I’m thrilled to welcome Jan Baynham back to my blog today to talk about her fabulous new novel, The Silent Sister, which takes us to the sun-soaked Ionian island of Kefalonia during one of its darkest times—the 1953 earthquake that devastated the island and changed countless lives forever.
After retiring from a career in teaching and advisory education, Jan joined a small writing group in a local library where she wrote her first piece of fiction. From then on, she was hooked! She soon went on to take a writing class at the local university and began to submit short stories for publication to a wider audience. Her stories and flash fiction pieces have been longlisted and shortlisted in competitions, and several appear in anthologies both online and in print. In October 2019, her first collection of stories was published. Her stories started getting longer and longer so that, following a novel writing course, she began to write her first full-length novel. She loves being able to explore her characters in further depth and delve into their stories. Originally from mid-Wales, Jan lives in Radyr, Cardiff with her husband.
All I can say Jan, is Wow! Another fascinating book, set in a great location. Before we start, what do you say to some baklava and an iced frappe coffee, or would you prefer an ouzo?
Thank you, Anne. I think it’s a bit early for an ouzo so I’d love a baklava and a frappe. Both are favourites of mine. Thanks.
The Silent Sister
Two lost women. One Greek island. A secret that spans generations.
Kefalonia, Greece, 1953. On a sun-drenched island, Cassia defies her powerful father by falling in love with Nikos — a man her family will never accept. But their happiness is short-lived.
A catastrophic earthquake strikes, and the once-idyllic island is reduced to little more than dust and ruin.
Amid the chaos, Cassia loses almost everything. She is left with no choice but to flee the only home she has ever known, carrying a shattering secret she must never reveal.
Wales, 1973. Eleni uncovers a hidden journal among her mother’s belongings. Within its pages lies a woman’s story shaped by tragedy — a story Cassia never shared, and one that might finally explain why Eleni never spoke as a child.
Driven by a need to uncover the truth about her past, Eleni travels to the now-rebuilt island. There she seeks to reveal the secrets hidden among the pastel-hued houses.
In the place where it all began, Eleni must confront the legacy of silence. Here she must make a life-altering decision that will reshape her future and finally heal her family’s past.
So Jan, everyone always wants to know what inspires an author to write. So over to you, what inspired you to tell this story?
In 2019, we visited the beautiful island of Kefalonia for the first time. It wasn’t long before we learned about the 1953 earthquake that decimated the island apart from a small area in the north. The buildings in its re-built towns such as the capital, Argostoli, looked nothing like the previous Venetian architecture, ensuring they were more stable to withstand future catastrophes. I started to think of the people who lost loved ones in the disaster and the ‘what-if?’s and questions began. What if a small child was the only one in the family to survive? What if she was so traumatised she couldn’t speak? Who would look after her? How would the authorities deal with hundreds of other orphans like her?
How do you approach weaving historical events into fiction without letting the facts overshadow the story?
I start by reading as much as I can about time in which my story is set. In this case, it was set at the time of a specific event so I researched as much as I could about the earthquake itself. I always try to concentrate on the human stories rather than the facts themselves. Blogs and reports of interviews with people who had relatives living at the time are always useful.
Have you visited Kefalonia yourself, can you say something about your trip?
It wasn’t until I was thinking about a fifth novel that I went back to my ideas about living in Kefalonia at the time of the earthquake. Very soon, the plot for The Silent Sister was formed. Because of that first visit, I was able to write the first draft of the novel before revisiting the island on a research trip in 2024 with a list of questions to answer and places to check out. This proved to be invaluable. I was able to walk in my characters’ footsteps, sample the foods they ate and visit the places I’d imagined them going to in the novel. Because of that, I hope the book has a quality of authenticity about it.
I know you know Greece well, what would be your recommendation for a Greek meal? With or without table dancing and plate smashing?
I adore Greek food so it’s difficult to choose. For me, one of the courses has to be a crunchy Greek salad of tomatoes and cucumber with delicious feta and black olives, drizzled with olive oil. I love lamb moussaka, remembering how my Greek uncle used to make it, and for dessert, nothing beats creamy Greek yogurt with a local honey. I’d swap the table dancing and plate smashing for listening to a couple of bouzouki players playing traditional Greek folk music.
Eleni’s silence after being rescued is compelling. How did you research the psychological impact of trauma for this character?
I read what I could about selective mutism as the condition is referred to these days. I watched videos of people who had suffered from it and how they felt in social situations. The most useful research was talking to someone whose daughter had the condition. She confirmed that trauma could cause a child not to speak and that it could recur in another situation.
Cassia and Tom’s decision to raise the child themselves is loving, but morally complex. Was it difficult to write those scenes?
Yes, it was. I didn’t want Cassia to lose the reader’s empathy or understanding of why she did what she did. Without giving away spoilers, in further drafts, I tried to make sure she had done everything possible before making her decision.
The story shifts from Kefalonia to Wales. I was intrigued by their Austin Morris Marina – is that a car that has a special place in the Baynham heart?
Yes, my dad was in the car trade and used to hand pick second-hand cars for us. Ours was a pale lilac-grey and what he didn’t know – it was only a few months old when we bought it – was that it would show every bit of rust. Not a good buy!
And go on – what disco number from the seventies would have you on the dance floor?
In the later seventies, it would have to be “Rockin’ All Over the World”, Status Quo, with all the actions.
I understand there’s a street named after HMS Daring in Argostoli, and the crew and families were invited back for a 50th year anniversary, if it’s not too much of a spoiler did Tom and Cassia go back for that?
Not for the 50th, but they did go back for the 20th year anniversary.
Thank you for having me on your lovely blog, Anne. I’ve really enjoyed answering your questions.
Thank you Jan and good luck with publication. Ax
Social Media Links for Jan:
Facebook – Jan Baynham Writer (https://www.facebook.com/JanBayLit/?locale=en_GB)
Instagram – janbaynham (https://www.instagram.com/janbaynham/?hl=en-gb)
Blog – Jan’s Journey into Writing (https://janbaynham.blogspot.com)
Amazon Page – Jan Baynham (https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=jan+baynham&crid=1OQFSV3VOXJRV&sprefix=jan+baynham%2Caps%2C73&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_11)
