While We Were Silent

Devastating secrets shroud the campus of Green Dell Academy, secrets that some think are worth killing for . . . From Lambda Literary Award finalist Alex Myers comes a provocative dark academia novel.

There are rules and then there's reality . . .

Autumn, 2015. Green Dell Academy is a prestigious co-ed prep school tucked away in a quiet corner of Connecticut. And although it has its first female head of school, it's still very much a boys' club--a club with longstanding "traditions" that involve gross misconduct--and now murder.

A woman has been killed, right on campus, a woman who has been deeply involved in fighting sexual violence, a woman who had no shortage of enemies.

The murder case, coupled with an investigation into allegations of sexual assault, threatens to bring dark, deep-rooted secrets to the surface, the kind of secrets that go back decades--and some people seem to value the old ways more than human life . . .

For fans of Rebecca Makkai's I Have Some Questions For You and Ashley Winstead's In My Dreams I Hold a Knife. Written by the current teacher at an American school academy, Alex Myers brings to life a thought-provoking and deeply relevant story.

Author: Alex Myers
Publisher: Severn House
Published: 06/02/2026
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.50w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781448320035


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 05/01/2026

About the Author
Myers, Alex: -

Alex Myers is a teacher, writer, and transgender rights advocate.

His debut novel, Revolutionary, was released in 2014 and was a finalist for a Lambda Literary award. His other novels include Continental Divide and The Story of Silence.

He lives and teaches in Vermont with his wife and two cats.