Author: Brian Moore
Title: Lies of Silence
Genre: Action thriller
Publication: First publication in 1990
Composition: The book consists of 10 chapters with no title
Theme: The book is about the struggle between the IRA and the middle-class people.
Main characters: “Michael Dillon “, Moira and Andreas.
Minor characters: Dillon’s parents, Moira’s parents, IRA (Kev) and priest Matt Conally.
THEME:
The novel is set Belfast in Northern Ireland during the 20th Century. The atmosphere is dominated by fear and tension because of the political situation.
Tension as a result of the troubles in N. Ireland forms the social setting of this book. Violence and conflict are both constant features of life in the novel.
The novel deals with a divided city in both religious and political beliefs showing the attempts of the IRA (The Irish Republican Army) to target a large hotel for a bomb attack.
The book is an action thriller. It is not only fiction but the writer; Brian Moore has tried to bring the world’s attention to the political problem going on in N. Ireland on international level. Today, it’s not a hidden truth.
The story is all about middle class families and their problems. In my opinion it is not only a love story, but it is more likely an action thriller.
SUMMARY:
Michael Dillon is married to Moira, and he has a mistress named Andrea Baxter. He is a manager at Clarence Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Dillon wants to get a divorce from Moira and wants to move to London with Andrea. He never likes N. Ireland and always wants to move out of here.
One night when he reaches home and wants to talk to Moira about getting separated, the IRA breaks into his house and takes them hostages.
The IRA placed a bomb in Dillon’s car and wants him to drive to Clarence Hotel as usual and park it in reserved parking area right under the room where ’’Alun Pottinger’’ is going to give a speech, and a Canadian delegation is there to hear him.
If he wouldn’t do as he has been told, the IRA would kill his wife. But he chooses to inform police, and the hotel is evacuated at the time, and Moira is safe, too.
Because he had not acted as he was told by IRA, his life is in danger. He tells the police that he has seen Kev’s face.
The police tell them to leave the country as soon as possible. Dillon tells Moira about Andrea and about getting a transfer to London but Moira doesn’t want to leave and she wants to stand up to the IRA by telling the story to the newspaper and media.
Does she manages to stand up against IRA?
What happens to Dillon and Andrea?
Does IRA manages to track down them?
What part Father Connolly plays in this action thriller?
You can get answers of all these questions by reading this book yourself.
COMMENTS ON BOOK:
I like reading the book. I don’t like the beginning of the novel. A couple of pages of the beginning are quite confusing as sometimes the writer used first and last name of the main character in different places.
Moreover, I don’t like the first chapter where Andrea and Dillon share chemistry. (It is because I don’t like to read books based on Romance.)
However, the way Brian Moore has written the novel is remarkable. His writing style is concrete and to the point. Thus, sometimes it seems as it he has been dragging the story.
The ending is shocking and astonishing. And I was unable to predict the end.
I have learnt a lot about culture and political situation in N. Ireland by reading this novel. Now I know many things about N. Ireland that I didn’t know earlier. All over the book is worth reading.