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A review by mediaevalmuse
Silence by Shūsaku Endō
5.0
This book has been on my TBR for a while - for so long, in fact, that I can't say for sure where or how I first learned of it. I'm not Christian, so my interest didn't stem from any religious affiliation; instead, I wanted to read this book because I was interested in learning more about the history of Christianity in Japan. Overall, I'm awarding this book 4.5 stars because it held my interest; watching the protagonist grapple with his faith while also witnessing both wonder and horror in Japan was deeply compelling, and I can see why so many people consider this book a classic.
WRITING: Because I'm reading this book in translation, I can't really comment on the quality of Endō's prose or whether or not Johnston rendered it faithfully. I can, however, comment on the impression that the English translation made, so I'm going to do that to keep my review fair.
I really enjoyed enjoyed the scenery and environment in this book. Description moves effortlessly between the dark, ominous, and breathtaking beauty of things like the sea and the mountains, and then focuses on the poor, fly-infested, desperate cluster of huts where peasants huddle together for survival. This oscillation made me both adore Japan for its beauty yet prevented me from idealizing it; I was instilled with a deep appreciation for the world, yet I was also cognizant of the fact that it had its problems.
If I had any complaint about the prose, I would say that I think either Endō or Johnston has the tendency to describe people as "beasts" too often. I'm not sure if the comparison is different in Japanese, but in the English translation, it appears frequently (to the point where the repetition is noticeable and, in my opinion, a little distracting). A little more variety would have been appreciated.
Lastly, I just want to voice my appreciation for Johnston's preface, which gives a short yet helpful overview of the history of Christianity in Japan in the 16-17th centuries. Without this preface, I'm not sure I would have gotten as much out of the novel as I did, and I'm grateful that Johnston kept it short and on-topic.
PLOT: The plot of this book primarily follows Jesuit priest Sebastian Rodrigues as he travels through 17th Japan. Over the course of the novel, Rodrigues encounters communities of secret Christians and witnesses their persecution by a hostile government, all of which prompt him to reconsider the tenants of his own faith.
What I liked most about this book was the way Rodrigues meditated on big theological questions, such as the quality of martyrdom and the role of Judas in the story of Christianity. I find theological questions deeply interesting, and I loved the way the plot supports an examination of what it means to be Christian. I also very much appreciated that this book is not afraid to show characters struggling; this is not a book about perfect sainthood, but about what faith might look like in the face of very real, very deadly persecution. I loved that it was practical, in that sense - picking apart idealized Christian narratives and instead looking at how actual human beings would behave.
If I had any complaints, I would say that the second half of the book felt a little slow, but since this novel is so short, it's not a huge deal (at least not for me).
CHARACTERS: There are a few characters in this novel, but I'm only going to focus on two: Rodrigues and Kichijirō. I won't include Garrpe because, despite being one of two Jesuit priests who come to Japan, he doesn't play much of a role in the story.
Rodrigues is our POV character and protagonist, and the book is about his struggle with faith. In my opinion, Rodrigues is a compelling protagonist precisely because we see him struggling. Though I'm not religious, I can understand the difficulty of feeling abandoned by God in the face of great suffering, and I sympathized with Rodrigues' desire to help the Japanese Christians without compromising his ideals. I also think his struggles and his evolution meant that he grew in a very interesting way, and by the end of the book, I was fully convinced that he had found some kind of peace.
Kichijirō is a Japanese Christian who is defined by his cowardice. He betrays his fellow Christians and his own faith, and though he's somewhat irritating, his behavior prompts some insightful reflections from Rodrigues. I particularly liked how Kichijirō was compared to Judas and how that made Rodrigues reexamine his understanding of scripture. I also liked how Kichijirō made Rodrigues examine his own biases and think about how it was not Christ-like to only love and forgive good, beautiful people. In short, Kichijirō was a good touchstone for Rodrigues.
TL;DR: Silence is a masterfully-crafted novel about Christian identity and the silence of God in the face of religious persecution. With a sympathetic protagonist and a dearth of theological questions, this book is a fascinating examination of what it means to have faith.
WRITING: Because I'm reading this book in translation, I can't really comment on the quality of Endō's prose or whether or not Johnston rendered it faithfully. I can, however, comment on the impression that the English translation made, so I'm going to do that to keep my review fair.
I really enjoyed enjoyed the scenery and environment in this book. Description moves effortlessly between the dark, ominous, and breathtaking beauty of things like the sea and the mountains, and then focuses on the poor, fly-infested, desperate cluster of huts where peasants huddle together for survival. This oscillation made me both adore Japan for its beauty yet prevented me from idealizing it; I was instilled with a deep appreciation for the world, yet I was also cognizant of the fact that it had its problems.
If I had any complaint about the prose, I would say that I think either Endō or Johnston has the tendency to describe people as "beasts" too often. I'm not sure if the comparison is different in Japanese, but in the English translation, it appears frequently (to the point where the repetition is noticeable and, in my opinion, a little distracting). A little more variety would have been appreciated.
Lastly, I just want to voice my appreciation for Johnston's preface, which gives a short yet helpful overview of the history of Christianity in Japan in the 16-17th centuries. Without this preface, I'm not sure I would have gotten as much out of the novel as I did, and I'm grateful that Johnston kept it short and on-topic.
PLOT: The plot of this book primarily follows Jesuit priest Sebastian Rodrigues as he travels through 17th Japan. Over the course of the novel, Rodrigues encounters communities of secret Christians and witnesses their persecution by a hostile government, all of which prompt him to reconsider the tenants of his own faith.
What I liked most about this book was the way Rodrigues meditated on big theological questions, such as the quality of martyrdom and the role of Judas in the story of Christianity. I find theological questions deeply interesting, and I loved the way the plot supports an examination of what it means to be Christian. I also very much appreciated that this book is not afraid to show characters struggling; this is not a book about perfect sainthood, but about what faith might look like in the face of very real, very deadly persecution. I loved that it was practical, in that sense - picking apart idealized Christian narratives and instead looking at how actual human beings would behave.
If I had any complaints, I would say that the second half of the book felt a little slow, but since this novel is so short, it's not a huge deal (at least not for me).
CHARACTERS: There are a few characters in this novel, but I'm only going to focus on two: Rodrigues and Kichijirō. I won't include Garrpe because, despite being one of two Jesuit priests who come to Japan, he doesn't play much of a role in the story.
Rodrigues is our POV character and protagonist, and the book is about his struggle with faith. In my opinion, Rodrigues is a compelling protagonist precisely because we see him struggling. Though I'm not religious, I can understand the difficulty of feeling abandoned by God in the face of great suffering, and I sympathized with Rodrigues' desire to help the Japanese Christians without compromising his ideals. I also think his struggles and his evolution meant that he grew in a very interesting way, and by the end of the book, I was fully convinced that he had found some kind of peace.
Kichijirō is a Japanese Christian who is defined by his cowardice. He betrays his fellow Christians and his own faith, and though he's somewhat irritating, his behavior prompts some insightful reflections from Rodrigues. I particularly liked how Kichijirō was compared to Judas and how that made Rodrigues reexamine his understanding of scripture. I also liked how Kichijirō made Rodrigues examine his own biases and think about how it was not Christ-like to only love and forgive good, beautiful people. In short, Kichijirō was a good touchstone for Rodrigues.
TL;DR: Silence is a masterfully-crafted novel about Christian identity and the silence of God in the face of religious persecution. With a sympathetic protagonist and a dearth of theological questions, this book is a fascinating examination of what it means to have faith.