How did I get the book? Received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis: Before she knows it, everything in thirteen-year-old Flora’s life has changed. Her parents, her best friend Alys, and the restricted life she has always known in their Bucharest tower block are distanced from her – and Daniel, the mysterious new boy at school, seems to be the cause. Flora likes him, but why can’t everybody else trust him too? She thinks of her father’s words: “People like us can’t afford the luxury of new friends.” Then, just as she is making sense of her divided loyalties, Flora discovers that only she alone can save her father’s life.
Set in revolutionary Romania, this is a thought-provoking story of loyalty, acceptance and the power of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming hardship. It is endorsed by Amnesty International UK as contributing to a better understanding of human rights and the values that underpin them.
200words (or less) review: The Voices Of Silence is technically historical fiction but Flora’s story takes place in 1989 – that’s after I was born. I think it’s because of this that the book left much more of an impact then other stories in this genre have.
Flora is growing up in an environment where you don’t trust. She explains how there are three languages; the one you speak in public/school, the one you have at home with your parents and then the private one inside your head.
Alys (her former best friend) isn’t talking to her and after a new boy joins her class Flora thinks she’s found a friend. With what is happening at home Flora feels isolated so Daniel is just what she needs.
Bel Mooney doesn’t shy away from what life is like for Flora but there is hope.
The Voices Of Silence is an inspiring read.
Recommend it?
Absolutely
Luna's Little Library 