Can flowers speak? Can they remember? Doctor Patricio Gallardo begins to wonder when his son Gregorio abruptly cuts off their unusually close relationship. In the pages of this book, an intricate web of emotions gradually is unraveled over the course of two summers and through two essential characters: Doctor Gallardo and his grandson. With a delicate and intimate touch, Mercedes Salisachs traces a profoundly human story. With the lyricism of a poet and the precision of an architect, she depicts the mysterious threads that time and destiny weave in people's lives, turning them into victims of their own actions, as well as of circumstance. Seeds of Silence (originally published in Spanish with the title El Secreto de las Flores) is one of the best novels from an author whose prolific literary career has garnered public acclaim and prestigious awards and earned her a place of honor in contemporary literature. MERCEDES SALISACHS: Born in Barcelona, Spain, Mercedes Salisachs is one of the most prominent contemporary Spanish writers. She has received numerous distinctions during her extensive literary career, including the prestigious Gran Cruz de la Orden Civil de Alfonso X el Sabio and the Premio Ciudad de Barcelona for her novel Una Mujer Llega al Pueblo, the premio Planeta, Spain's most lucrative award, for her novel, La Gangrena, the premio Ateneo de Sevilla for her novel El Volumen de la Ausencia and the premio Fernando Lara for her novel El Ultimo Laberinto. The author of more than thirty novels, Mercedes Salisachs has lectured in several countries and has contributed to numerous national periodicals and journals. Her works have been translated into English, Russian, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Finnish, Afrikaans and Lithuanian.

Sylvia Meyer, a successful lawyer, has committed suicide. This drives her son Lucas to trace back the paths that may provide him with clues to find answers beyond her factual decision to die. He suddenly realizes that he did not actually know neither who his mother was or how she had lived. A counterpoint of past and present voices whispering into his ears outline a tormented image in which the blending of background and figure enables us to recognize masks that we all perhaps wear but dare not name. ++++ Marta Merajver Kurlat's exquisitely written tale of a young man's journey towards understanding his mother's painful life and suicide is a hard novel to put down. The book's narrative is vivid, and thought-provoking psychological dimensions contribute to a literary piece that will engage serious readers. -Virginia Shiller, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, New Haven, Connecticut "What's the point of living if you're nothing?... This novel does not attempt to provide specific answers to this question. This novel, in fact, acts as a trigger. On second thoughts, this is an understatement. The novel is a machine gun targeting the purpose of life: not merely the sense of the protagonist's life, but that of the reader's. Haven't we all pondered about this question at least once during our own lives?" ?- Santiago Vergara, Writer "In the course of Sylvia's bitter fight against life, the birth of a son bears witness to the love of a man for the body that this woman rejects. When she jumps into an abyss from where no return is possible, her absence urges this only son to seek the truth in the world of demons that have tormented his mother's existence." ?- Elena Jabif, Licensed Psychoanalyst ++++++MARTA MERAJVER KURLAT was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An early attraction to the ways in which mankind tells its own history encouraged her to undertake studies in myths, language, psychology, and psychoanalysis. After spending several years in Europe, with brief sojourns in the U.S., she returned to her homeland, where she works as a translator and teaches English and American language and literature.

When his parents start hurling terrible accusations back and forth, and his mother's absences become more frequent and prolonged, Jacob is sure a wicked witch must be involved. In a futile attempt at self-preservation, the not quite six-year-old tries to make himself as unobtrusive as possible. Until one day, he is abruptly packed off to Spain to spend the summer with his enigmatic uncle, the famous painter Eduardo Santillana. There Jacob finds a fanciful world of flying horses, kind extraterrestrials, evil princesses and surprisingly friendly grown-ups. Uncle Eduardo seems to delight in making his nephew's every wish come true, while his remarkable assortment of friends neither ridicule the child, nor shunt him aside. To the contrary: pronouncing him their "mascot," they include him in all of their exciting games, which often last from dusk to dawn. Then another wicked witch arrives on the scene with designs to plunge Jacob once more into the familiar abyss of uncertainty and loss... In her most recently translated work, Along the Shore of Dreams, award-winning author Mercedes Salisachs demonstrates yet again her uncanny ability to penetrate the human psyche, this time expertly dissecting the emotions and anguish of a young child at the mercy of a succession of self-absorbed adults. With a sure hand, she navigates the richly-layered fantasies of a boy seeking protection from a harsh and unfathomable world-with devastating consequences. MERCEDES SALISACHS: Born in Barcelona, Spain, Mercedes Salisachs is one of the most prominent contemporary Spanish writers. She has received numerous distinctions during her extensive literary career, including the prestigious Gran Cruz de la Orden Civil de Alfonso X el Sabio and the Premio Ciudad de Barcelona for her novel Una Mujer Llega al Pueblo, the premio Planeta, Spain's most lucrative award, for her novel, La Gangrena, the premio Ateneo de Sevilla for her novel El Volumen de la Ausencia and the premio Fernando Lara for her novel El Ultimo Laberinto. The author of more than thirty novels, Mercedes Salisachs has lectured in several countries and has contributed to numerous national periodicals and journals. Her works have been translated into English, Russian, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Finnish, Afrikaans and Lithuanian.

A transatlantic flight becomes the setting for an encounter between a business executive relocating to the United States and a woman whose dreams are seemingly about to come true. Both are prepared to make a radical change in their lives. As the miles give way to hours, their initial reserve gives way to complicity. Sharing confidences with a total stranger suddenly seems natural. Eladio reminisces bitterly about his meteoric ascent in society since beneath the veneer of an affluent and idyllic life lies the psychological torture he suffered at his wife's hands. Consumed by rage and grief, he is tormented by the memories of what he is leaving behind. A successful entrepreneur, Daniela ponders her workaholic lifestyle and what it has cost her. In a way, she has become a victim of her own ambition, forgetting that each person has but one life to live. The conversation becomes an open confession to the reader as the two travelers gradually lay bare their innermost truths, unaware that in the process they are falling in love with each other. Through the lives of these two unlikely confidants, Mercedes Salisachs explores the contemporary human experience with her customary psychological insight and sensitivity, including the frequently overlooked plight of male victims of domestic violence. ++++++++++++ MERCEDES SALISACHS: Born in Barcelona, Spain, Mercedes Salisachs is one of the most prominent contemporary Spanish writers. She has received numerous distinctions during her extensive literary career, including the prestigious Gran Cruz de la Orden Civil de Alfonso X el Sabio and the Premio Ciudad de Barcelona for her novel Una Mujer Llega al Pueblo, the premio Planeta, Spain's most lucrativeaward, for her novel, La Gangrena, the premio Ateneo de Sevilla for her novel El Volumen de la Ausencia and the premio Fernando Lara for her novel El ltimo Laberinto. The author of more than thirty novels, Mercedes Salisachs has lectured in several countries and has contributed to numerous national periodicals and journals. Her works have been translated into English, Russian, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Finnish, Afrikaans and Lithuanian.