The Quietness

A gripping, moving, and haunting Victorian drama from a debut author. When 15-year-old Queenie escapes from the squalid slums of 19th-century London, she has no idea about the dangers of the dark world she is about to become embroiled in. Initially thrilled at being taken on as a maid for the seemingly respectable Waters sisters, Queenie comes to realize that something is very wrong with the dozens of strangely silent babies being "adopted" into the household. Meanwhile, lonely and unloved 16-year-old Ellen is delighted when her handsome and charming young cousin Jacob is sent to live with her family. She thinks she has finally found a man to fall in love with and rely on, but when Jacob cruelly betrays her she finds herself once again at the mercy of her cold-hearted father. Soon the girls' lives become irrevocably entwined in this tension-filled drama. The Quietness is a novel of friendship and trust in the darkest of settings.