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A review by mrwednesday
Silence by Shūsaku Endō
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm not entirely sure how to word my thoughts on this novel. It is a beautiful story, not in that it makes me feel good about myself or the world, but because it is a painfully honest depiction of the struggles of faith during difficult times.
The outcome of the story is foreshadowed right from the beginning. It is not, as the protagonist might believe, a story about a white saviour bringing faith back to the oppressed Japanese Christians, it is about failure; about the pitfalls of pride, about the power (and at times, the cost) of faith, of hope or the lack thereof, of persecution of shame.
I probably have more thoughts, the kind other people can put in words more clearly. I'm not a religious or spiritual person, though I find the effects of religion on culture and history to be a fascinating subject, and Silence explored the topic thoroughly without feeling at all like I was being preached to - sometimes we fail, sometimes we are forced to start again, whether blame or pity is the more appropriate emotion may not always be clear.
The outcome of the story is foreshadowed right from the beginning. It is not, as the protagonist might believe, a story about a white saviour bringing faith back to the oppressed Japanese Christians, it is about failure; about the pitfalls of pride, about the power (and at times, the cost) of faith, of hope or the lack thereof, of persecution of shame.
I probably have more thoughts, the kind other people can put in words more clearly. I'm not a religious or spiritual person, though I find the effects of religion on culture and history to be a fascinating subject, and Silence explored the topic thoroughly without feeling at all like I was being preached to - sometimes we fail, sometimes we are forced to start again, whether blame or pity is the more appropriate emotion may not always be clear.