Return to Silkeborg

She thought the past was long buried. Now she's on a plane, hurtling toward it.

Over three decades ago, Abigail embarked on an intense affair with Mads, the father of the family she lived with in Denmark during her gap year in 1987. What will happen when she attends his funeral now?

Abigail has grown angry and bitter that this forty-one-year-old man started and ended their affair, especially now when she thinks about her teenage daughter. But did he start it? The more she considers their relationship - whatever it was - the more she questions her reasons for getting so close to Mads.

Return to Silkeborg weaves back and forth between the present day and the events that occurred during this gap year. Abigail must revisit her past and make peace with the twenty-three-year age difference and the clandestine nature of their relationship. She no longer views it with rose-coloured glasses. What unfolds is a journey of self-discovery and reflection as Abigail confronts the truth of their connection.

A reflective, immersive story of how love can change who we are that would suit fans of The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller and Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash.

What Readers Are Saying

'Return to Silkeborg is a love story, a coming-of-age story, and a story about friendship wrapped into one terrific read.' - Heather Hummel Gallagher, award-winning novelist of Whispers from the Heart and Call it Kismet.

'This fantastic book is a moving and introspective read that lingers long after the last page.'

'...the overwhelming feeling I had after finishing the book was that we all have choices, and those choices have consequences that can resonate for years.'

'This book is about the people who shape us and the versions of ourselves we leave in other countries, tucked away like pressed flowers in a book.'

'This is thoughtful, immersive fiction that trusts readers to sit with complexity and discomfort. '

'Forbidden love, the passage of time, and the fragility of memory echo throughout, making the book as much about self-reflection as romance.'

' Be prepared to get invested in this book. Be prepared to care deeply about Abigail, what happens during her time with Mads, and how she processes that time in the present.'