The Blog Virando Amor made a review about my work “O Silêncio dos Livros”.
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Title: The Silence of Books // Author: Faust Panicacci // Publishing company: Pandorga // Pages: 148 // Genre: drama, dystopia, science fiction
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SYNOPSIS: HAVING BOOKS IS A CRIME. REPORT IT. At a time when books are banned, the mysterious Santiago Pena has just arrived in Portugal, where he will meet Alice, a girl despised by her parents. Finding an old notebook will bring up intriguing questions. What relationship would there be between a young man accused of a crime he claims not to have committed, sumptuous architectural projects and the discovery of an abandoned library? The Silence of books is a declaration of love for Literature. A novel to be savored not only for its plot full of tensions and suspense, but also for the construction details, it is part of the best tradition of Western culture, with subtle references to books, poems and wines, to classical myths and folklore, to works by art and scientific theories, in addition to engaging in major contemporary discussions, such as privacy, identity, genetics, the right to be forgotten. Using a precise and poetic language, the author creates surprising metaphors, explores stylistic resources and knows how to invite the reader to unveil meanings only suggested.
In the future, books are banned. People are forced to report. In this, we met Alice, in Portugal, who still keeps a book, with her grandmother's dedication and all. But the mother discovers the hiding place of the book and destroys it in front of the girl.
Nobody has much patience with the girl, the parents are too busy with their technologies while all the girl wants is someone to tell her storys. That's why she misses her uncle and grandmother a lot, who used to tell her many stories. But that changes when Santiago, a lonely man, moves home with Alice.
& #8220; It was one of those periods of history so tragically grown up that the absurd is only visible to the eyes of childhood. & #8221;
Santiago is in favor of returning the books, and at a dinner at Alice's family home, they explain why they are against it. Nobody has time to read books, it's much more “democratic” be something everyone can change rather than getting caught up in the book author's vision.. And it was in this part (right at the beginning) that the book won me over. It is a book that pays homage to all books, and criticizes our current society, which does not read, which does not see the importance of books.
“Literature provides us with many keys to understanding life; just pick them up and open the doors.”
We also accompany Hilário de Pena, in Brazil, in the midst of a criminal investigation. He was accused of killing someone, but says he was just defending his friends. One of the things in his favor is that he doesn't have the violent gene, something that the Brazilian government has copied from other foreign governments to determine cases of violence and depending on the case, it can be carried out with the death penalty. But since he doesn't have the gene, the government will have to rethink the study.
“Maybe things had to go away, even though it was sad, so that others could come.”
The two plots come together in an unexpected way and create a simply brilliant story. There are references to Fahrenheit 451 with the burning of books, we also know a book smuggler, who takes books from Brazil – one of the few countries that has not banned printed books, oddly enough – to Portugal, which sends us to Menina que Robava Books, all with an essence of their own.
“We must resist everything that dehumanizes us, and the elimination of good old stories from books is a sure recipe for dehumanization.”
The book is very well written, and you're curious about the premise alone, but it catches you and brings you clever metaphors. Shows how reading can change a life. It sure became one of the best reads of the year! And despite the dark times we live in, it's always good to read something that makes us think, and this book is sure to have that effect on you. I recommend this book that honors all books!
“You know, some say that man is the fruit of the middle; others, that it is the product of genes; maybe there's a little bit of it all; but I think, fundamentally, it is the result of the books you read; or in these sad times, of those who do not read.”
