Lies of Silence

Lies of Silence is a novel by Brian Moore published in 1990. It focuses on the personal effects of The Troubles, a period of ethnic, religious and political conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to 1998.

Lies of Silence
First edition cover.
AuthorBrian Moore
CountryIreland/United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
SubjectsThe Troubles
GenreSuspense, literary novel
PublisherNan A. Talese
Publication date
August 1, 1990
Pages197
ISBN978-0-385-41514-9
Preceded byThe Colour of Blood (1989) 
Followed byNo Other Life (1993) 

Plot

The plot revolves around the protagonist, Michael Dillon, and his wife, Moira Dillon, who are held hostage in their house by members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). The men force Dillon, an apolitical hotel manager, to drive his bomb-laden car to the hotel he manages in order to kill a leading Protestant reverend, members of the Orange Order, and militant Protestants, all of whom are attending the same function. Various aspects of female psychology are also present throughout the novel, including Dillon's extramarital affair with Canadian writer Andrea and Moira's mental breakdown following the revelation of his infidelity.[1]

Reception

Upon its publication, Lies of Silence received positive acclaim internationally. Publishers Weekly described it as "Moore's most powerful, meaningful and timely novel",[2] the Toronto Sun said that "once again Brian Moore proves his astonishing versatility and compelling humanity as a writer," the Irish Independent noted that "the writing is crisp and taut" and that "the moral crises [...] are intensely complex and gripping,"[3] and The New York Times described it as "characteristically first rate... intelligent... brilliant."[4] Lies of Silence was one of six books shortlisted for the 1990 Man Booker Prize.[5]

Lies of Silence is a choice for English comparative study for the Leaving Certificate in schools in Ireland.[1]

Translations
  • A Finnish language edition, Veren väri, was published in 1997 by Book Studio (ISBN 9516118658)[6]
  • A Portuguese language edition, Mentiras de Silêncio, was published in 1992 by Círculo de Leitores[6]
  • A Welsh language edition, translated by Nansi Pritchard, was published as Celwyddau Distawrwydd by Gwasg Gwynedd in December 1995 (ISBN 0860741214; ISBN 978-0860741213)[6]
  • A Spanish language edition "Mentiras del silencio", translated by Aníbal Leal, was published in 1991 by Javier Vergara Editor S.A.
gollark: I got divisibility by 4. I appear to have made a horrible mistake and failed to attain 8.
gollark: I said 8.
gollark: Hmm. What accursed logarithmic things *can* occur?
gollark: Oh right, you can convert that to `ln x + ln 2`.
gollark: What if number of repeated applications of `ln(2x)` or something?

References
  1. "Exam Centre Leaving cert: Lies of Silence". www.skoool.ie. Skoool. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  2. Publishers Weekly. Amazon.com: Lies of Silence (9780385415149): Brian Moore: Books. Amazon. ASIN B0108EQO3Y.
  3. Reviews sourced from blurb and pg. 3 of Lies of Silence, Vintage Books 1999 edition. ISBN 978-0-09-999810-5.
  4. Prose, Francine (September 2, 1990). "The Reluctant Terrorist". The New York Times. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  5. "Prize Archive 1990". The Man Booker Prizes. Archived from the original on November 21, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  6. "Lies of Silence". Goodreads. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
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