Tell : a novel

The bestselling author of the award-winning international sensation Deafening returns to the period following the First Great War with a tour de force -- an extraordinary novel of secrets withheld and secrets revealed. In 1919, only months after the end of World War One, the men and women of Deseronto struggle to recover from wounds of the past, both visible and hidden. Kenan, a young soldier who has returned from the war damaged and disfigured, confines himself to his small house on the Bay of Quinte, wandering outside only under the cover of night. His wife, Tress, attempting to adjust to the trauma that overwhelms her husband and which has changed their marriage, seeks advice from her Aunt Maggie. Maggie, along with her husband, Am, who cares for the town clock tower, have their own sorrows, which lie unacknowledged between them. Maggie finds joy in her friendship with a local widow and in the Choral Society started by Lukas, a Music Director who has moved to... The Bestselling Author Of The Award-winning International Sensation Deafening Returns To The Period Following The First World War With A Tour De Force-an Extraordinary Novel Of Secrets Withheld And Secrets Revealed. In 1919, Only Months After The End Of The Great War, The Men And Women Of Deseronto Struggle To Recover From Wounds Of The Past, Both Visible And Hidden. Kenan, A Young Soldier Who Has Returned From The War Damaged And Disfigured, Confines Himself To His Small House On The Bay Of Quinte, Wandering Outside Only Under The Cover Of Night. His Wife, Tress, Attempting To Adjust To The Trauma That Overwhelms Her Husband And Which Has Changed Their Marriage, Seeks Advice From Her Aunt Maggie. Maggie, Along With Her Husband, Am, Who Cares For The Town Clock Tower, Have Their Own Sorrows, Which Lie Unacknowledged Between Them. Maggie Finds Joy In Her Friendship With A Local Widow And In The Choral Society Started By Lukas, A Music Director Who Has Moved To The Town From An Unknown Place In War-torn Europe. While Rehearsing And Performing, Maggie Rediscovers A Part Of Herself That She Had Long Set Aside. As The Decade Draws To A Close And The Lives Of These Beautifully-drawn Characters Become More Entwined, Each Of Them Must Decide What To Share And What To Hide, And How Their Actions Will Lead Them Into The Future. With The Narrative Power And Writerly Grace For Which She Is Celebrated, Frances Itani Has Crafted A Deeply Moving, Emotionally Rich Story About The Burdens Of The Past. She Shows Us How, Ultimately, The Very Secrets We Bury To Protect Ourselves Can Also Be The Cause Of Our Undoing. Tell Is Stunning Achievement. The international debut sensation Deafening launched the story of Grania, deaf from the age of five, and her sister Tress, who helped to create their secret language. Tell picks up from the return of the sisters' husbands from the war, and follows Tress's partner Kenan, a young shell-shocked soldier who confines himself indoors, venturing outside only at night to visit the frozen bay where he skated as a boy. Saddened by her altered marriage, Tress seeks advice from her Aunt Maggie. But Maggie and her husband, Am, have problems of their own. Maggie finds joy singing in the town's newly created choral society. Am, troubled by the widening gulf in his marriage, spends more and more time in the clock tower above their apartment. As the second decade of the twentieth century draws to a close, the lives of the two couples become increasingly entwined. Startling revelations surface as layers of silence begin to crumble. Told with Itani's signature power and grace, Tell is both a deeply moving story about the burdens of the past, and a beautifully rendered reminder of how the secrets we bury to protect ourselves can also be the cause of our undoing.