“In this powerful and beautifully written novella, Simon Bestwick unerringly assumes the voice of seventeen-year-old Ems, a narrator whose voice ranges from fragile to furious. By turns stark and elegiac, Angels of the Silences is part devastating tale of an all-too-human evil and the secret lives of teenage girls, but it’s also a story of transcendence, the unassailable bonds of friendship, and the light that can sometimes survive even the darkest places.”
Emily and Biff are seventeen and best friends. They have also been dead for nine months. This one's (almost) gentle by my standards - often funny, sometimes tender, it's a story about love, friendship and mortality. And, maybe, just a hint of revenge.
First published as a chapbook in 2011 by Pendragon Press, but long out of print, Angels Of The Silences has now been released in a new edition by Omnium Gatherum Books in the US. Available in both print and ebook form from the publisher.
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| Neil Williams' art for the original Pendragon Press edition |
“What drives the narrative is the personality of the two leads, different enough to be interesting, but at the same time with enough in common to be representative of their age group. They have the usual concerns of seventeen year old girls – interest in boys and sex, alcohol and partying, being out with their mates and the fear of what the future may bring – with some eminently believable and engaging dialogue to bring it all to life on the page.”
'Funny, beautifully written and poignant, Angels of the Silences is a fantastic chapbook that demonstrates Bestwick’s skill as a writer.' -Terror Tree
'One of those brief but startling works that we stumble upon every now and then. Read it and I dare you not to be moved.' -Terry Gates-Grimwood.
'Angels of the Silences made me fill up, so suddenly that it took me by surprise, and I admire anybody who can inflict that merely with simple words on a page. Put aside the time and savour it.' -Welcome To The Hellforge.
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