The Iliad is a story about men told by men. Behind this great story there is an absence, that of the women. Women have been ignored throughout ancient Greece, they have been ignored for centuries. It is, actually, the silence of the girls. Silence becomes a woman, two of the characters point at some point in the book.

Pat Barker takes this story of men and handing it to women. How can a woman survive a huge traumatic event of violence and enslavement? The Silence of the Girls is a story of resilience, intelligence and strength of character, a brilliant and timeless insight into the human soul and mind.