The Silence of the Spirits

by Wilfried N'Sondé

What are the limits of empathy and forgiveness? How can someone with a shameful past find a new path that allows for both healing and reckoning? When Clovis and Christelle find themselves face-to-face on a train heading to the outskirts of Paris, their unexpected encounter propels them on a cathartic journey toward understanding the other, mediated by their respective histories of violence. Clovis, a young undocumented African, struggles with the pain and shame of his brutal childhood, abusive exploits as a child soldier, and road to exile. Christelle, a young French nurse, has her own dark experiences but translates her suffering into an unusual capacity for empathy, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Christelle opens her home and heart to Clovis and presses him to tell his story. But how will she react to that story? Will the telling start Clovis on a path to redemption or alienate him further from French society? Wilfried N'Sondé's brave novel confronts French attitudes toward immigrants, pushes moral imagination to its limits, and constructs a world where the past must be confronted in order to map the future.

Genres: Fiction

141 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 28, 2010

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I believe that this the first African writer I have read. The concept is one that the spirits are silent during times of unrest, cruelty to others and disharmony in the world that was formed to be harmonious. Although a powerful concept, the style of the author was a bit hard to follow and a bit too raw.

[Delphine Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad, magnificent, lyrique, une histoire d’amour à plusieurs vitesses, plusieurs lieux, plusieurs traumatismes. On croit malgré tout aux possibilités de la vie et du rebond, à l’oubli de l’inimaginable. Christelle et Clovis vont-ils dépasser leur souffrance passée ? Marcelline retrouvera-t-elle son frère perdu?

[Yasmina · Rating 2 out of 5]

J’ai eu vraiment dû mal avec la construction même du livre qui a rendu ma lecture difficile. Les phrases sont trop longues et alambiquées j’ai eu du mal à ressentir de l’empathie pour les personnages. Il y a un léger parallèle fait avec le monde mystico-religieux il aurait été souhaitable d’en faire un paragraphe distinct pour en souligner l’importance. Bref cela reste le choix de l’auteur.

Si le choix du sujet est fort intéressant (les épreuves liées à la migration, la tentative de reconstruction avec après avoir quitté un pays en guerre civile) la narration ne m’a pas convaincu.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book is the story of Clovis, an illegal immigrant in Paris fleeing his war torn home country. It's about seeking refuge and redemption and having to face a difficult past, but it's also about the harsh realities for those in places where even the spirits have turned their backs on the people.

This could have gone to 5, but just didn't quite get over that hump for me.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good novella about the horrors of war and it's effects on one man's life. Two people meet on a train, each from very different backgrounds but at the same time find a connection. A good read.

[Anna Passet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cette lecture m'a beaucoup touchée.
Autant dans l'écriture du sombre, de l'horreur que de dans l'écriture de la sensualité

[Ann Theis]

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