This had been in my TBR pile for quite along time (and on my bucket list for much longer) and I just finally got around to reading it. It felt like I knew the story already so I may have seen the film or read a summary somewhere a long time ago.

First published in 1966, it’s now considered a classic of Christian fiction and it’s been made into films as well as for the stage. Endo, a Christian himself, won a prestigious Japanese literary award for it.

*******
Silence
by Shusaku Endo
1966 / 258 pages
read by David Holt 7h 39m
rating 10 / hist fict – classic Christian
*******

Based on the true story of the Christian oppression in Japan in the 17th century Endo dramatically describes the torture and violent prohibition of Christianity. The soul of the protagonist, Sebastião Rodrigues, is also tortured.

Endo is a powerful writer and this book makes a huge impact. It’s well worth reading but it’s quite graphic.