Novel about silence tries to say too much

December. By Elizabeth H Winthrop, Sceptre, €22.95

Elizabeth H Winthrop is interested in internal conversations - the dialogues and monologues that run in tandem with, as well as in the absence of, speech. Her second novel dissects communication, travelling beyond what is said into the gaps between the words.

Isabelle Carter is a wilful and highly sensitive 11-yearold who has not spoken for nine months. The root cause of her silence is indeterminate.