A well written book that brings in moral questions of faith and whether our pride can interfere with our faith. ( )

Read this in preparation for my trip to Nagasaki during Holy Week and Easter. I tried to read it before around the time the Scorsese movie came out but didn't get beyond the first few pages. This time went through it in a few days, perhaps having since then become a weekly Mass goer again and much more aware of the history of Catholicism in Nagasaki.

Even though I like Inoue, the priest Rodrigues main tormentor, knew where it would end, it wasn't just an interesting philosophical or theological discussion, but the narrative was strong and drove the discussion. Rodrigues often discussed how Kichijiro would be a great Christian if times were easy, though he is also talking about himself by the end. Yet all the Christians in the book suffer for their faith, but even though there is a lot to think about in how torture and violence is used to "persuade" people -- or yourself -- especially in our age, people often do things they dislike just to get along, thinking we are helping out ourselves and others in the short or long run. How much are you willing to sacrifice to stay true to ourselves and our faith while living in society, especially if you live in one which does not share your values? Even though Endo pushes his characters to their extreme, that is at the heart of the book.

One of the greatest books ever written. A must read. ( )

Pretty bleak. Sort of 1984, but set in 17th century Japan, and the main character is a Portuguese priest/missionary. ( )

While being myself a Christian, I am always afraid that books written by Christian authors turn out to be 'preachy' or pretend that if you only believe in God everything will turn out fine. I therefore rather avoid Christian books. This book, however, is something else entirely. It has sharp edges, very disturbing scenes, ask difficult questions and has the courage not to answer them. The characters Endo creates are superb and real. I am very glad the great Martin Scorsece is making a movie about this, so more people can discover this masterpiece. ( )