So good of writer Gerard Kelly (bottom left) to post this about 'The Silencer' on his blog love.the.words

'Portraying faith in fiction is a major challenge. Believers tend to do it badly, and unbelievers find it hard to believe in! But faith is a huge part of life for millions of people… why shouldn’t it surface in good-quality fiction? Paul Alkazraji’s ‘The silencer’ is an excellent example of a whole new genre: stories that take faith seriously without seeking overtly to ‘convert’. Faith-based without being faith-biased, The silencer is a fast-moving tale that beautifully captures the landscapes and cultures of Albania. This is an author who has found a new home; has fallen in love with it, and is not afraid to let that love shape his writing. The book offers particular insight into the small but growing Albanian evangelical community: a faith-group that was officially non-existent until the Iron Curtain came down. The attempt to grow church in the nation once declared as the world’s first fully atheist state; the pressures of corruption and opposition; the raw beauty of the place and its people – these are the threads that weave together to form this intriguing tale.'

http://gerardkelly.org/archives/317