Silêncio

In the seventeenth century, two young Portuguese Jesuit priests, Sebastião Rodrigues and Francisco Garrpe, travel to Japan, where Christianity is banned and believers are tortured. They want to learn whether their teacher, Father Ferreira, has renounced his faith under pressure, as rumors say. Rodrigues goes into hiding among Japanese peasants who are Christians in secret, and is eventually captured and confronted with a choice that tests everything he believes about God's silence.

It is for readers interested in faith, doubt and cultural conflict, and who want a serious novel about what loyalty to belief costs. It suits those who like historical fiction with spiritual stakes.

Deep, inward-looking and contemplative; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?