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pagesofali 's review for:
The Fountains of Silence
by Ruta Sepetys
second read: 4.5
Oh boy, what can i say. No one does it like ruta Sepetys.
The Fountains of Silence is a story set in Madrid in 1957, during the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. It follows Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon who arrives in Madrid hoping to connect with his mother's birthplace through the lens of his camera. He met Ana, whose family is constantly being haunted by their past and whose secrets if revealed, could endanger their entire family.
Minor spoiler:
This was the book that made me question my religion. This is where I learned the lost children of Francoism. And the way they were stolen– I can never forgive.
Oh boy, what can i say. No one does it like ruta Sepetys.
The Fountains of Silence is a story set in Madrid in 1957, during the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. It follows Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon who arrives in Madrid hoping to connect with his mother's birthplace through the lens of his camera. He met Ana, whose family is constantly being haunted by their past and whose secrets if revealed, could endanger their entire family.
Minor spoiler:
This was the book that made me question my religion. This is where I learned the lost children of Francoism. And the way they were stolen– I can never forgive.
Between 1939 and the late 1980s, it is alleged that over 300,000 babies were stolen from their birth mothers and sold into adoption.
How can we not know this? It's such a big event. When I first read this book (it's my first reread now), I did my research. Every time I finish a Ruta Sepetys book, I always do my research. And until now, I can never grasp this fact. Parents being told their children died, presenting them a fake dead baby, and even have a coffin buried at the cemetery but without a baby inside. Turns out, the said baby were sold to a 'more' worthy family.
I also got to learn about the Valley of the Fallen. Built by Republicans who traded their labor to reduce their time served.
Ruta Sepetys can certainly tell a story. This book made me feel so many things. One important figure in this story is Franco himself, and he appeared like only once but throughout the novel, you can feel him. You can feel him in the silence. It is so loud. The writing style makes you feel the fear every character carries: the fear of being found out, fear for oneself, for your family. It feels like fighting a silent war, a war where you don’t even know who your enemy is. It's like everything and nothing is your enemy.
You also got to read the perspective of those members who kidnapped the children, and it's sick. One character Julia said something about trying to imagine oneself in the place of those stolen children and my thoughts were with the mother. Like Julia, try to imagine yourself in the place of their mother. It's just so heartbreaking reading about mother crying outside Inclusa.