Today we talk about The Silence That Follows, a book by Justine Marie published with our Publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author, Justine Marie, to get to know her better, where and when she found the inspiration to write her book The Silence That Follows, as well as the sensations she felt by ‘reading’ her life on the pages of her book.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- Where and when did you find the inspiration to write your book?
I wrote the first draft of The Silence That Follows nearly ten years ago, when I was only fifteen. At that age, everything feels louder and sharper, and I poured those emotions onto the page. The early version was messy, intense, and unmistakably written by a teenager trying to understand the world. Over the years, I kept returning to the story. I rewrote it, reshaped it, and allowed it to grow alongside me. In many ways, I did not search for inspiration, it found me. The themes and emotions behind the book were persistent, they followed me through different stages of my life until I was ready to give them a more mature voice. The novel became a long conversation between who I was at fifteen and who I am today. That evolution is what truly shaped the final version.
- What are the crucial themes of your book?
Although it may not appear so at first glance, the central themes of The Silence That Follows are grief and longing. We often romanticize love in the media. However, in my opinion, real love is far more complex. It requires choice, vulnerability, and sometimes sacrifice. The novel explores the idea that love does not always arrive at the right time. It asks what happens when understanding comes too late, when words remain unspoken, or when pride and fear stand in the way of connection. Grief in the book is not limited to loss through death, it also reflects the quiet grief of missed opportunities, broken relationships, and the versions of ourselves we leave behind. The story examines how love and pain often coexist, and how silence can shape a destiny just as powerfully as words.
- What is the message you want to convey to your readers?
If there is one message, I hope readers take from this novel, it is that our own minds can sometimes be harsher than reality itself. We tend to create narratives in our thoughts, searching obsessively for hidden meanings, guilt, or imagined truths. The Silence That Follows invites readers to step outside that inner noise. Instead of living entirely within our interpretations, we must learn to confront reality directly, to communicate, to repair what can be repaired, and to accept what cannot. We are human, and imperfection is part of our nature. Growth does not come from punishing ourselves internally but from choosing honesty and action. Sometimes clarity is not found in overthinking, but in courage.
- What sensations did you feel by ‘reading’ your life on the pages of your book?
Revisiting the story as an adult felt like reading fragments of my younger self preserved in ink. There was a sense of vulnerability in recognizing emotions I once struggled to articulate. What once felt overwhelming now felt reflective. It was both nostalgic and confronting. Transforming personal emotions into fiction allowed me to create distance. It turned raw experiences into narrative, and narrative into understanding. In that sense, the process was both cathartic and empowering.
- Are you working on a new writing project, you can tell us about?
Yes! Writing is a constant presence in my life. While I prefer to let projects mature quietly before revealing too much, I can say that I am currently working on new material! I fully intend for The Silence That Follows not to be my last. There are many stories still waiting to be told.
Europe Books thanks the author, Justine Marie, once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book The Silence That Follows. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my readers, I hope that by reading this book you can grasp the author’s encouraging messages as she reminds you that we are human, full of imperfection, that we must always find courage in our actions and learn to balance our internal narratives with our real everyday life.
So, my dear readers, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your Editor!