An evening with Josie Ferguson in York

Imagine waking up and a wall has divided your city in two. Imagine that on the other side is your new-born baby and there is now no way of getting to him...

For fans of In Memoriam, All the Light We Cannot See and Alone in Berlin, a stunning historical debut.

A page-turning story about a mother being separated from her child, based on real stories.

The Silence in Between is a historical novel based in Berlin in 1961 and during the Second World War.

Lisette lives in East Berlin but brings her new-born baby to a hospital in West Berlin. Under doctor's orders, she goes home to rest, leaving the baby in the care of the hospital. But overnight the border between East and West closes, slicing the city - and the world - in two. With a city in chaos and armed guards ordered to shoot anyone who tries to cross, her situation is desperate.

Lisette's teenage daughter, Elly, has always struggled to understand the distance between herself and her mother. Both live for music but while Elly hears notes surrounding every person she meets, for her mother - once a talented pianist - the world has gone silent. Perhaps Elly can do something to bridge the gap between them.

What begins as the flicker of an idea turns into a daring plan to escape East Berlin, find her baby brother, and bring him home.... them from their private pains. Is it that simple?

Host or Publisher Waterstones