Saying Nothing

Catherine Broughton

Imagine you're on holiday in Spain, snatched from the street, kidnapped with no idea why you've been taken. What would you do? Janie’s reactions to that situation and to her captors form the basis of an adventure, with romance and a disturbing Peruvian sub plot woven in. The tension and suspense create an unsettling atmosphere, and a morally ambiguous aftermath left me wondering what I would have done in her place.

Extract

The escarpment fell away to the left, and pale green trees stood thirstily in the parched valley below. Janie held onto the side of the van. Soon they approached a small village - no more than a cluster of whitewashed houses, glaring bright in the sunshine - where there was a makeshift petrol station, which doubled up as a shop. The old man indicated to Janie to be quiet as they came to a halt, and the younger man moved over to her, shuffling his bottom along on the base of the van, his hand ready to clamp over her mouth. Suddenly both men seemed threatening.

Parallels