Congratulations to Avril Joy whose latest novel, The Silent Women, was published earlier this summer by Linen Press.
The novel, which is Avril’s third, is set in the 19th century in a women’s asylum. Here’s more from the Linen Press website: “In 1875, Simone Gastrell is conveniently committed to Long Meadows Asylum by her adulterous husband. Distraught but not defeated, she meets the silent women whose lives within the institution are ordered and defined by men. Alice Semple, a herbalist and wise- woman, does not speak, but gives testimony in her notebook. Phoebe Baines, a fragile, damaged young woman, lives within the soundless universe of her interior monologue. In a powerless world, relieved only by precious hours spent in the Airing Courts and gardens, the three women come together in unvoiced friendship. When life behind the asylum walls grows even more dangerous and brutal, they find their voices and use them to fight for survival.”
Great news to see another novel from Avril. We hope she continues to find more readers and we look forward to more of her work coming out.
Avril Joy was shortlisted for the 2012 Bristol Short Story Prize with her story, Meat. It is published in our Volume 5 anthology by Tangent Books: https://www.tangentbooks.co.uk/shop/bristol-short-story-prize-volume-5