'A wise, deep, nuanced and profoundly moving book.' Siri Hustvedt
'Thoughtful, important and a reminder that hope belongs to everyone.' Christie Watson

The Sunday Times bestselling authors of The Devil You Know return with a life-affirming myth busting exploration of trauma, resilience and healing.

A widow dares not utter her husband's name. A prisoner of war buries the memories of his ordeal. A child hostage is rendered mute. What happens when trauma goes unspoken?

The pioneering psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Gwen Adshead invites us to witness her work with patients struggling in the wake of a range of distressing and painful life events. Drawn from over thirty years of clinical practice, Unspeakable illuminates how language - and silence - can dramatically affect the quality of our recovery after disaster. Sometimes the hardest words to say out loud are the very ones to set us free and with Adshead's assistance and extraordinary insight, these courageous people step out of the darkness of shame and fear to discover new possibilities.

This is not a book about trauma, it is about survival. In challenging prevailing misconceptions around trauma and by charting the transformation of patient identities, hearts and minds, Unspeakable makes a powerful case for hope.

'A mythbuster of a book . . . compelling, constructive, candid and compassionate.' - Val McDermid, on THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
'Permanently recalibrated my empathy dial . . . Adshead quietly, humanely shows us that people remain people, despite their actions.' - New Statesman, on THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

Dr Gwen Adshead worked as a forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist in the NHS for three decades, including within prisons and secure hospitals. She holds an MA in Medical Law and Ethics, an honorary doctorate from St George's Hospital Medical School and delivered the BBC Reith Lectures in 2024. She co-authored the Sunday Times bestseller The Devil You Know with Eileen Horne. Horne is a writer and dramatist. She worked for twenty years as a television drama producer and has been an editor, media lecturer and translator.