Oh Dear Silvia: A Novel

Oh Dear Silvia by Dawn French, the celebrated English actress, bestselling author, and comedian, is the clever, touching, and compelling story of one mysterious woman trapped in a coma after a fall from a balcony.
 
Now, lying unconscious in a hospital bed, Silvia is plagued by a stream of often funny and sometimes poignant visits from friends and family, each of whom knows a different piece of the puzzle that is Silvia Shute.
 
And, as she lies there listening to all of her visitors, the dark and terrible secret she’s been hiding for years emerges.
 
Dawn French's Oh Dear Silvia is an emotionally resonant and riveting tale of secrets, forgiveness, remorse, guilt, and love.

The internationally bestselling author and acclaimed comedic actress Dawn French makes her American literary debut with this riveting novel of secrets, forgiveness, guilt, and love.

Silvia Shute has always done exactly what she wants. But after a fall from a balcony, her life has suddenly, shockingly stopped.

Now she's unconscious in a hospital bed, at the mercy of the mad friends and crazy relatives who have come to visit. Her beleaguered ex-husband, her newly independent daughter, her West Indian nurse, her bohemian sister, her best friend, her enthusiastic housekeeper, and others all share a piece of their collective mind with the complex woman—the bad mother, the cherished sister, the selfish wife, the matchless lover, the egotist, the martyr—they think they know.

And Silvia can't talk back.

As she lies there, captive to the beloveds, the babblers, and the stark-raving bonkers who alternate at her bedside, the dark and terrible secret she has been hiding for years begins to emerge.

Like it or not, the truth has come to pay Silvia a visit. Again, and again, and again . . .

“Beautifully observed. Makes you laugh on every page.” - The Times (London)

“Fresh, extremely funny.” - Sunday Times (London)

Really enjoyable and highly recommended. Dawn French is a wonderful writer - witty, wise and poignant - Daily Mail (London)

A hilarious and compelling read - Good Housekeeping, UK

“[A] laugh-out-loud novel that is interestingly narrated in alternating chapters by characters with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. This is sure to appeal to fans of contemporary British humor like Absolutely Fabulous or Bridget Jones’s Diarywith a dash of mystery mixed in.” - Library Journal

“Funny…[and] impressively well-written.” - Publishers Weekly

“Celebrated English actress and comedian French makes her American literary debut with a deeply compelling story.” - RT Book Reviews (top pick), 4 Stars