Silence
Shusaku Endo, 1966
沈黙
遠藤周作
256 pages
Read in 2016
Check the synopsis and details on amazon.com
✔ 2 young priests in 17th century Japan when Christianity was fiercely prohibited
✔ In the face of tortures and deaths of the brave and devout Japanese Christians, why is their God silent
✔ A demanding book that questions the absoluteness, by a Christian Japanese author
★★★★★ 2 young priests witness the horrible scenes of tortures and deaths of the devout Japanese Christians, but why is God silent? Is it right to die a noble death? And wrong to cling to your life? An overwhelming and demanding book by a Christian Japanese author.
English reviews, ENG_About_Japan, ENG_Coming of age, ENG_Friendship, ENG_Historical Fiction, ENG_History, ENG_Japanese fiction, ENG_Politics, ENG_Religion
🔽 Book review and notes 🔽
I read the book after watching the film, and I borrowed it so I read it in English.
The protagonist is a Portuguese priest so I told myself it was kind of more fitting, that I read it as "an outsider".
2 young priests go to 17th century Japan during the period when Christianity was fiercely prohibited.
They witness the horrible scenes of tortures and deaths of the hidden but devout Japanese Christians, and Rodrigo asks himself, where is God, why is he silent?
There are details in the book that the film didn't, or couldn't show in detail, such as subtle changes in Rodrigo's confused mind and the complicity of his thoughts which are rather overwhelming in the book.
I wasn't sure about the ending in the film, so it makes more sense now that I've read the book.
The author, Shusaku Endo, was a Christian and many of his novels deal with Christianity, its controversies and contradictions.
He said he wanted to write about weak people, not strong people; what is the purpose of living from the perspective of the weak?
Is it right to die a noble death and wrong to cling to your life?
Is it good to strengthen your belief in the face of the difficulty? Is it bad to give up and live an empty life?
It's also a coming of age novel in a way, Rodrigo was naïve and proud, comparing himself to Christ.
He slowly realises the world around him, the world that was not beautifully ideal, where he was no longer protected unconditionally.
Growing up doesn't always mean becoming stronger.
The book is demanding.
It demands you to question yourself about the basic belief of Christianity, of its absoluteness, of the absolute justice it promises.
What exactly can you do, you as a weak individual, in the world where you are not welcome?
🔽 Related pages 🔽
English reviews, ENG_About_Japan, ENG_Coming of age, ENG_Friendship, ENG_Historical Fiction, ENG_History, ENG_Japanese fiction, ENG_Politics, ENG_Religion
🔽 Where to buy / Summary and more info 🔽
●●● Amazon.com (US) ●●●
Silence: A Novel (Picador Classics)
赤パンの本棚 akapan's bookshelf 