THE FOUNTAINS OF SILENCE

By Ruta Sepetys

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ¼ (Goodreads: 4.31)

GENRE: Historical Fiction

PART OF A SERIES? No

WORTH READING? Yes

SUMMARY:

1957: The Spanish city of Madrid gleams with promise for foreign visitors seeking sunshine and adventure, but beneath the glossy surface lies a darker reality under General Francisco Franco's dictatorship.

Sepetys explores the lingering trauma, repression and systemic injustices — especially the black market for stolen babies and the silencing of Republican families — that continued under Franco’s regime. She weaves together multiple perspectives to create a painting of a country grappling with hidden trauma and suppressed history.

Rich with meticulous historical detail and grounded in authentic documents and photographs, this novel illuminates a lesser-known chapter of twentieth-century history. At the same time, it asks timeless questions about memory, identity and the courage it takes to speak the truth when silence seems safer.

Opening lines: “They stand in line for blood.”

For The Fountains of Silence, the internationally acclaimed (primarily) historical fiction writer, Ruta Sepetys, chose 1957 Spain as her backdrop. Whilst the Spanish Civil War had been over for decades, life under General Franco’s dictatorship was extremely difficult for many. I learned a lot more about Spain in that era that I had previously known during this book reading, which I always consider a bonus.

Eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson arrives in Spain with his privileged American family, camera in hand, hoping to connect with his mother's homeland through photography. When fate introduces him to Ana, a young hotel employee whose life has been shaped by the Spanish Civil War's brutal aftermath, Daniel begins to see beyond the carefully constructed tourist façade.

As Daniel and Ana's worlds collide, his photographs start revealing uncomfortable truths about the country he thought he understood. Each click of the shutter exposes the tensions between silence and truth, between the Spain presented to outsiders and the one experienced by those forced to live under constant scrutiny and fear.

Ruta Sepetys is the master of painting visceral scenes, through her use of adjectives, metaphors and other literary techniques. The following are some examples:

“She knows she should step away, but her feet have grown roots through the floor.”

“The quiet weight of awkwardness suddenly materialises, elbowing and crowding its way in.”

“’Your money buys our wine and sunshine, but it doesn’t buy the right to our history.’ Fuga bores deep into Daniel’s eyes, grabbing the collar of his soul.”

My only minor gripe (and I mean, tiny) was that I was ever-so-slightly disappointed in the way The Fountains of Silence ended. There was something a little anticlimactic about it.

However, overall, I thought it was a fantastic book — I have no reservations recommending it. The Fountains of Silence brings together forbidden romance, family secrets, and the search for justice. It asks what we owe to history and to ourselves when confronting painful truths that others would prefer remain buried, in a most compelling tale.

Click here to purchase The Fountains of Silence 

Some of the other Sepetys books that I have loved are: Salt to the Sea, I Must Betray You and Between Shades of Gray.

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