Louise O’Neill’s latest piece ‘After The Silence’ is set on the island of Inisrun, ten years after the mysterious and brutal murder of Nessa Crowley, one of the island’s legendary Crowley sisters, at a Christmas party. O’Neill takes us back to the island where the Kinsella family, who hosted the fatal party, are hiding a deep secret.
The novel was initially inspired by the infamous true crime podcast ‘West Cork’ and the investigation into the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, and O’Neill wanted to use aspects of this within the novel, so she used flashbacks from Keelin Kinsella, the wife of Henry and mum to Evie and Alex, as well as interviews by a team of Australian film makers with islanders past and present, to tell the story.
Film makers Noah and Jake come to the island to make a film about “The Crowley Girl” and they use their interviews to show the prolonged hurt and strain among those left behind, especially Keelin Kinsella. Keelin’s husband Henry was always known as a blown in, and definitely doesn’t have the public’s favour since his family had let their money talk years ago when they built a retreat for artists. He is the main suspect in the murder, but O’Neill has written the novel so well that you don’t know exactly what the family is hiding until the very last minute.
The family lives a quiet and remote life on the island, away from other islanders since Nessa’s death, but when the documentary makers arrive, this all changes and the islanders are hopeful that the boys will uncover some new evidence that would finally convict Henry of the murder of one of their own. No one could get on or off the island the night of her death due to a huge storm, so if it wasn’t Henry Kinsella then they need to know who it was finally as the murderer was (and maybe still is, among them).
The Kinsella family dynamic is clearly strained and this has a central tie to the whole book which personally I enjoyed. One minute I felt sorry for someone, the next I was questioning why I had felt sorry for them. This ability to evoke emotion around characters is is a great attribute to any writer so big applause to Louise O’Neill here.
The book is set out to be a murder mystery, but it is clear from the outset that the author is hugely passionate about the story of Keelin and her harrowing experiences with domestic violence - both from a former husband and now in very subtle, but coercive ways with Henry.
Overall it’s a very thrilling read as, right from the outset you know that there is without a doubt more to the story than is being told. The gentle unravelling of the overall plot, both present day and in the past, as well as the setting of the wild and rocky island, make the tale even more thrilling and atmospheric although your mind needs to be fully switched on and engaged to keep up with the back ‘n’ forth nature of the flashbacks. It’s not one to read with a sleepy, pre-bed mind, that’s for sure! But if you like murder mysteries and a notion of quaint island life then this is definitely one for you.