The Silent Children

The Silent Children follows a girl in Ireland. It reminded me of Madeline, the cartoon with the French girl where the nuns are the ones teaching the classes, except much darker in tone. This book showed the classic structure of Roman government and the Catholic religion strongly influencing the nation of Ireland.

The protagonist's name is Mary Blake. By page 2 you already see how strong the Catholic church is in Irish culture: “Children, stand up and say good morning to the Reverend Mother.” This very much sets the tone for the setting which is mostly church and school as well as their home and neighborhood. Much of the time the children spend in school is under harsh rules.

The kids talk about faeries and other mythology quite a bit, although leprechauns and gold I do not believe is mentioned. The faerie, or sibhe, realm is so beautiful that you never would want to leave after visiting. One interesting superstition occurs when Mary gets sick and believes a banshee is outside their window wanting to take one of their family members over to the other side. Fear is a feeling the protagonist feels all too accustomed to.

You see Mary mature quite a bit during the different chapters of the book. She survives getting ill, she becomes friends with one of her rivals at school. One of the more memorable moments is when she has her first holy communion, which is a day set aside for young women where they have a feast in remembrance of Christ and then take photographs afterward.

I'm a big fan of Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie due to their genre of realistic fiction. I feel people are often drawn to read these books or watch the films because of how much of the real world they have: culture, social interactions, and the dynamics of relationships. This book is similar but has many more bleak moments. 

Perspective: 1st Person 

Tense: Past

Length: 310 pages

Kindle Unlimited: Yes

https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Children-Buried-Shallow-Ground-ebook/dp/B08X4S9RR3