In a Belfast courtroom, Robert Rusting is on trial for the murder of his father, former loyalist hardman. On the jury is James Fechner, a middle-aged surgeon searching for meaning in the hushed rooms of justice, inexplicably drawn to the younger man before him. After trial, Fechner can’t quite return to life as usual. In dingy pubs and rowdy boxing halls, Fechner inserts himself into Rusting’s world, drawn in by an aggressive, unapologetic way of life. So begins a close friendship, and a tacit, explosive battle for control. Silverback is a powerful portrayal of the complications of masculinity and of the line between fragility and violence told in an unforgettable voice.
