Josie Ferguson

Biography

Josie Ferguson’s debut The Silence in Between was published by Transworld in 2024 and is a Times Bestseller. It was shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2024, named one of The Independent’s Best Historical Fiction Books of 2024, and was selected as one of Waterstones’ Paperbacks of the Year 2025.

The Silence in Between is a powerful, moving historical novel based in Berlin in 1961 (and WWII). Lisette lives in East Berlin but brings her new-born baby to a hospital in West Berlin. Under doctor’s orders, she goes home to rest, leaving the baby in the care of the hospital. But overnight the Berlin Wall appears, slicing the city – and the world - in half and Lisette is separated from her new baby son. Lisette’s teenage daughter Elly resolves to escape East Berlin, find her brother in the West and bring him home in the hope it will repair her turbulent relationship with her mother. With both her children missing, Lisette relives her past, haunted by the event that caused her to lose her voice.

Born in Sweden to a family of writers and readers, Josie Ferguson moved to Scotland at the age of two before returning to Sweden in her twenties to complete the vocational psychology programme, graduating with an MSc in Clinical Psychology. She then moved to London to pursue a career in publishing, something she had dreamed about since delving into fictional worlds as a child, hidden under the duvet reading by torchlight. Josie now lives in Bali with her husband and two children. Her background in psychology has given her a lifelong fascination with the complexities of human nature, a thread that runs through her writing. She believes stories about the past have the power to shape the future and aspires to write as many as possible.

Praise for The Silence in Between

'A compelling debut.. a haunting and compassionate account of War's legacy' The Guardian

‘A strong, emotionally resonant debut full of music and menace’ – Mail on Sunday’

'A confident debut with an original premise’ – Sunday Times

'A hauntingly beautiful exploration of love, family and societal unrest’ – Glamour