The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys is a novel that sheds light on the dark time of post-civil-war Spain. Ana is an impoverished girl who works for a hotel where she sees rich tourists and diplomats constantly that make many times more money in a day than her family could in a year. Her family suffers from the oppression under the dictator General Franco. Daniel is an American tourist from an extremely wealthy family who’s trying to capture photos of Spain that will get him into photography school, a future that isn’t supported by his parents. As their two stories collide and love starts to blossom, Ana shows Daniel the harsh reality of Spain’s dictatorship and Daniel starts to realize just how terrible things are. Through the many perspectives that the novel follows, the little-known horrors of this time are revealed as seen by different kinds of people. Even now, information about this time period is being uncovered despite it not being long ago because of how well it was covered up and forgotten. By the end of the book, you’ll know the true dangers of silence.
This book is extremely heart-wrenching and sad but opened my eyes to a historical period that I had never read about. A lot of the issues that this book addresses are still relevant today which makes it a really good educational read while also telling a beautiful and page-turning story. The relationship between Ana and Daniel is powerful but not overwhelming to the other important parts of the story and their romance is a great thing to root for. Just like Ruta Sepetys’s other novels, the characters are complex and very intricately written, making the book very realistic and vivid. I liked that this book was attention-grabbing and fast-paced because it heightened the interest of the story and allowed for the book to keep surprising the reader. Almost every chapter something new and shocking was introduced which kept the story fresh and captivating. I would give this book a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars because it’s honestly one of the best books I have ever read in almost all aspects. For mature fans of Ruta Sepetys, fans of historical fiction with romance, or just people looking for a fun way to learn more about historical events I highly recommend that you read The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys.
Review Written by Ada, 9th Grade