The Silent Woman: A Novel

The Story

At once frighteningly beautiful and strangely evocative,The Silent Woman is the haunting storyof three tortured souls.In the summer of 1914, the celebrated young painter Oskar Kokoschka was in the throes of a passionate love affair with Alma Mahler, the beautiful and seductive widow of the great composer. Now, four short years later, Kokoschka has become a casualty of the Great War. Unlike many of his compatriots, Oskar has survived both a bayonet wound and mustard gas, yet he cannot seem to recover from his inconstant mistress's ruinous betrayal.Determined to have her -- somehow -- the grieving artist turns to a servant, the shy, reserved Hulda. Shrouded in sadness, this tender young woman reawakens in Oskar desire -- and the passion of creation. But their secret liaison is fueled by Oskar's preoccupation with his lost love, a dangerous obsession that could carry him-and the innocent Hulda -- beyond hope to a place of no return.