Described by Bernadine Evaristo ‘Engrossing and original, political and unpredictable’, The Silence Project by Carole Hailey is a powerful debut novel that explores a complex mother-daughter relationship. What is it like to be the daughter of a woman who started a cult that changed the world?

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On Emilia Morris’s thirteenth birthday, her mother Rachel moves into a tent at the bottom of their garden. From that day on, she never says another word. Inspired by her vow of silence, other women join her and together they build the Community. Eight years later, Rachel and thousands of her followers around the world burn themselves to death. In the aftermath of what comes to be known as the Event, the community’s global influence quickly grows. As a result, the whole world has an opinion about Rachel- whether they see her as a callous monster or a heroic martyr- but Emilia has never voiced hers publicly. Until now. 

When she publishes her own account of her mother’s life in a memoir called The Silence Project, Emilia also decided to reveal just how sinister the Community has become. In the process, she steps out of Rachel’s shadow once and for all, so that her own voice may finally be heard.

Tickets: £18, including a signed hardback copy of The Silence Project / £8 event only / £5 Student Ticket