The Silence

Written by Daisy Pearce

Narrated by Karen Cass

She’s broken. She’s vulnerable. She’s just what Marco was looking for.

Stella Wiseman was a child TV star, but there’s nothing glamorous about her life now. Alone in her thirties, she’s lost her parents and her friends and she’s stuck in a dead-end job. But just as she hits rock bottom she meets Marco, a charismatic older man who offers to get her back on her feet. He seems too good to be true.

Is he?

She appreciates the money he lavishes on her. And the pills. But are the pills just helping her sleep, or helping her avoid her problems?

With Stella’s life still in freefall, Marco whisks her away to a secluded cottage where she is isolated from everyone except him. But the closer he pulls her, the worse she gets. He tells her it’s all in her head, and she just needs time away from the world.

No longer sure what’s real and what’s not, Stella begins to question whether she was wrong to trust Marco. Was she wrong to trust herself? Is the one person she thought was fighting for her survival actually her biggest threat?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Mar 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781799749998

Daisy Pearce

Daisy Pearce was born in Cornwall and grew up on a smallholding surrounded by hippies. She read Stephen King’s Cujo and The Hamlyn Book of Horror far too young and has been fascinated with the macabre ever since. She began writing short stories as a teenager and dropped out of a fashion journalism course at university when she realised it wasn’t anywhere near as fun as making stuff up. After spells living in London and Brighton, Daisy had her short story ‘The Black Prince’ published in One Eye Grey magazine. Another short story, ‘The Brook Witch’, was performed on stage at the Small Story Cabaret in Lewes in 2016. She has also written articles about mental health online. In 2015, The Silence won a bursary with The Literary Consultancy, and later that year Daisy also won the Chindi Authors Competition with her short story ‘Worm Food’. Her second novel was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Award. Daisy currently works in the library at the University of Sussex, where she shelves books and listens to podcasts on true crime and folklore. She lives in Lewes with a one-eyed Siamese cat and a nine-year-old daughter who occasionally needs reminding that ghosts and monsters aren’t real. Sometimes she almost believes it herself.

Reviews for The Silence

[joannemonck · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting novel written in the form of letters from a priest in Japan to his superiors. In each letter he appears to become more distraught with his beliefs and as much as he loves his religion he is not sure if he has the strength to hold up against torture. His inner turmoil is the heart of the story. How his story ends is not unexpected.

[ashergabbay · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Earlier this week I read the novel “Silence”, by Shusako Endo, and yesterday I watched the eponymous newly-released movie based on this novel.Endo’s 1966 novel tells the story of a Portuguese Jesuit priest, Sebastiao Rodrigues, who travels to Japan together with a fellow priest, to find out what happened to their mentor, Father Ferreira, with whom the church had lost contact. This is 17th century Japan, when Christianity is outlawed and Christians are being persecuted by the ruling Shogunate.Guided by a drunkard and unreliable Japanese Christian, Rodrigues and his partner land on an island off the coast of Kyushu and find refuge in a remote village of hidden Japanese Christians. They witness the hardships these peasants need to endure, suffering torture and death and yet refusing to renounce their faith and apostatize. The Jesuit priests flee from the authorities but are eventually captured and tortured by the local inquisitor. Rodrigues meets Ferreira and finds out what happened to him.“Silence” here refers to the silence of God. Rodrigues’ faith is tested when he witnesses, again and again, the unbelievable sufferings of these humble Japanese peasants. He cries out for God to intervene but is answered with silence. This silence shakes him to the core and leads to internal struggles and to interesting theological exchanges with his Japanese inquisitors.The novel is very engaging and the movie, directed by Martin Scorsese, is a faithful representation of the novel. At almost 3 hours long, and given its content, it is not an easy movie to watch. But reading the novel first helped, because knowing the story ahead of time allowed me to focus on the acting and the filmography. At times I felt as if I was watching a painting rather than a movie.Earlier this month I visited Kyushu for the first time, and witnessed firsthand the Christian legacy in Japan. I was introduced to this painful time in history through the memorial for the 26 martyrs on Nishizaka hill in Nagasaki, and the artifacts from the Shimabara Rebellion at the local castle (an event which triggered the brutal repression of Japanese Christians depicted in the novel). Endo’s book and Scorsese’s movie both resonated strongly with me after this visit.

[missizicks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I think I placed too much expectation on this book, having read so many glowing words about it. It's good, but not the perfect novel I was hoping for. Chapter eight is its pinnacle. Everything before is worth reading to reach that point. Everything after is superfluous.

[chrisethier · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I’m pretty sure I am going to hell. I’ve read plenty of Saints lives, and there is one thing about Christian martyrs that puzzles me. If suicide is wrong, then isn’t martyrdom also wrong. Wait, wait. Hear me out. I know lying is wrong too, don’t get me wrong. But isn’t martyrdom suicide by another means? Two options, and one is death. We have seen variations of this in other places – Spain where Jews were forced to convert and some did – but only outwardly. So, if a small white lie could enable to not only live but to also practice in private than was it bad.Or at the very least, why would it be so bad. Yes, you have a responsibility to faith but do you not have a responsibility as well to those around you? Endo’s book deals with Christian persecution in Japan, and confronts another question. Does a priest, should a priest, renounce in order to save his flock. The novel isn’t so much about characters, and the people do not seem as if they are going to step off of the page. Still, the question raised is a worthy one. It is a book that lingers.

[alanteder · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This left me with such a depressed feeling that I'm not sure what to write about it. I read the 1978 Quartet Books paperback edition of Silence so I don't know if the 2017 movie tie-in edition of Silence provides any additional material beyond a foreword from film director Martin Scorsese. "Silence" recounts a journey of two Portuguese missionaries who journey to Japan in the mid 17th century during a time when the Shogunate was eradicating Christianity as it was perceived to be a threat to the regime due to its association with the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637-38. The main character of Sebastião Rodrigues is based on an historical Italian missionary Giuseppe Chirara. Endo's fictional character is presumably made Portuguese to create a tie-in storyline that he is also seeking his one-time mentor, the true-life Cristóvão Ferreira, who is reported to have apostatized i.e. renounced his Christian faith, after being tortured. Rodrigues' journey is such that he begins to imagine parallels with Christ's denunciation by Judas and denial by Peter. The end result was anti-climactic for me and the final chapter and appendix which seemed to be designed as pseudo-historical chronicles by other witnesses added a further distancing from the characters which added to my disengagement.I read "Silence" due to its inclusion in the 2008 edition of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die and as a prelude to likely seeing the film version, although I can't say I'm very enthusiastic about the prospect.

[janerawoof · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Searing epistolary novel of a Portuguese priest's spiritual torment during the days of persecution of Christians in 17th century Japan.

[june6bug · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Based in 1500s Japan - a Catholic priest who struggles with his converts' and his own apostasy in the face of brutal persecution. Thoughtful, thought-provoking and hard to put down.

[snukes-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very interesting perspective on religion, culture, and history.

[Lara Pretorius · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the book. It was a bit long winded due to the main character’s ignorance but it was still worth it. Enjoy! ?

[maryreinert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Powerful story of faith set in 17th century Japan when Catholic priests were arriving in Japan to spread Christianity. At one point, the proselytizing seemed successful as those that claimed to be Christians gained in number and a seminary was even set up to train Japanese priests. Soon the government changed their policy and began torturing and killing priests and their converts. Portugese priest Rodrigues and a fellow priest leave Macao for Japan searching for a priest named Ferreria who apparently has rejected his faith after being tortured. This is the story of Rodrigues' struggle. After being captured and imprisoned, he is subjected not to torture but is forced to watch as native Japanese Christians are tortured and killed. If he also walks on the fumi-e (a plaque picturing Jesus) showing his rejection of Christianity, the killings will stop. Fodrigues is forced to deal with his own faith; does he reject his faith to save others?This is grim, but raises many questions about religion versus culture and personal responsibility to one's faith.

[technodiabla · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not my favorite Endo novel but ok. It tells the story of 2 Portugese priests who travel as missionaries in 17th century Japan, a time of when Christians were tortured and forced to deny their God. The priest's inner turmoil just didn't speak to me at all, but perhaps a Christian might get more out of it. I have not yet watched the 2016 film by Scorsese.

[Ashley Estes · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Kind of hard to follow listening. Maybe reading would’ve been better

[solla_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As a Catholic child around the age of 11, I read a lot of books about saints. In my classroom at St. Agnes school there was a small library consisting almost entirely of the lives of saints - there were two about archaeology. Many saints were martyrs so it was a big question for me as to whether I would be able to give my life for my faith. I tried to imagine it, flames burning, lashes coming down, hot coals in my mouth.Frances Xavier was one of the saints I read about. I remember reading about his mission to the far east and about the persecution of Christian converts in Japan.Silence is about a later stage of this persecution. It is told from the point of view of Father Rodriguez, a young Portuguese priest who has come to minister to whatever Christians remain, holding onto their faith in secret, and to find out what has happened to another priest who had taught him and who is said to have apostatized (denied his faith), something he has trouble believing, having known him and his character. Father Rodriguez has to sneak in. The Catholic Portuguese are no longer allowed into Japan.At first he hides with another priest on an island of Japanese peasants who are barely surviving between poor conditions and high taxes. But they are Christian, and they hide the two priests and protect them. From that point the story is unflinching in depicting the results of their coming. The challenge I imaged at 11 was a child's fantasy of remaining brave in the face of physical pain. What the priest has to confront is something much more immense. Silence is about adult experience and despair. It is the most powerful book that I have read in some time.

[stbalbach_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Like a sword of words, viscerally dissects body and soul, blood runs black and belief is crushed. Didn't enjoy. Might watch the movie but even that looks depressing. The story has good bones, not my thing right now.

[ebnelson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What does conversion look like? How does God choose to be made manifest in the lives of adherents? What about “converted” societies? Can there be such a thing as a Christian nation, or will the majority of adherents only have superficial faith? Is superficial faith real faith? Christian Endo faithfully yet critically explores these questions through the eyes of a 17th Century Portuguese missionary to Japan—a country that had initially adopted Christianity but then brutally persecuted believers. With apostates, torture, doubt, and glorious martyrdom taking center stage, Silence asks tough questions and gives faith-filled yet honest answers that are as relevant to Christians in a softened 21st Century America as it is to Endo’s Japanese audience. Its ultimate focus on love function as a ringing indictment of religion--even Christian 'religion'--Endo also explores fortitude and justice.How do we love--truly love--when the apparent loving action forces us to brea, good, holy commitments? Fidelity to vows made to God is a great thing--for in our fortitude even through adversity, which would cause others to break their vows, we are usually surprised to find love and joy on the other side. God rewards fidelity towards vows--Is breaking a vow always an act of unfaith, and if so, can and should it be done for the sake of love? This is the knife that is twisted in Silence, whose author suggests that fidelity to our holy vows--and even to God--can become an idol that we should break in fear and trembling for the sake of love of neighbor.

[reirem · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well written

[soylentgreen23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Endo's book about the suffering endured by the early Japanese Christians is a terribly sad one, of sacrifice, weakness, defeat, and hopelessness. As always, Endo's descriptive work comes to the fore, by way of a marvellous translation; the reader feels transported to the Japan of old, of tatami and dried fish and the crashing of waves on the rocks.

[empress8411 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For me, this book started a bit slow. It took me a chapter or two for the story to capture me. But when it did, I was pulled into the struggle of Father Sebastian Rodrigues. With a sense of righteous duty and an ardent love for Christ, Rodrigues and another priest, make the arduous journey from Rome to Japan. There, the meet with the persecuted Christians and work to unite and comfort them. But they are betrayed by another character, and the Japanese authorities begin the long process of torturing Rodrigues. Here is there the story gets raw and gritty. Rodrigues watches the suffering of those who stay faithful to God, watches their pain and hears their prayers, and wonders why God stays Silent. And it is the Silence of God that permeated the story. The very question the Psalmist asked: Why does God let the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer? A question that every Christian has asked, every Christ-follow wondered at, every person who watches a loved one suffer. Where is God? Why is He Silent? The ending left me raw and open. There is no answer to the question. We are left to wonder, as Rodrigues wondered, left to hold a faith in the face of Silence.

[hemlokgang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This piece of historical fiction was written n 1967 by Shusaku Endo. It is deceptively simple in terms of the writing. In fact, it raises profound questions of faith, of culture, and of the meaning of silence. A priest from Portugal journeys to Japan in the 1600s during a period of Japanese persecution of Christians, primarily Catholic missionaries. Father Rodrigues hopes to further the spread of his faith and to also determine if his revered teacher has indeed apostatized, renouncing his faith, as has been reported. As I began the book I thought of three meanings of silence: death, perfect peace, and total fear. Let's just say that Father Rodrigues discovered and struggled with the fourth, the silence of God n the face of suffering. I will not reveal his resolution, but it is worth reading to find out. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

[idiotgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Audible. Priest sneaking into feudal Japan to serve secret Christians. Rumors of a priest who renounced the faith. Spends time hiding. Finally caught. Much of the time he is imprisoned. What does it mean to renounce the faith, to stand on the image of Christ. What matters in a context when the alternative is the suffering of others. A fine, lean book.

[bikesandbooks_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to like this book but came away disappointed. My hope was to experience a meditation on the nature of silence. What was written on that topic was mostly, well, silent - - with minor exceptions.

The bulk of the work seems to be a novel approach to a catechismic parable. The story mostly lacks a humanistic sense of character in favor of a fictionalized history of mission work in a foreign land.

This work may have been ground breaking for its time but I found myself nonplussed by the novelization, except for the character Kichijiro who's frailties lack sufficient depth of investigation by the author.

I did not experience this tale with the joy of reading great literature, nor is the theology particularly sophisticated. And so the work doesn't seem to stand the test of time for great literature. The work does bare the mark of an interesting piece of writing and cultural investigation for its time (written in the mid 1960s). But I posit the metaphorical ruminations on silence are barely plumbed. Meanwhile the historical investigation into the parochial barriers of Japanese cultural hegemony through the point of view of the Catholic missionaries are stilted. There are far more readable, intriguing and, simply, better works available to fans of literature. Silk by Baricco and Heart of a Samurai by Preus to name just two.

[avidmom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Set in the 17th century during the Japanese prohibition and persecution of Christianity, Silence focuses on the story of one priest’s journey into the “swamp of Japan” where the Church is forced underground. If caught, the Christian faithful would be subject to the cruelest forms of torture. The only way to avoid such a cruel fate would be to apostatize by stepping on the fumie, a sacred image. Word has reached Father Rodrigues and his companions in their native Portugal that their teacher and spiritual mentor, Father Ferreira, has apostatized in this way. Rodrigues and his companions cannot believe that their beloved mentor would be capable of such a thing so they decide to set sail to Japan where they hope to tend to the faithful underground flock there and, moreover, locate Father Ferreira.During their long and difficult journey, Rodrigues and his fellow companion and priest, Father Garrpe, meet a rather odd Japanese native, Kichijiro, who pointedly asks Father Rodrigues about the interminable persecution of the Japanese believers:“’Father,’” he had said, “ ‘What evil have we done?’I suppose I should simply cast from my mind these meaningless words of the coward; yet why does his plaintive voice pierce my breast with all the pain of a sharp needle? Why has our Lord imposed this torture and this persecution on poor Japanese peasants? No, Kichijiro was trying to express something different, something even more sickening. The silence of God. Already twenty years have passed since the persecution broke out …. in the face of this terrible and merciless sacrifice offered up to Him, God has remained silent.”Fathers Rodrigues and Garrpe eventually come to a small village in Japan where they meet and minister to a small group of faithful believers. The priests are hidden by the crypto-Christians but eventually are forced to separate and flee from the authorities. Betrayed in the same way Jesus was, Rodrigues is captured and imprisoned. Until now the story is told to us in first person, but now, with his capture, Rodrigues himself falls silent as the narrative switches from first person to third. We are now witness to a Passion Play of sorts with Father Rodrigues in the center: “His thoughts turned to the fire-lit garden and the servants; the figures of those men holding black flaming torches and utterly indifferent to the fate of one man. These guards, too, were men. They were indifferent to the fate of others. This was the feeling that their laughing and talking stirred up in his heart. Sin, he reflected, is not what it is usually thought to be; it is not to steal and tell lies. Sin is for one man to walk brutally over the life of another and to be quite oblivious of the wounds he has left behind.”Father Rodrigues will be presented with the ultimate choice. No matter what choice he makes, Rodrigues knows it will carry consequences not only for himself but for others as well. Right and wrong and faith and doubt are blurred in this story. Even the silence of God that Rodrigues rails against has been blurred: “But now there arose up within my heart quite suddenly the sound of the roaring sea as it would ring in my ears …The sound of those waves that echoed in the dark like a muffled drum; … And like the sea God was silent. His silence continued.”This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it is considered his masterpiece. I can understand why. The story is simple, yet incredibly complex and thought provoking. The writing has a lyrical rhythm to it and the switch from first person to third person upon Rodrigues' capture, IMO, was an artistic stroke of genius. Endo was not the first author to do this, of course, but here it has a profound effect. Endo's ability to draw numerous parallels between the Gospel story of Jesus and Rodrigues’ story, sometimes obviously, sometimes less so, is uncanny. My one tiny (very tiny) complaint is that there are some Latin phrases sprinkled throughout the book which I did not know. I am grateful to whoever had this book before me as they wrote the translation to most of these above the text.Silence is a poignant and beautifully written story; one I would highly recommend. I plan on reading more of this author's work.

[steve38 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A temporary fascination with Japan lead me to pick this book off the shelf in a small Japanese stationery and book shop just off Piccadilly. We'd watched the old TV mini series 'Shogun' as a briefing for a holiday in that country. This book is set in a similar period. Written by an author who is amongst the 1% of the population which is christian it tells the story of Portuguese missionaries entering the country at a time when the authorities had clamped down on the religion and its apostles. It is undoubtedly a book about religion. Much of it taken up by the personal agonising of the main character, a young dedicated missionary. The betrayal of Judas is reenacted and used as a prompt to consider the meaning of individual faith. Possibly there is a buddhist approach at work too. The tooing and froing in the missionaries mind like a buddhist savant tackling a difficult koan. In the margins titbits of history both social and political. Throughout it is hard not to keep the author in mind and his position as a member of a minority sect in society.

[jrcovey_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I would just like to add my voice to those who were prompted to read this novel by seeing and indeed admiring the recent film adaptation by Martin Scorsese. Readers who come by the same path will not be particularly surprised by anything that transpires in this narrative, and that is a function of how faithful Scorsese and his co-writer Jay Cocks have been to the book. But nothing in cinema can fully replicate the sheer economy and lucidity of Endo's text. Its structure of movement from first-person narrator to omniscient third to marginal-character viewpoint in the last few pages permits a precision that is difficult to replicate cinematically. Without breaking out William Empson, to discuss levels precision of ambiguity is a tricky task but it seems to me that Endo has achieved ambiguities that amount to more than mere mannerisms. And indeed certain choices in the film now seem less puzzling now that I've read the text with which the film is in conversation.

[hamburgerclan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When reading this book, the descriptive word that popped in my head was "beautiful". Not quite the best choice for a novel about religious persecution, torture and death in 17th Century Japan. Yet Mr. Endō tells a tale of suffering that is not gratuitous or hopeless. It evoked the concept of Christ suffering with His followers instead of simply rescuing or abandoning them. It's not a concept I've had to experience in real life, yet it rang true with what I've read from those who had. Anyway, this one has truly earned its status as a classic.--J.

[1morechapter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Based on a true story about the persecution and torture of Japanese Christians and foreign missionaries in 1600s Japan, Silence is a powerful book about faith (and doubt), truth, and the human spirit. What will make one person stay true to his faith, even under unspeakable torture, while another one does not? Why is God silent during suffering? These are the questions the book raises, and some would say it gives no clear answers. It is easy to say from our comfortable Western homes that we would never deny God under duress. But the Bible states that even Peter, a much loved disciple, denied Christ. What does it truly mean to stay faithful to God?Repeating the prayer again and again he tried wildly to distract his attention; but the prayer could not tranquilize his agonized heart. ‘Lord, why are you silent? Why are you always silent…?’This book powerfully affected me, and I’ve already sought out more books by this Japanese Christian author.

[jimrgill · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The plot of “Silence” is fairly simple—two 17th-century Portuguese Jesuits travel to Japan to find their mentor, a Jesuit who is rumored to have apostatized under pressure from Japanese authorities. Along the way, they endure hardships and experience oppression due to their religious faith. Like most works of great literature, however, the novel is about so much more.Sebastian Rodrigues, the main character in “Silence,” is a tragic figure of Shakespearean proportions. As he seeks his former mentor amid the Japanese persecution of Catholics, he ponders the nobility of martyrdom and often compares himself to Christ, even going so far as to cast a Japanese peasant as his personal Judas. His growing obsession with his own virtue and his mounting frustration with God’s silence in the face of human suffering constitute an almost unforgiveable hubris—a flaw for which he is forced to face consequences.Poetic in style, epic in scope, but brief in length (just over 200 pages), Endo’s novel is an utter masterpiece.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a short novel, only 201 pages, and I read it in just a few hours. The prose is spare, almost minimalist, but that doesn't mean it isn't in the end powerful. The translator in his introduction calls the author Shusaku Endo the "Japanese Graham Greene," and in this work of historical fiction set in the mid-17th century, Endo tackles questions not only about what it means to be Japanese and Christian, but Christian period. Or to believe in any spiritual creed. Questions such as can Christianity take root in foreign soil without changing the faith fundamentally? Is truth universal or does each culture have its own? But most of all it asks, about "the silence of God... the feeling that while men raise their voices in anguish God remains with folded arms, silent."At the beginning of the 17th century, there was a thriving Christian community in Japan of as many as 400,000 believers in the nation of 20 million. But then in 1614 the Japanese government issued an "edict of expulsion" of the Christian missionaries and the persecution of Christians began, almost completely eradicating the faith within Japan and driving the remnant underground. The book follows Father Rodrigues, a Portuguese missionary, who comes to Japan a couple of decades after the banning of Christianity and whose faith is challenged when he witnesses the martyrdom of the Japanese Christians, and then is captured and put under pressure to repudiate his faith.Often I hear that we're not supposed to cross cultures in fiction. Over and over again I read people saying it's arrogant for a Westerner to try to write of the East. Yet here Endo, who is Japanese, writes from the point of view of a 17th century Portuguese man and puts the lie to that, and I think shows we only narrow our vision when we refuse to at least try to see a view alien to us. I thought amazing the psychological insight and complexity with which Endo depicted Rodrigues. Over a third of the narrative is presented as his letters, other parts in third person but sticking closely to his point of view. Reading his struggle with forgiving and faith was often a moving experience. If I don't rate this a full five stars, it's only that I felt the ending fell a little flat for me. I think it would have ended more strongly if the "appendix" at the end had been cut, and we had been left with Rodrigues' reflections.

[pastor_doug-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up because I heard it was a good exploration of the (so-called) “problem of evil”; that it is, indeed. It helps that the writer was non-Western, although a Catholic.

Whether you’re a Christian or not, or are interested in topics such as colonialism, world trade, missions, the Catholic Church, persecution, or 17th-century-feudal Japan, it would be well worth your time - especially if you have some light-hearted reading nearby once you are done.

[revslick_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a tale of a Jesuit priest who commits the sin of apostasy in 17th century Japan. It is powerful and hauntingly beautiful speaking to the depths of faith, suffering, martyrdom and a chilling example of being Jesus in the midst of an oppressive regime. I really need to read it again before giving a full review but, even though it lags in a few spots, the ending is truly worth it.