Publication Date: September 5, 2026
A sweeping historical novel revealing the man behind America’s most enigmatic Founding Father-Benjamin Franklin, whose brilliance built a nation but shattered his family…
From Boston’s candlelit print shops to Paris’s glittering salons, The Thunder and the Silence follows Benjamin Franklin’s rise-from runaway apprentice to statesman-and the family torn apart along the way.
For readers of Wolf Hall and The Book of Lost Names, this is Franklin’s story as you’ve never seen it: the brilliant mind who built a nation but couldn’t mend his own family.
This richly imagined novel brings to life the lesser-known Franklin-the young husband who brought his illegitimate son into his home, the devastated father who lost his beloved four-year-old to smallpox, and the aging diplomat who sacrificed his relationship with his loyalist son for the cause of independence.
Across seven masterfully crafted parts spanning 1706-1790, readers witness the triumphs and heartbreaks that defined a genius’s life:
• Young Ben’s brutal apprenticeship under his jealous brother James and his secret identity as the witty widow “Silence Dogood” • His unconventional marriage to Deborah Read and their decision to raise his illegitimate son William as their own • The heartbreaking loss of their son Franky that nearly destroyed their marriage • His five-year absence in London that left Deborah to manage everything alone-and ultimately die without seeing him again • The painful fracturing of father and son as William chose loyalty to the Crown while Ben embraced revolution • His brilliant diplomatic triumph in securing the French alliance that won the war • His final years grappling with the human cost of his public achievements
The Thunder and the Silence illuminates Franklin not just as the inventor, diplomat, and wit of history books, but as a man navigating the universal struggles of ambition versus family, principle versus pragmatism, and public duty versus private loyalty.
By the end, you’ll see Franklin not as a figure in history-but as a father, a husband, and a man haunted by what he could not save.
Perfect for readers of historical fiction who loved Wolf Hall, Hamnet, or The Book of Lost Names, this intimate portrait transforms Benjamin Franklin from a face on currency into a fully realized human being whose genius came at profound personal cost.
A story of sacrifice, ambition, love, and loss that asks: What is the price of greatness, and who ultimately pays it?
While primarily known for his inventions, Benjamin Franklin proves to be a multifaceted historical personality.
Author Roland Van Damme delivers a novel-style biography in The Thunder and the Silence. Beyond Franklin’s brilliant inventions lies a family life marred by tragedy.
The story spans 1706-1790, dividing Franklin’s private life into seven units. It’s fascinating to see his penchant for creative solutions at a young age next to his father. Rather than delivering a dry factual account, the author takes pains to bring the characters to life.
The struggles of young Franklin as his brother’s apprentice, along with his secretly penned letters, illustrate a passion for writing. His later experiences as a husband and father reflect additional hardships not typically associated with Franklin’s public persona.
The Thunder and the Silence delivers insight into Benjamin Franklin’s private life and the events that shaped him.
Roland Van Damme writes biographical historical fiction rooted in colonial American history. His debut novel, The Thunder and the Silence, explores the untold private costs behind one of America’s most public Founding Fathers. He draws inspiration from colonial sites across the American landscape and, when not in the archives, hikes Virginia’s Blue Ridge with his dog, Markus.
