BrokenTune's Reviews > Silence
Silence
by
by
2.5*
The premise of a story of Catholic missionaries trying to spread Christianity in Japan really caught my interest because I have fond memories of reading Shogun, which featured a similar premise as a side-story. Although, if any of you have read Shogun "fond" may not be the best way to describe the reading experience as there lots - and I do mean LOTS - of gory descriptions of cruelty and violence.
Obviously, I must have forgotten about that when I gleefully signed up to the group read of Silence.
Endo also goes into a lot of detail when describing the obstacles and hardship - read "torture and violence" - that the priests and Christians endured under the samurai rule, at a time when Christianity was banned from Japan - because the rulers decided it was of "no value" (according to one of Endo's characters) to the Japanese society.
The second aspect that intrigued me to the book was, of course, that some reviews compare Endo to Graham Greene. How could I not be intrigued by that?
Silence really was an intriguing read. Endo really tried to capture the mind and spirit of the priest that is sent to Japan and discovers that he may not be able to fulfill his mission and the doubt he feels when he witnesses the events around him.
Unfortunately, this really didn't work for me.
Endo's narrative limits the reader to experience the book only from the priest's point of view. There is not a lot of dialogue or consideration that deals with the point of view of the Japanese characters. I'm sure Endo created this limitation on purpose, maybe to focus on the priestly condition and to emphasize the isolation of the foreigner from the other people around him, but without the other perspectives the book is really limited and reads more like a list of Japanese torture methods than an investigation into the human or priestly condition.
In turn, this distances Endo's work from that of Greene's. I may not have enjoyed Greene's religious musings but at least he made his protagonists doubt their mission, doubt their conviction, and consider other points of view. This was missing from Silence.
The premise of a story of Catholic missionaries trying to spread Christianity in Japan really caught my interest because I have fond memories of reading Shogun, which featured a similar premise as a side-story. Although, if any of you have read Shogun "fond" may not be the best way to describe the reading experience as there lots - and I do mean LOTS - of gory descriptions of cruelty and violence.
Obviously, I must have forgotten about that when I gleefully signed up to the group read of Silence.
Endo also goes into a lot of detail when describing the obstacles and hardship - read "torture and violence" - that the priests and Christians endured under the samurai rule, at a time when Christianity was banned from Japan - because the rulers decided it was of "no value" (according to one of Endo's characters) to the Japanese society.
The second aspect that intrigued me to the book was, of course, that some reviews compare Endo to Graham Greene. How could I not be intrigued by that?
Silence really was an intriguing read. Endo really tried to capture the mind and spirit of the priest that is sent to Japan and discovers that he may not be able to fulfill his mission and the doubt he feels when he witnesses the events around him.
Unfortunately, this really didn't work for me.
Endo's narrative limits the reader to experience the book only from the priest's point of view. There is not a lot of dialogue or consideration that deals with the point of view of the Japanese characters. I'm sure Endo created this limitation on purpose, maybe to focus on the priestly condition and to emphasize the isolation of the foreigner from the other people around him, but without the other perspectives the book is really limited and reads more like a list of Japanese torture methods than an investigation into the human or priestly condition.
In turn, this distances Endo's work from that of Greene's. I may not have enjoyed Greene's religious musings but at least he made his protagonists doubt their mission, doubt their conviction, and consider other points of view. This was missing from Silence.
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Teresa
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Oct 17, 2016 09:17PM
Is this set in a particular city, BT?
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Teresa wrote: "Is this set in a particular city, BT?"
You know, I'm sure he mentions a place but the protagonist is also travelling a lot and hiding out in different places. I wouldn't say it's set in a particular city as such, unless I completely missed it. (Which is possible.)
You know, I'm sure he mentions a place but the protagonist is also travelling a lot and hiding out in different places. I wouldn't say it's set in a particular city as such, unless I completely missed it. (Which is possible.)
Teresa wrote: "Is this set in a particular city, BT?"
Mostly set in Tomogi, small village near Nagasáqui, Japan - Lisboa, Goa and Macau.
Im curious to see Martin Scorsese movie...
Mostly set in Tomogi, small village near Nagasáqui, Japan - Lisboa, Goa and Macau.
Im curious to see Martin Scorsese movie...
João Carlos wrote: "Mostly set in Tomogi, small village near Nagasáqui, Japan - Lisboa, Goa and Macau."
Thanks, BT and João Carlos. I wondered if it might've been set partially in or near Nagasaki, as that is where I remembering seeing the 'Memorial to the Martyrdom of the 26 Saints'. During my visit, I think I remember hearing it is still the most Christian of any of the cities in Japan.
Thanks, BT and João Carlos. I wondered if it might've been set partially in or near Nagasaki, as that is where I remembering seeing the 'Memorial to the Martyrdom of the 26 Saints'. During my visit, I think I remember hearing it is still the most Christian of any of the cities in Japan.
I am just about to read this, so thanks for your review. At least I know what I am in for (torture).
Christine wrote: "I am just about to read this, so thanks for your review. At least I know what I am in for (torture)."
Oh, I'll be looking out for your updates then!
Oh, I'll be looking out for your updates then!
I found the tortured was used appropriately actually, and never felt it was gratuitous, as the focus was clearly on what the torture represented for the priest and others