Oh Dear Silvia

One Woman, One Hospital Bed, and a Tangle of Secrets

Oh Dear Silvia by beloved British comedian and author Dawn French, published by Penguin Books in 2013, is a darkly comic and emotionally rich novel that reveals just how complicated one woman’s life can be—especially when she’s unable to explain herself.

Silvia Shute lies in a hospital bed, silent and unresponsive. Around her, a parade of visitors—family, friends, and one deeply suspicious nurse—come and go, each bringing their own version of who Silvia really was. From her controlling sister to her estranged daughter, her ex-husband to her secret lover, they all have something to say... and something to hide.

As the story unfolds entirely through the voices of those who visit Silvia, layers of her life are peeled back, revealing the heartbreak, betrayal, laughter, and love that shaped the woman they thought they knew. But the question lingers: who was the real Silvia?

With razor-sharp wit and a keen eye for human vulnerability, Dawn French delivers a poignant, funny, and unexpectedly moving novel. Oh Dear Silvia is a beautifully told reminder that even in silence, a person’s story can still speak volumes.