet for their sadness. Rafferty plays the guitar; Cameron runs for the school team; Jessa rides her horses.
The prose style strikes me as straightforward and casual. Phrases, rather than whole sentences, seem to dominate the writing. Perhaps, they convey the fragmentary nature of Cate's memories. It is prose that is immediate but not elegant. In terms of the storyline, I wonder if the family has closure on Cate’s death. From listening to the conversations of her family, Cate hopes to find out how she died. If I had followed the story correctly, I learned what medical condition Cate had but not the actual circumstances that led to her sudden departure. I wonder, too, if the handling of jessa's horse (Opal's fate) bordered on the excessive.
In The Quiet is well received by several of my GR friends and it has obvious merits. Henry-Jones lays bare the gentle heart of a woman who loves her husband and children. This love lives on even after life is no more. This, to me, is the strength of this novel.
June 23, 2015
Reading 'In The Quiet' is like standing at the edge of the ocean: it washes over you in small ripples and waves and allows for a bittersweet moment of contemplation. For a while you read and just let it envelop you as there is no point in grabbing at the many quite beautiful little details because they are as evasive as catching running water. A little more than halfway through, though, you find that you are deeper in than first thought. It's a little shocking, but at the same time seems completely natural.
The text follows recently deceased Cate Carlton as she watches over her family as they grieve and attempt to move on.
Eliza Henry-Jones writes with sympathy and brevity, her characters filled with warmth and detail. I think that's what I like the most about this book, the incredible detail and lack of judgement. The author may have described the book as depressing but I found it neither depressing nor uplifting. I simply found it completely and utterly natural. Grief affects everyone differently and this was well established in the novel. I think I preferred to be a bystander to the Carlton family's grieving and just let it unfold. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be emotional- I just wanted to watch. And so I did.
Whilst if anything I found the text a little short, it almost didn't matter as much in the end because I was left with an onslaught of memories from the book, each leaving their own little imprint like ripples on sand. In terms of a criticism I think from the turning point in the novel I would have liked more of the second half, and more of an exploration of Cate's secret. I felt it stayed too long in the dark. But maybe it was meant to.
For a debut novel 'In The Quiet' is filled with some really beautiful writing, taking the reader on the ongoing journey of grieving. It is bittersweet and certainly well deserving of critical praise. But take an afternoon to read it- stand at the edge of the ocean- because it has a power of its own that will leave you contemplative and wondering and waiting.
The text follows recently deceased Cate Carlton as she watches over her family as they grieve and attempt to move on.
Eliza Henry-Jones writes with sympathy and brevity, her characters filled with warmth and detail. I think that's what I like the most about this book, the incredible detail and lack of judgement. The author may have described the book as depressing but I found it neither depressing nor uplifting. I simply found it completely and utterly natural. Grief affects everyone differently and this was well established in the novel. I think I preferred to be a bystander to the Carlton family's grieving and just let it unfold. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be emotional- I just wanted to watch. And so I did.
Whilst if anything I found the text a little short, it almost didn't matter as much in the end because I was left with an onslaught of memories from the book, each leaving their own little imprint like ripples on sand. In terms of a criticism I think from the turning point in the novel I would have liked more of the second half, and more of an exploration of Cate's secret. I felt it stayed too long in the dark. But maybe it was meant to.
For a debut novel 'In The Quiet' is filled with some really beautiful writing, taking the reader on the ongoing journey of grieving. It is bittersweet and certainly well deserving of critical praise. But take an afternoon to read it- stand at the edge of the ocean- because it has a power of its own that will leave you contemplative and wondering and waiting.
January 30, 2018
You can find this review on our Sister Blog
https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
September 26, 2017
Part of the reason it has taken me so long to write this review is because I just don’t think I can do it justice. I’ve thought of it so many times since I finished it that I changed my review from 4 stars to 5. Like the ghost who acts as narrator (a mother who has left her young family too soon), it lingers long after it ends. This is one of those rare books that you miss, that actually begin missing before it ends because you can sense it coming and you aren’t quite ready.
In essence, it’s a beautiful story about family, love, heartbreak, loss, disappointment, expectation, and all the different ways in which we grieve. And every aspect of the book is so beautifully put together, from the writing style to the heart-wrenching, heart-mending story. It is tender, introspective, honest, and it feels so very real.
If you’re in the market for a touching, sometime heart-wrenching but equally uplifting about what it means to be family, how to survive loss, how to grow together and million other things, In the Quiet is the book for you. A diamond in the rough, my friends. Not to be missed.
Note: I received this book from the publisher. I pride myself on writing fair and honest review.
In essence, it’s a beautiful story about family, love, heartbreak, loss, disappointment, expectation, and all the different ways in which we grieve. And every aspect of the book is so beautifully put together, from the writing style to the heart-wrenching, heart-mending story. It is tender, introspective, honest, and it feels so very real.
If you’re in the market for a touching, sometime heart-wrenching but equally uplifting about what it means to be family, how to survive loss, how to grow together and million other things, In the Quiet is the book for you. A diamond in the rough, my friends. Not to be missed.
Note: I received this book from the publisher. I pride myself on writing fair and honest review.
September 7, 2015
Took me two weeks to read this book!!!! (that is a long time!!) I’m not sure if it’s because it was an emotional read, thought provoking, sometimes a little confusing?? But I found I loved it, and the originality of the book, but might be one to sit and read in a quiet place one Sunday afternoon without interruption. It is a beautiful book and well done as we start off with Cate, who has died and not knowing how she has died, watch her family from afar dealing with her death. She can still hear them, and see them and can hear what they are thinking. Their grief is what this book is about and how they move on as best as they can. There’s also the mystery of how she died, although we get hints, it’s not until closer to the end that we realise all is not as first thought. Set in rural Australia, this is an amazing and unique debut novel.
January 16, 2020
The narrator of In The Quiet is a young mother who has recently died. I think the only other book I've read with a dead narrator is The Lovely Bones, a book I liked almost as much as I liked this one, although the two are different in every other way.
Cate was a happily married wife and mother. She watches helplessly as her husband, two sons and daughter grieve and try to come to terms with the empty place in their family where vibrant, loving Cate used to be. The setting is a struggling horse farm in Australia, a rural neighborhood where parties are held in the neighbor's barn and friends are always willing to pitch in and help when needed. Although the subject matter is sad, In the Quiet is an uplifting story with a solid, satisfying ending.
Somehow I missed In The Quiet when it came out in 2015. Glad I came across it now.
August 3, 2015
Full Review: http://www.booksandababy.com/?p=228
I usually take a little time before reviewing, either here or on my beloved Goodreads. But this is one I want to write about immediately because I.absolutely.love.this.book.
Narrated from the perspective of Cate, who has recently died, this follows the aftermath of her death and its affect on her three children, lovely husband, friend and family. Cate lives on a rural Victorian property with her horses, and for all purposes, had a wonderful blessed life. She herself comes to realise this as she narrates with great tenderness, the loss and its profound impact.
This book had a wonderful sense of place and is rooted deeply in a love and appreciation for the Australian landscape. I am not a horse-y adult, but I did really enjoy how Cate and her family’s interaction with horses cemented them to the land, to each other and their life. It honestly made me long to have more to do with horses, as I did as a child.
This book is honestly perfection and has to be one of my all-time favourites, no mean feat given the thousands I have probably read over my thirty-some years. It is beautiful, tender, evocative and gorgeously written. If I had to pick a fault for other readers, it might be that it ends rather suddenly, but I didn’t even notice that in the reading. I loved Raff, I loved Bass, I loved Cate. I loved them all and was sad to finish and let go.
I cried a lot – as a new mother, this really tugged at the heartstrings and I came away with a new appreciation of all that truly matters in this life – family, love and friendship. It captures fully the gravity of life and the beauty of its brevity, and for a moment, before I began worrying about the mundane again, I accessed that brevity.
It also reminded me a lot of Jessie Cole’s ‘Deeper Water’ – my favourite read of 2014 and a book I also think about still to this day.
Glorious, gorgeous perfection, honestly
I usually take a little time before reviewing, either here or on my beloved Goodreads. But this is one I want to write about immediately because I.absolutely.love.this.book.
Narrated from the perspective of Cate, who has recently died, this follows the aftermath of her death and its affect on her three children, lovely husband, friend and family. Cate lives on a rural Victorian property with her horses, and for all purposes, had a wonderful blessed life. She herself comes to realise this as she narrates with great tenderness, the loss and its profound impact.
This book had a wonderful sense of place and is rooted deeply in a love and appreciation for the Australian landscape. I am not a horse-y adult, but I did really enjoy how Cate and her family’s interaction with horses cemented them to the land, to each other and their life. It honestly made me long to have more to do with horses, as I did as a child.
This book is honestly perfection and has to be one of my all-time favourites, no mean feat given the thousands I have probably read over my thirty-some years. It is beautiful, tender, evocative and gorgeously written. If I had to pick a fault for other readers, it might be that it ends rather suddenly, but I didn’t even notice that in the reading. I loved Raff, I loved Bass, I loved Cate. I loved them all and was sad to finish and let go.
I cried a lot – as a new mother, this really tugged at the heartstrings and I came away with a new appreciation of all that truly matters in this life – family, love and friendship. It captures fully the gravity of life and the beauty of its brevity, and for a moment, before I began worrying about the mundane again, I accessed that brevity.
It also reminded me a lot of Jessie Cole’s ‘Deeper Water’ – my favourite read of 2014 and a book I also think about still to this day.
Glorious, gorgeous perfection, honestly
March 22, 2016
This is a surprisingly good book about death and the process of grieving.
The characters (the narrator, her husband, three children, sister and best friend) are all just nice people are dealing with the narrator's death.
My minor criticism is that there seems to be various happy and tidy endings and some of the flashbacks did not add all that much.
Whenever I thought the story was languishing up came a small twist, a new piece of information and a new thread. Henry-Jones writing is so smooth and her construction of the book is unique.
The characters (the narrator, her husband, three children, sister and best friend) are all just nice people are dealing with the narrator's death.
My minor criticism is that there seems to be various happy and tidy endings and some of the flashbacks did not add all that much.
Whenever I thought the story was languishing up came a small twist, a new piece of information and a new thread. Henry-Jones writing is so smooth and her construction of the book is unique.
June 27, 2015
BEAUTIFUL!
I would 6 star this book if Goodreads would let me!
I dont care who you are or what your reading preferences maybe this story will grab your heart.
This book is a cleverly written, wonderful story for all readers.
This is one of my A class read for the year so far....to listen to us talk about this book and others listen to our Midsummer Nights Reads.
http://www.scandaliciousbookreviews.c...
I would 6 star this book if Goodreads would let me!
I dont care who you are or what your reading preferences maybe this story will grab your heart.
This book is a cleverly written, wonderful story for all readers.
This is one of my A class read for the year so far....to listen to us talk about this book and others listen to our Midsummer Nights Reads.
http://www.scandaliciousbookreviews.c...
April 11, 2019
In the Quiet was good but I wanted to like it more. It is about a mom who has passed away and is now observing her family as they grieve and get on with their lives. The pace felt slow to me and I never got the emotional punch I was looking for. But, I really liked the format; it is told from the mom’s perspective and flits from scene to scene as well as to her memories. I actually felt like I was inside her head and floating along with her in some timeless existence.
June 23, 2015
What a great debut novel - i loved the characters and i loved the feel of fhe story - especially the pauses ... Original & authentic
August 25, 2015
We’ve all experienced grief at some stage in our lives but what does it mean to lose a wife and mother? What does it feel like to be that same wife and mother who is able to linger on watching over her family as they come to terms with their grief? Hopefully (and God-willing) none of us will ever have to know this tearing apart at the seams of a family but this is the territory which Eliza Henry-Jones, in her debut novel, In the Quiet, explores.
As Bass and the children attempt to get on with their lives on their rural Victorian horse property where the essence of Cate still lives, be it in the form of her pillow on the marital bed:
“He has left my pillowcase on. The blue and white patterns of it. He sleeps on it every night. It must smell more like him now than it ever did of me.”;
or the nail-polish that now sits abandoned on the coffee table:
“Jessa chips the nail polish off all her fingers but leaves it on her toes. It’s nearly grown out, just little flecks left on her big toes. Blue nail polish. I’d put it on for her, to cheer her up over a miserable day at school.”;
or even the flowers that still reside on top of the sideboard:
“The roses I picked from the garden and set on the sideboard in the living room have lost their colour, are rotting in water that is now mostly green. Their petals are papery and brown, under lounge chairs and puffed down the hallway and into other rooms. There are other flowers, set into corners and on tables. Flowers I haven’t seen before. Dying flowers, some with cards still attached. On shelves and in dirty vases on the verandah.”,
she comes to them every day - silent, unseen – and watches over them while still trying to make sense of the recollections that assail her current ethereal form. It’s difficult because there is so much for her to take in and she doesn’t want to miss anything that’s going on in the present, but slowly, in her slightly disjointed way of thinking, she makes her way to the day it all began, as her poignant memories illuminate the novel.
You might wonder after reading the blurb, as I did, how Eliza was going to pull off writing a book from the perspective of the deceased Cate Carlton?
Well, pull it off she did in this gentle and tender story told in quiet words, with scenes set in muted colours, about a family who are grieving the loss of the glue that held them together – someone who should have been around to be a loving companion to Bass as well as help Rafferty, Cameron and Jessa navigate their adolescence and coming-of-age with sound advice and the love and understanding that only a mother can give.
Eliza’s background in psychology and counselling, combined with her expertise in equine therapy and her own love of horses, places her firmly in a position to capture not only life on an Australian horse property but the way that grief affects each of us in such different ways and I was really taken in by the portraits she painted of these bereaved children’s interactions with the horses, specifically Cameron and Jessa, as they searched for a connection to their mother through her horses.
The setting is evocative, her prose rich and Eliza has captured well the sense of isolation in their grief giving us a stunning story about memories, love, loss, family and the burden of a secret left on the shoulders of a child.
This is an absorbing, thoughtful and langorously debut told in such a compelling voice that I have no doubt it will linger in your thoughts long after you have turned the final page.
As Bass and the children attempt to get on with their lives on their rural Victorian horse property where the essence of Cate still lives, be it in the form of her pillow on the marital bed:
“He has left my pillowcase on. The blue and white patterns of it. He sleeps on it every night. It must smell more like him now than it ever did of me.”;
or the nail-polish that now sits abandoned on the coffee table:
“Jessa chips the nail polish off all her fingers but leaves it on her toes. It’s nearly grown out, just little flecks left on her big toes. Blue nail polish. I’d put it on for her, to cheer her up over a miserable day at school.”;
or even the flowers that still reside on top of the sideboard:
“The roses I picked from the garden and set on the sideboard in the living room have lost their colour, are rotting in water that is now mostly green. Their petals are papery and brown, under lounge chairs and puffed down the hallway and into other rooms. There are other flowers, set into corners and on tables. Flowers I haven’t seen before. Dying flowers, some with cards still attached. On shelves and in dirty vases on the verandah.”,
she comes to them every day - silent, unseen – and watches over them while still trying to make sense of the recollections that assail her current ethereal form. It’s difficult because there is so much for her to take in and she doesn’t want to miss anything that’s going on in the present, but slowly, in her slightly disjointed way of thinking, she makes her way to the day it all began, as her poignant memories illuminate the novel.
You might wonder after reading the blurb, as I did, how Eliza was going to pull off writing a book from the perspective of the deceased Cate Carlton?
Well, pull it off she did in this gentle and tender story told in quiet words, with scenes set in muted colours, about a family who are grieving the loss of the glue that held them together – someone who should have been around to be a loving companion to Bass as well as help Rafferty, Cameron and Jessa navigate their adolescence and coming-of-age with sound advice and the love and understanding that only a mother can give.
Eliza’s background in psychology and counselling, combined with her expertise in equine therapy and her own love of horses, places her firmly in a position to capture not only life on an Australian horse property but the way that grief affects each of us in such different ways and I was really taken in by the portraits she painted of these bereaved children’s interactions with the horses, specifically Cameron and Jessa, as they searched for a connection to their mother through her horses.
The setting is evocative, her prose rich and Eliza has captured well the sense of isolation in their grief giving us a stunning story about memories, love, loss, family and the burden of a secret left on the shoulders of a child.
This is an absorbing, thoughtful and langorously debut told in such a compelling voice that I have no doubt it will linger in your thoughts long after you have turned the final page.
July 6, 2015
This book is my favourite read of 2015 so far. You definitely need a box of tissues while reading it, but it makes you feel so happy and full of emotion too. I could not put it down. -Emily
Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews